I'm going to agree that RIM did continue to see sales growth all the way up to roughly June '11--to a maximum reportedly of 78 million according to a Dow Jones article I just read. However, that report also stated that RIM's growth "flatlined" while its market share plummeted--meaning that they were seeing almost no new sales while everybody else (no specific mention of Microsoft) were riding the exploding market.

Now, obviously this means that RIM's Blackberry has managed to retain its established customers. The bad side of this is that RIM hasn't been able to impress any new customers. This also means that it's very likely the Blackberry OS 10 is a serious make-or-break issue for them and that they need to not only encourage upgrades from their established base but also generate new sales from previous non-owners. Worse, because of Blackberry's already abysmal reputation on usability, they're going to be fighting that reputation in their effort to generate those sales. It's not going to be enough that they can say they're "better", they've got to demonstrate it in a spectacular manner that visibly blows away any competition. I hate to say this but there is enough skepticism out there that any claims will be doubted and tested to the point of destruction. Blackberry may manage to retain its current base, but it is doubtful--at least for now--that the release of 10 will create any massive shift in market presence.