After a series of leaks on the BlackBerry Storm and Javelin, now it's time for Niagara, Meteor, and Apex to follow the same path. For some reason both the newly leaked devices look very similar in form factor and general layout to the Javelin, but I believe that is a general design pattern in RIM phones.

The Meteor will be more feature-packed and more expensive than the Storm (which is represented on the graph as Thunder), while Niagara will be just one place behind Storm on what concerns to price and feature. Our source also informed their readers of a phone with clamshell form factor, that follows the Pearl 8220, but with CDMA connectivity, which is codenamed BlackBerry Apex. The source has based on an internal draft that was retrieved from RIM that details all data on the new phones. You can read the extract concerning these phones after the break.

From what we can read, BlackBerry is trying to widen its choices to the consumer and not just to enterprise. Thunder will be focused on consumer, while Meteor will targe enterprise. Meteor will cater to 3G HSDPA markets while Thunder will be sold in both CDMA and GSM markets. There is an expected target-audience overlap between Javelin, Thunder, and Kickstart. The Niagara will launch in 2009 and will preceed 8830 Curve, and will feature a 3.2MP camera, EVDO Rev A and a large display, with the addition of WiFi.

[via BGR]

Meteor
Meteor may be seen as an alternative product to Thunder in some markets. Although the Thunder product will focus more on the Consumer, the comparisons will be drawn by the industry and analysts covering RIM. In the U.S. market the two will be competitive offerings between Verizon and AT&T, and each may be positioned as the flagship BlackBerry offering – blurring differentiation between the two products. In the markets where Vodafone operates, Meteor will be seen as an alternative 3G product. Vodafone will carry the Meteor product and focus it as more of an Enterprise focused device. Vodafone will be the only carrier globally to offer the full range of 3G HSDPA products carried by RIM. In those markets where both Meteor and Thunder are offered, the consumer versus enterprise and leading edge versus luxury will be the key characteristics that will distinguish the Thunder from Meteor product. Features that may lead them towards a Thunder purchase include the tactile screen, larger display and higher resolution camera, along with its more understated styling.

Javelin
The next generation EDGE product launching in the fall of 2008 will be focused on providing a higher tier narrow QWERTY solution around the globe. There is expected to be minimal overlap between Thunder and Javelin products.

Kickstart
Although Thunder and Kickstart target the consumer segment, Thunder will be targeted at the higher end portion of the consumer segment. Minimal overlap is expected between these products due to the relatively distinct flip phone market targeted by Kickstart, particularly in the US.

Focusing on the latest CDMA offerings launching in the 2009 timeframe:
Niagara
The Niagara product launching in the early of 2009 will be the evolution of the successful 8830, focused on the Enterprise market. Niagara’s feature set includes a 3.2MP camera, EVDO Rev A and a large display, with the addition of WiFi. It is expected that with the rich feature set, and ID styling similar to Thunder, that there will be overlap between Niagara and Thunder target market.

Apex
Although Thunder and Apex target the consumer segment, Thunder will be targeted at the higher end portion of the consumer segment. Minimal overlap is expected between these products due to the relatively distinct flip phone market, particularly in the US.