Qantas ditches BlackBerries for iPhones

Qantas said it was switching 1,300 employee phones from Canada-based Research in Motion’s BlackBerry to the popular Apple device after a “large majority” of workers expressed a preference for the iPhone.

“Transition from the BlackBerry to the iPhone is part of Qantas’ broader mobility strategy and, once complete, will result in significant cost savings,” Qantas said.

Analysts said it was a fatal blow for RIM and would likely trigger “significantly more defections” from the outdated BlackBerry maker, which is struggling to remain relevant against its fast-evolving rivals.

“Seeing large blue-chip companies such as Qantas dumping BlackBerry will only confirm to others who are on BlackBerry that they’re a dead-end street.”

Qantas is also rolling out live iPad streaming of in-flight entertainment on its domestic Boeing 767 fleet following a successful trial of the QStreaming technology.