The firm, which has seen its fortunes eclipsed by the likes of the iPhone and Android devices of Apple and Samsung, has disappointed investors due to the fact that the new BlackBerry machines will not hit the US market until March.

Known as BlackBerry since Wednesday, the company has unveiled a touch-screen phone called the Z10 and a version with a physical keyboard named the Q10, both of which will run the retooled BB10 software. The Z10 is now on sale in the UK and will launch in Canada and the United Arab Emirates in the next 10 days, reports said.

Reports from news services such as Bloomberg suggested that investor response to the launch - and the fact that the US market will not see the devices until March - was one of disappointment.

Dan Wagner, chief executive of mobile payments firm mPowa, said the battle will be lost or won depending on how well the new devices and operating system engage the business market.

“In its quest to gain a larger slice of the consumer market, Blackberry mustn’t lose sight of the core business customer base that it initially built its products around. Business has evolved drastically since the launch of Blackberry’s first smartphone in 2003, and business users now want to do more with their hand-held devices, effectively turn them into mobile offices with which they can do far more than merely access their calendars and emails,” he said.

“Blackberry needs a dynamic platform that supports additional services that make businesses more efficient and mobile – if it is to hang onto its customers,” Wagner said.