Can RIM be a comeback kid with BB10?

[lothar]

Kinda sounds like a poor user experience for customers, no? Like expecting web apps to be a good stand-in replacement for web apps; Facebook learned the hard way that users can tell the difference, I wonder if Twitter will get the same memo.

Agreed.
But "poor" user experience is better than "no" user experience at this point in the game.
Maybe that's how RIMM sees it?
It's better for them to have a Facebook/Twitter/"insert whatever popular app here" app on BB10 even if it's a hackjob version from Android than to have no apps at all?

I expect there will be tons of bugs using this method. If RIMM didn't do this method, they'd have to get all the way to the back of the line in the iOS vs Android vs WP7/8 app wars.

 

[aj654987]

They need to make sure they arent loosing more business to apple in the commercial and industrial areas. They are done for in the consumer arena.

 

[zerocool84]

They need to make sure they arent loosing more business to apple in the commercial and industrial areas. They are done for in the consumer arena.

They already are. Lots of companies are switching to iPhone or Android and a company can't go back and forth so easily. Once they've switched they've pretty much switched for good. They took too long to release something competitive.

 

[3chordcharlie]

They already are. Lots of companies are switching to iPhone or Android and a company can't go back and forth so easily. Once they've switched they've pretty much switched for good. They took too long to release something competitive.

Yes, because most large companies have a roadmap that says "change phone system in 2012, and then never change it again".

 

[theevilsharpie]

They already are. Lots of companies are switching to iPhone or Android and a company can't go back and forth so easily. Once they've switched they've pretty much switched for good. They took too long to release something competitive.

If BB10's phones fully support ActiveSync, the barrier to switching should be the same as any other phone.

 

[zerocool84]

Yes, because most large companies have a roadmap that says "change phone system in 2012, and then never change it again".

I guess you've never seen how long it takes companies to upgrade small things let alone changing phone platforms all together for the whole company.

 

[3chordcharlie]

I guess you've never seen how long it takes companies to upgrade small things let alone changing phone platforms all together for the whole company.

Actually, for all the things I don't have any experience with, this is one that I do.

You're speaking in absolutes, and it is making you really quite incorrect.

The company who ditched BES last week is not going to go back in January, it's true. The company who switched in 2010 is not immune to migration, anymore than they were in, oh, 2010.

 

[gotsmack]

I don't know a single person who is "waiting" for BB10...

I am. I had a Bold 9000 (I loved it) and held it for like a year past my contract ended waiting for a decent replacement BB. The 9700 was smaller (which was unacceptable to me) and the 9900 was bricking itself at a really high rate when it first came out, so I switched over to the HTC Vivid which was one of the first LTE phones on ATT. So I've been using this Android phone for a year now and I'm ready to go back to a BB with a keyboard.

 

[BenSkywalker]

The company who ditched BES last week is not going to go back in January, it's true. The company who switched in 2010 is not immune to migration, anymore than they were in, oh, 2010.

While what you say is true, the tide had to turn on RIM to an extreme degree to get most companies to swap to Android/iOS in the first place. I don't think a platform that was merely 'competitive' would have been enough to get it done inside any major corporation. From that perspective, it is hard to imagine a situation where BB would end up ahead of Android/iOS by a large enough margin to make it happen. Honestly, it is hard to imagine them getting back to 10%, they just seem completely out of touch with the market at this point(I know, BB10 is truly a competitive 2008 mobile OS ).

 

[mxnerd]

Too little, too late.

How many phone OSes does the market need? Even Microsoft/Nokia Windows Phone 8 not necessarily will survive, let alone BB10.

 

[Spicedaddy]

Microsoft if waiting for BB10 to fail so they can do the same thing they did with Nokia.

 

[shortylickens]

People are already in love with their other platforms. RIM would need to offer superior hardware and fantastic software all at a reasonable price in order to compete with the big boys.

 

[silverpig]

Kinda sounds like a poor user experience for customers, no? Like expecting web apps to be a good stand-in replacement for web apps; Facebook learned the hard way that users can tell the difference, I wonder if Twitter will get the same memo.

They actually work quite well. You can already play with Android apps on the playbook. You can even sideload them if you have the android version.

 

[MrX8503]

I don't think it'll be a comeback for RIM.

What is RIM bringing to the table that is substantially improved or better? Looking back at the iPhone 2007 keynote and how different it was compared to current smartphones at the time. That's what RIM needs to be.

I think BB10 will stop the bleeding, but its going to take a minimum of 3 years for RIM to be relevant again.

MS was smart in ditching WinMo sooner and now they're in a more flexible position than RIM.

 

[Aristotelian]

How, exactly, did you go about hating blackberry devices pre-2009 (i.e. pre iPhone 3GS)? There's simply no way you think anything was outperforming BB in the smartphone space before that.

And FTR, I am one who is waiting to see BB10, and a good view of WP8 before my next upgrade.

If neither is brilliant, I will end up on Android, but can't say I want to.

It wasn't about 'outperforming', it was about 'user experience', and I never appreciated the older Blackberry interface. Now that they are joining the touch screen arena, I think that they may indeed make a comeback, as I highlighted rather clearly in my previous post.

 

[3chordcharlie]

It wasn't about 'outperforming', it was about 'user experience', and I never appreciated the older Blackberry interface. Now that they are joining the touch screen arena, I think that they may indeed make a comeback, as I highlighted rather clearly in my previous post.

To be clear, I didn't mean any sort of 'outperforming in the market' , I mean that pre 3GS, non-BB smartphones really couldn't claim to compete in functionality. In general, 'user experience' for me has more to do with 'handles core tasks efficiently and peripheral tasks adequately'.

Personally, I don't 'prefer' all-touch interface, but certainly wouldn't claim that iOS/Android/WP are in any way lacking functionality.

 

[Aristotelian]

To be clear, I didn't mean any sort of 'outperforming in the market' , I mean that pre 3GS, non-BB smartphones really couldn't claim to compete in functionality. In general, 'user experience' for me has more to do with 'handles core tasks efficiently and peripheral tasks adequately'.

Personally, I don't 'prefer' all-touch interface, but certainly wouldn't claim that iOS/Android/WP are in any way lacking functionality.

My experience as a user seems quite closely related to my ability to use and interact with the object itself, but I think that discussion is a digression. I was simply trying to indicate the convergence in the market towards touch screen interfaces, and am happy that Blackberry will try to bring something to the table. From the demos, the BB10 appears quite smooth and quick, and hopefully can compete with the major players in that market segment accordingly.

 

[mammador]

it may save the firm. But I cannot see RIM have the same market share as before now. Before Android took off, in 2008 or so, RIM had 50% of the market. Figures that high they may never see again.

Even if BB10 is well received, it will take a huge effort to eat into Android and iOS. There is nothing to stop Google from releasing 4.2 or 4.3, or Apple from releasing a quality phone.

I think BB10 will be similar to Win7/8, maybe a capable platform but with comparatively low market share.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

it may save the firm. But I cannot see RIM have the same market share as before now. Before Android took off, in 2008 or so, RIM had 50% of the market. Figures that high they may never see again.

Even if BB10 is well received, it will take a huge effort to eat into Android and iOS. There is nothing to stop Google from releasing 4.2 or 4.3, or Apple from releasing a quality phone.

I think BB10 will be similar to Win7/8, maybe a capable platform but with comparatively low market share.

plus look at all the upgrades google needs to do to stay competitive with iphone. does anyone really think rim has the ability or the resources to fight that type of fight? they have a lot few employees now