Two months ago today Microsoft announced Windows Phone 7, the all new Windows mobile operating system that will be a lot more like the Zune than it is the current version of Windows Mobile. Windows Phone 7 isn’t an upgrade, but, a completely new direction in mobile operating systems for Microsoft. Even though Windows Phone 7 isn’t due out until the latter part of this year, I know all this because, to put it mildly, Microsoft has been hyping Windows Phone 7 up beyond all belief…
I’m not sure if RIM has noticed, but, a lot of BlackBerry users are dissatisfied with the BlackBerry, particularly the BlackBerry OS and its lack of general “coolness” when compared to… well… pretty much everything else. A real problem this year for RIM will be customer churn, as long-time, die-hard, BlackBerry fanatics that automatically update to the latest and greatest BlackBerry every couple of years, are increasingly looking at alternatives like the iPhone, Android, and even Windows Phone 7.
RIM does have some new stuff coming out, but, quite honestly we aren’t really sure what all that is. The new WebKit based BlackBerry Browser is supposed come out this Spring, but, even details about it are shrouded in secrecy, let alone cool stuff that the next BlackBerry OS will be able to do. BlackBerry users that have contracts which expire this year have already decided, in many cases, that they are getting something other than a BlackBerry as soon as they possibly can.
It seems to me that RIM should be doing something… anything… a bit more to try to hang on to users they already have as well as woo consumers that the feel that the BlackBerry is just a work device and /or inferior to more “modern mobile operating systems”. This leads me to the question that is the title of this post. Why isn’t RIM hyping up the next BlackBerry OS? It isn’t too often that you will ever hear me give a compliment to MS when it comes to smartphones, however, RIM should probably take a page out of their playbook when it comes to marketing the future of RIM…
Lol because RIM knows that their OS’ aren’t perfect and buggy.. As does Microsoft.. Microsoft however is perfectly okay with releasing buggy stuff.. So they advertise it..
I totally agree. Although I’ve only been using smartphones for the past two yrs and both have been Blackberries, I can’t help but think that people are getting tired of their Blackberries. Given all the new options that have come along in just these last two yrs, why wouldn’t people consider buying something else. I can understand that there is a certain level of brand loyalty, but Blackberry seams to be stagnant and doesnt do a good job touting its strengths or future hardware or software. And like you mentioned, RIM also hasn’t been doing anything to keep me motivated to stay with them thru my next upgrade. Maybe OS 6 will compete with the iPhones & Androids out there, but we have no idea yet.
I know many people who jumped ship to iPhones because RIM were/are so silent about things, it seems like they have nothing up those sleeves of theirs but 2000 new blackberry models every year. The software is stuck in the past…
Lewis 😉
One can but hope that RIM pulls out all the stops at WES. We know RIM’s profits are 80-90% hardware driven, and that’s okay, but with the inroads being made by iPhone and Android into traditional RIM market if they don’t seriously step up to the plate with an OS overhaul their market share is going to soon start taking a downward spiral. I would argue that RIM has far better hardware than Apple or almost any Android smartphone, but the OS is holding the hardware back.
Better hardware then Apple or HTC, I don’t think so.
sorry but htc is crap, we’ll see if the incredible aka the eris 2 will have better hardware and processor
And as it turns out the Incredible certainly does… 1GHz Snapdragon, 1.5GB flash, etc…
Blackberries are still the most secure, but they’re “upgrading” to half a gig of flash with OS6. Upgrading? Please….
Funny…I got my wife the ‘crap’ you refer to: an HTC Incredible (first non-RIM device in house) and fell in love with it before she even got it in her hands…..long story short: I got tired of waiting on the Slider+OS6+More Memory and bought myself an HTC Incredible as well. Wow…I’ve always been a huge ‘gotta-have-a-physical-keyboard’ guy, but I’ve taken to the onscreen one very quickly (not quite as fast yet…but everything else MORE than makes up for it.) Sense UI is beautiful and awesome to work with, performance is mindblowing…and I’ve already got more than 50 high-quality, FREE apps installed. (Did I also mention that Google is close to releasing the upgrade that allows apps to be encrypted and run from SD cards….hehehe….) Another bonus is the Exchange integration…I’m not on the corporate network, but when I entered my credentials, it pulled and sync’d not only my email (like BB did), but *also* my calendar and all wirelessly, thru exchange webmail interface which means I’m getting all my calendar alerts w/o circumventing IT policy by installing DM at work and sync’ing over USB. Yep, the switchover is *really* going to hurt me in business…. 😉
Another irritant: this BS ‘super app’ kick RIM is on highlighting ‘deep integration’ with native is apps is their way of making up for a horrid development environment….Android comes with the most super app of all…Google. (My pitch to others, and it has made 2 iPhone users and 3 Blackberry users switch already, is think “Google Android + Touchscreen = Best of iPhone w/o worst of Apple (1984ish, draconian, iron-fisted Jobs) or worst of ATT (The worlds fastest, least accessible, most spotty, worst network. Add in device *and* network selection and the platform easily beats iPhone and RIM platform options in devices, networks, openness, et al) There are plenty of apps (free and paid) available for Android that already meet RIM’s definition of ‘super app’…do they really think the average consumer, business or otherwise, understands what ‘super app’ means? ….more sillyness from a bloated pig…look at the year of year Q1 numbers (09-10)…the downward spiral has begun. Every schmo (like me) who jumped on the BB bandwagon with the el cheapo BOGO on Curves, Tours, Storms (ick) and Bolds is now coming off their 1 or 2 yr contracts seeing the excellent devices their friends are snatching up and will start abandoning the BB in droves. (BTW: Advice time here for RIM….crap can your marketing dept that came up with ‘super app’ and crowdsource both marketing and business direction from the forums….it may have saved your hiney….probably too late now.)
Bye-bye RIM, nice knowing ya.
PS: Hopefully, for your (and the shareholders) sake, you’ll wisely get to the auction block before the numbers decline too much by 2012-3…
-BF
After 9 months of total disatisfaction with my Storm 1 I was one of the lucky people as GSMA in Barcelona to get a free Nexus One. I ditched my Storm as soon as I got the battery charged up on the Nexus and I haven’t looked back since. The OS is infinitely better and the apps are so much easier to get to and having WiFi has changed the way I use my phone for the better!
I really thing RIM are asleep at the wheel at the moment and with the way Android OS is tearing things up right now it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that MS 7 will split the market even more. If RIM don’t wake up they could go the way of PALM. And after the debacle that was the Storm, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.
They cant go the way of PALM. PALM messed up when they decided to get rid of their OS and incorporate Microsoft Mobil OS in their Device. It was a failure, constant freezing and crashes and most people left them and went to RIM.
Uhhh…there’s this OS called webOS that Palm has been using for close to a year. Welcome to 2009.
Thanks Blue. That is probably the best OS in the market right now. Palm are just backwards with their promotion and advertisement.
Now you’re just being pedantic and being RIM Apologists. The fact is that RIM made a complete mess of the Storm. They launched so as not to fall to far behind the iPhone and I would say it did more damage than anything else. Anyone who has used a Storm 1 will tell you that they are worse than useless.
Palm are in trouble because they got lazy. RIM are getting lazy. And wtf is this new clamshell that all these leaks are coming out. You say welcome to 2009 to me, I say welcome to 2004 to you. RIM rely on their enterprise solution to sell phones and nothing else. Their browser is terrible, the music player is very basic and the internal memory for apps is shockingly small. Apple are making silly money from the App store, how long do you think shareholders will wait before they dump RIM shares because RIM aren’t willing to do whats required.
Completely agree on all points…especially the Palm analogy. This is what happens when nimble, forward-thinking companies get weighed down with bloat and shareholder expectations largely based upon market share (that can dry up in a heartbeat in this space today) and ego (no one will *ever* leave us…we were here first!)
Note to RIM: You’re now hemorrhaging IT users rapidly…while I’m in IT and still a holdout (will NEVER go iPhone, but taking a close look at several new Android models coming out); over half of the IT dept here has abandoned their company phone for iPhones or Androids. It’s a simple equation: Lose the IT dept….lose the corporation. You had better start dumping a LOT of money into turbo-charging the OS6 effort w/ decent browser, a full touch screen slider (it’s coming…but soon enough?) and please, please, please: add some bleeping onboard memory or figure out how to run apps from add on memory cards using encryption or whatever!!!!!!!! (Really, you can’t go to at LEAST 4gb, much less 8, 16 or 32gb?)
Running apps via the SD card becomes a security issue that many corporations and government agencies wouldn’t approve of (example: can’t remotely wipe an SD card if it’s been removed). But RIM should ramp up the internal memory.
Bull!!!
RIM devices have had the ability to encrypt the MicroSD card since its inception when the 8100 debuted 2-3yrs ago. The solution is to enable a NEW IT POLICY to remotely wipe device & encrypted MicroSD card.
When the card is encrypted ONLY the device it was used to encrypt it with and use it or see any data – it appears as a non usable or formatable memory card. If you wipe your device its ability to de-encrypt that also is lost. Win Win Solution.
I’ve tested this on 10 different devices.l
It’s hard to hype a new product when it will, in all likely hood, look like your old one. A new theme and “under the hood” improvements that we were told came in OS 5 won’t cut it. The problem is the CEOs. When you hear them speak and they taut how wonderful the BB is and that other devices should operate like the BB, you know you have a problem. Add to that, calling RIM Facebook application a “super app” totally shows they guys really have no clue about the industry. RIM has been coasting on past glories for awhile now. it’s not 2006 anymore when you only competition was the old Palm OS and WM 5. I fear RIM won’t be around in 5 years, or if they are, they will be a niche market for the needs of the fortune 500 set. Even that is in question.
RIM will still be around. The only way they go down is if Iphone and Android devices are able to do what BlackBerry is known for. Not only Corporate America prefers it. Our Government Departments do too including the pentagon.
By the way, thats just in the USA. Other Countries Goverments and major companies prefer it also. i don’t see an open platform device ( Android) or a device like the Iphone taking over in these sectors.
I see what you are saying, but, RIM doesn’t want the BlackBerry to become the device that consumers “have to use” for work.
I keep hearing this argument and I’m not buying it…the argument being that RIM is being cool enough to maintain market share. Yes, I’m sure people are jumping ship to other devices, Yes, I’m sure they will continue to do so. But, does that mean RIM should change direction w/ the wind to appease people that want to be cool…not necessarily. RIM does what RIM does, and they do it well. OS 5 was a decent appearance leap, but in the end, it’s a messaging device and it smokes all comers in that arena…whether you blog, tweet, email, or text, it kills the competition hands down. If someone told Microsoft they needed to make their OS more Linux like all because a handful of people were jumping ship, should they do it…unlikely. I personally think RIM should keep doing what they are doing and improve on the FEW (and I stress FEW) things they haven’t quite gotten right yet…1 being a good browser…2 being penetrating deeper with appworld and getting more developers on board. Otherwise, I’m just not gonna agree w/ this whole argument that RIM needs to overhaul the entire OS just to be like everybody else…then they’d just be everybody else.
RIM is dead in the water – they’re not touting their new OS because it doesn’t compare to Android or iPhone. RIM appears to think they were going to hold the business market without having to compete with software. Hardware only gets you so far and HTC is going to be kicking ass with the Android based phones very soon.
4 year Berry user waiting for my contract to be up so I can get a decent OS.
I don’t agree that RIM is behind the times. Tell me what the iPhone, Android, and upcomming Windows7 OS’s will do that my Blackberry Storm/Storm2 doesn’t already do?
The only difference I see is I’m locked into what they want my OS’s home screen to look like. With the BB I can choose from MANY layouts that are free or inexpensive that are more personalized to me (I believe that Android will allow this too).
I’ve got my music, photos, videos, twitter, facebook, TV shows, etc…
I can add app’s to be more productive and play games (yes, Apple has a MEGA-TON more, but really how may programs do you need that can make a fart sound?)
With app’s there is the memory storage problem. I agree that RIM need’s to do something about this, and I would hope this is one of the few major things that 6.0 is addressing. But at least on my BB, once this is addressed, I can increase my memory by changing out a SD card – how about iPhone?
I agree the BB native browser is not the greatest, but their are alternatives. And RIM is working on a browser that sounds like it will work like the Opera Mini and Bolt browsers.
I’m done ranting, but I’d love to see a side by side comparrison down what the BB’s don’t do that the iPhone, Android, and Window7 phone’s do. Maybe I’m missing something.
Uh…regarding the memory. If I’m running an application on BB, I’m limited to apps running on the miniscule amount offered by RIM. The iPhone? I can play with at least 8GB. As for browsers on the BB, it’s pathetic, including Opera. I’d like to see what RIM considers a browser on the next release.
As for a comparison, more apps, better browsers, and touch screen. I’m sorry, but I’m a Strom and Storm2 owner and it doesn’t compare to the iPhone or N1 or Droid or…when it comes to screens.
Advantage for RIM? Email and security. The only reason I still use them. However, exchange support on the iPhone and Android is chipping away at RIM’s area of advantage.
It’s really simple. RIM really doesn’t have a “new” OS. Sure, you can call it “new” and version it to a new number. Kid of like MS did with Windows 98 to ME. Just a few surface changes, but otherwise it’s all the same.
RIM needs to make a drastic turnaround or investment in their OS operation. They will lose the majority of their consumer base. As for the corporate side, that will remain intact for the near future. Security is monumental on that side of the fence.
Ive used palm, windows mobile, and blackberry. Ive had the pearl, curve, storm & most recently the tour. All i can say is April 29th cant come fast enough so i can get rid of this ancient dinosaur that i basically pay an extra $29 a month so i can have email & bbm. The web is USELESS on this piece of crap. My phone does NOTHING! I CANNOT wait to get my hands on the Droid Incredible. Sorry BlackBerry…you were good for a while but you are WAY behind now. Good riddance to you. You guys need to make some real drastic changes.
I have to agree–I’ve had three Blackberries in the past five years and my next phone probably won’t be a Blackberry. Instead, I’ll probably get an iPhone or a phone running Android because everyone is writing apps for those phones. I want something shiny with a big screen, good multimedia capabilities and fast internet. My 8900 has….well, none of that, really.
BB is a communications device. Why should we care about all the bells and whistles of the iPhone or Android or Windows 7. BB is a superior email device compared to any of those handhelds and we should be happy with that. If you want the kind of features that are offered by Apple or Google, then you should just go ahead and buy those devices.
Because RIM wants to be considered a “consumer” device as well. If they remain strictly a “business” device they will lose out on way too much money. Think about it. If you owned RIM would you seriously only cater to the business world? I know i sure as hell would want a piece of it all.
Well, RIM has thus far focused on their “core competency” (enterprise) while letting the consumer side slip a bit and yet it is still the top handheld device manufacturer. So, why even go after the consumer side of things? Let Apple and Google fight for that because the enterprise sector still brings in more revenue than the consumer. The BB is fine as it is. Again, it is a communication device (no bells or whistles needed).
Right, because RIM’s “All you need is love” marketing campaign was aimed at touchy-feely CEOs. /sarcasm
RIM knows that they need to attract the consumer market, but their device is ill-equipped for what consumers have been accustomed to seeing via the iPhone or Droid: a fun, powerful, media and web-friendly, fast-performing OS with a ton of apps and features. BlackBerry is great for messaging but falls far short in these other areas.
Disclosure: I have a Bold 9700 and love it, but only stay with BlackBerry since I need it for work and am the BlackBerry administrator. I’d jump ship in a heartbeat otherwise (and may still).
Agreed. But, if RIM thought it was so necessary to go after the consumer market, then they would design a device (not the Storm) that is designed to do so. From all we can see, RIM is quite happy with their devices and the market they are currently dominating (the corporate market). Yes, it would be great to get the consumer side, hence the “All you need is love” marketing campaign, but if they truly believed in entering that sector, then would you not think they would design a device to do so rather than trying to push their current devices into that market? Fact is, the consumer market is gravy, but their primary focus is the enterprise market (hence, it is a communication device). You yourself have stated that you keep it for work. That is all they really want.
Superior at email. That doesn’t hold water anymore. If you use Exchange, then the iphone is superior with support right out of the box. BB doesn’t do that unless you company is running BES.
lol sorry the iphone will never be good with e-mail
The blackberry OS needs work. Lets all be realistic. Yes, it is rock solid with security and the push e-mail. Great for companies and govt. users, etc. Yes, there are folks who like blackberry just the way it is. But, the consumer space doesn’t care about all that. IF the consumer is paying for a data plan, they want to be able to browse the net on that device. E-mail and BBM is nice (and yes it keeps folks on BB and brings in new ones… especially since you can bbm international for no additional cost), but every other phone with a data plan has decent browsing capability. It’s not simply OS, but also hardware that takes advantage of that better browsing experience. BUild it and more customers will come.
Completely agree, they need to up their game and I believe they will. Just need to pick up the pace. AKA the blackberry magnum needs to come ASAP.
If RIM doesn’t deliver something very special with OS 6, then I’m going on records as saying they are done in the consumer market.
im right on the edge of jumping off the blackberry cliff into Android of WM.
blackberry is great for 3 reasons: security, bbm and email
everything else is lacking.
just look at the KIN 1 and 2 thats aimed at preteen:
KIN1 has a 5MP camera with 4GB of storage
KIN2 has an 8MP camera with 8GB of storage
that right there should make put RIM to shame. all people are asking is to be on par with other devices that Blackberry clamins to be in the same class as. thats all. im personally giveing them till the end of 2011…waiting for Storm3…if its not up to snuff im gone for good
I’ve had 6 different models in the past 4 years or so. I’m on 9700 right now, but when the new iPhone comes out this summer, I’ll probably say goodbye to Blackberry. Facebook app is a total disaster and I can say pretty much the same for LinkedIn and official Twitter app. I mean, what the are they thinking? UI is craptastic. Why RIM simply didn’t buy SocialScope will always be a mystery to me. They have a huge opportunity now, Palm is for sale. They could get a great mobile OS and lots of other stuff (patents). But no, they won’t buy it. They’re to proud. You see, I don’t need my BB to be an iPod or video player. But if it’s a communication device, I want great apps for communication! Right now, most of these apps really suck. So… RIM… F*CK YOU!!!
What I want to see is RIM to start gravitating towards a consumer device. They have to live up to the reality that business users want fun too. The everything in one package device is what allows people to do everything. Yes I use my BB as my mp3 player and a way to communicate and check out sports, news, etc.
But it’s not that great of an experience compared to other devices. I can see myself getting used to the Droid, and after hearing about the HTC Incredible video review on verizon, I might become an android fan. But it’s just difficult for me becuase, yes I am a crack berry addict. I love my BBM, I love my productivity tools, calendar, e-mail, buzzd, and WHERE. But I want to be able to get a larger and clear and easy interface. I want to have no trouble viewing my new york times, or espn, or catch you tube podcasts, stream my pandora while not getting lagged up when the next song is about to come on when I am messaging.
RIM needs a serious upgrade in their OS and processor. I mean 1GHz for the Incredible is impressive from my perspective. So is a 8 megapixel camera. And being able to do everything, while staying business friendly. So please RIM, step up to the plate because I don’t see a good future, even with the Bold coming out. I am telling you, the rumored MAGNUM needs to come out asap!
Being a developer (now cross platform and thinking of killing all BB initiatives) I forgot to mention one very important point:
In a word, the BB development tools *suck*.
They’re horrid, cobbled together and feel/act very 2002ish. However, what’s *far* worse than the various IDE options, is their silly decision to keep some API’s unavailable, closed off only to themselves, and others crippled w/limited functional exposure…some of these are real head-scratchers. (2) cases in point: Profiles and BB Messenger. I’ve got some great ideas for the Profiles API and the responses I’ve heard from Mike Kirkuk (RIM Developer relations) are “we keep changing the Profiles code and so it makes it difficult to provide an api into it”. It takes a decent programmer a day or two (depending on code base size of course) to create an API wrapper for a code section…and with something as small as the Profiles…a day or two for any programmer worth their salt, but OK, lets say a couple of weeks or even a month with testing. But what happens when they change the Profiles code base in 2 months? You spend a whole day or two adding the new wrappers to the functions and voila…you’re up-to-date so that developers are happy as they can bring their ideas to life and consumers are happy as they have better applications as opposed to kludgy key-injection workarounds that are *filled* with pitfalls beyond the scope of this reply. Next example: BB Messenger. While a lot of the Messenger functionality is opened up, a key piece…*the* key piece….is missing: the ability to do something with the content of any new message received. I *can* see that a message arrived, delivered, read, etc…but I cannot do anything with the message content. This is why another great tool, BerryPopup (now BePopUp I think) does not, or rather can not, display BB Messenger messages in the message received alert popup. Ridiculous.
We’ll see the numbers nose-diving as customers come off their 2 year contracts…2011 is going to be rough for RIM unless they quit buying companies and start heeding much of the excellent advice on this thread. Otherwise they may as well go a new tagline “RIM. The new Palm.”
I think RIM is like the Toronto Maple Leafs! They make mad money from us dumb asses who stay true to BB and settle for poor performance when all these other companies just keep trying to improve on what they have and try to do better! Now if you sold a bag of crap for $100 without having to put much into it and still have tons of BB customers and are making lots of money would you do anything different? Just like the Leafs they have the best fans and are sold out most of the time why send money on making your team better or with the Stanley Cup! What the the BB customers should do is get of the whole BB crap and jump ship and as soon as the top guys at BB start to see the $$$$ go down then and only then will they do something about it (I would think they would unless they are @”?* heads).
I think RIM is like the Toronto Maple Leafs!
They make mad money from us dumb asses who stay true to BB and settle for poor performance when all these other companies just keep trying to improve on what they have and try to do better!
Now if you sold a bag of crap for $100 without having to put much into it and still have tons of customers and are making lots of money would you be in a rush to do anything different?
Just like the Leafs they have the best fans and are sold out most of the time why spend money on making your team better or win the Stanley Cup!
What the BB customers should do is get of the whole BB crap and jump ship and as soon as the top guys at BB start to see the $$$$ go down then and only then will they do something about it (I would think they would unless they are @”?* heads).