Since posting about the BlackBerry Daylight Savings Time patch, several people have either commented or emailed me directly asking about Macintosh support. The DST 2007 Patch requires Windows 2000 or higher in order to install. This, of course, poses a problem for Macintosh using BlackBerry owners that don’t have access to a PC.
Research in Motion historically hasn’t provided support for the Macintosh. Even though they started offering PocketMac for free last February, RIM still offers no native Macintosh support for the BlackBerry.
This brings up the question, “Will lack of Mac support push Apple using BlackBerry owners to the iPhone?”
I’ve been on the record stating that the iPhone may cause more problems for RIM than most die-hard BlackBerry users will admit, but, my concern centers around first time smartphone buying consumers that may never become BlackBerry users because the iPhone gets them first.
I tend to believe that many die-hard BlackBerry users are like die-hard Mac users in that they, regardless of what new smartphone comes out, will stick with the BlackBerry, like a Mac user will stick with a Mac regardless of what new Microsoft OS comes out. Some Mac using BlackBerry owners are getting fed up.
One such user that goes by the name BlackBerry Defector comments that they will move to the iPhone over the BlackBerry 8800 when it comes out. Is this sentiment felt by most Mac using BlackBerry owners?
Yep. While work provides me with a blackberry… I’ll be buying my own iPhone for my personal handset… honestly, even with the browser tweaks in the 8800, you can’t beat having safari on your phone.
-Stac
I think many mac users will switch regardless of RIMs mac support. Most of us mac users buy anything Steve Jobs tells us too. Myself my Verizon contract is up in November so I am debating between the iPhone or a pearl. I have to say the only thing that is making me think Pearl is the small size. Other than that the iPhone wins hands down.
I for one was a Blackberry user up until yesterday when the speaker died on my Pearl for the 6th time. I went through 5 phones with t-mobile and I am completely sick of having a phone that doesn’t work. Being a Mac user, I am counting the days to switch to an iPhone. Plus, whats up with Blackberry IMAP support? Sucks.
I think the question is, does RIM care? Let’s face it, Apple’s market share is not really that worrisome to the Windows camp, and this is even more so in the business world. RIM’s market is largely business, and even the personal side will attract a Windows guy. And, given Apple’s market share (of what? about 5% give or take: search apple market share 2006) do you really think RIM is going to waste resources to support the 5% of OSX users????
Don’t get me wrong, I use OSX sometimes too (about 5% of the time) and it’s a fine OS. My next computer in fact will likely be an eight core Mac Pro (killer windows gaming rig). But certainly do use a Mac when I interacting with my Blackberry, which incidentally is picked, provided and paid by my employer.
So in a long winded way, will Apple users switch to iPhone, Yes. Does any one really care at RIM, I doubt it.
i’ll probably wait until late summer, but yes, i’ll switch, as will most of clients. and they recently switched from the treo to the blackberry. but they all want the iPhone. No mac support from RIM, or very little, makes it an easy decision.
Oh by the way, hi. This was my first post. And I’m not an Apple hater, eventhough I know that post sounded like it. Sorry about that.
Welcome to RIMarkable Tyler S.
I think that you make a good point. Does RIM really care. I am going to venture and say “Not Much”
I truly feel like RIM does not care about the mac community. So as much as I love my BB Pearl… I am going to have to move the the iPhone when it’s available. The only hope for Mac users and RIM products is this
http://www.markspace.com/missingsync_blackberry.php
but I believe that it’s going to cost 40 bucks. UGH.. You would think that RIM would get the Pocket Mac folks to improve their products.. But alas Pocket Mac is all but useless now.
I don’t know about the rest of you but I am exactly the person this article describes. I picked up a blackberry 8700 just over two weeks ago and I can say I wouldn’t switch to the iphone even if you paid me. Yes it’s cool and with all the coolaide I’ve had over the years you would think I’d already have my name on the waiting list but no. Being a mac user yes the pocketmac software isn’t quite up to par but works just fine for entourage. As for the 2007 dst patch just point the browser to the site and download it directly on the blackberry easy as 123. For those saying RIM doesn’t care what about Apple? Their sync software should cover the most popular email device created to date. Don’t get me wrong I’m not trying to bash Apple I’ve owned close to 10-12 different product from them over the years and I love them all but you can’t entirely blame RIM on this one.
Chris, you make an excellent point. Apple could create synch software for the BlackBerry just as easily as RIM could create a Desktop Manager for the Mac.
Robb and Chris I have to disagree. It would be a poor ROI for Apple to support the blackberry with iSync. iSync supports phones based on open standards. All my Motorola, Nokia and sony phones I have had in the past worked with my mac with no additional software. Apple stands to gain very little by adding support for the blackberry.
The same can not be said for RIM. The stand to open there product to a market demographic they need to be in. Why does RIM need the mac market you ask. A couple of reasons. Mac users tend to be very loyal to the tech companies they use. Secondly they are used to playing a premium cost for world class service. One of the things that made my Blackberry a hard to justify purchase is the $60 extra a month I pay for service. (I am with Verizon that is why it is so expensive) Now you have a group of users that are used to playing top dollar for the latest and greatest toys. And better yet they will buy again in two years.
Daniel you’re absolutely right Mac owners are used to paying a premium and are an incredibly loyal group. I’ve never owned anything but a Mac and I and don’t see that changing. But part of that world class service that I pay for is to able to instantly connect with whatever device I choose. Remember their ad with the new digital camera from japan that automatically connects but windows doesn’t understand, where’s that support now? As for ROI you maybe right it’s financially more beneficial for RIM to create the software, but still it’s something I expect from a world class operating system. I guess we’ll just have to wait for steve to get a bb before we see any changes.
Many Mac Addicts don’t want to admit this, but, no matter how you look at it, the Mac is a very small niche in the world of personal computers that is more of a “nice to have” than a necessity with the exception, maybe, in the area of graphic design.
Depending on what report your read, Apple holds anywhere from about 5% to 8% marketshare and of that 5% to 8%, over half readily has access to a PC.
When you get right down to it, the number of BlackBerry users that only have Mac access is incredibly small comparitively speaking.
Chris, the commercial about connecting to peripherals is exactly that. Without exception to date I have plugged into hundreds of printers, scanners, and cameras and I have yet to find one that doesn’t work. The fact is a phone is not a computer peripheral. It is a phone.
iSync is open to any device developer through ADC to get source to develop a device specific driver. There is no standard for smartphone data exchange so every manufacturer needs to roll their own. The “smart” phone people really should develop an open standard for exchanging data with a computer. I bet Apple would support that out of the box.
Robb, many companies leverage in place technology to get that last 1-2% market share. The fact is porting to OSX for the Blackberry would be a very small fraction of the cost of development of the original package. So the profit margin may not be as high but I bet it would still be respectable.
Since porting software leverages code already developed, while it is a big undertaking, it is not even close to starting from ground zero. Look at Adobe for example. Photoshop and Illustrator come out on the Mac first and a then ported to PC.
Yes I think many mac users will switch. Me I will upgrade my 8700g to a 88xx
when T-Mobile has them in a couple of months. Pocketmac is working fine for me right now but I had to book up a windows box for the DST patch.
I really would like RIM to port the desktop software to OSX. I really don’t care for windows. I use OSX or Linux 99% of time for my computing needs. If RIM really
wants to get into the consumer market they need to support the 5% market of Mac users.
You got that right. Love my Blackberry, love my Mac. But I am not getting Windows for the benefit of keeping RIM. Bye bye Blackberry. You will be missed.
Though we chose to go with BB at our our Title Company last year we will be switching over to the iPhone or the Palm platform next year depending if someon buys them out. Fortunetly we have a great sales associate from Cingular that constantly keeps us up to date with our BB’s. He just comes over to our office with his laptop and updates all of our BB or whatever we need to. So, fortunetly we have great service with Cingular and we don’t have to worry about little updates like that… but we won’t support a company that is so closed like that. Heck, Apple has made itunes and the ipod compatible and I’m sure from the start the iPhone will sync just fine with our PC but we don’t want to deal with a second rate company like RIM any longer.
Screw RIM, PocketMac is a horrible peice of software and does not do what is advertised. Many bugs, many problems and I know some who have never got the software to work at all.
The combination of Pocketmac + RIM support = equals weeks of frustration and even tears. Too bad my company just ordered handful of useless blackberries. The people with Palms are happily working away.
An iPhone without true support of third-party apps turns out to be just as useless.
I’ll stick to my Palm Treo for now thanks.
I am a dedicated MAC user and have been since I had my very first computer circa 1994. I’m not a MAC enthusiast who has to keep buying them because (as someone stated above) Steve Jobbs tells me too. MACS are practical for my line of work (graphic arts) and I’m very satisfied by how they work overall.
However, I am looking into buying my first blackberry when Verizon finally releases the curve and whether Apple provides any type of support means nothing to me. I have no desire to buy an iPhone either. I plan on using my blackberry for email/web, BB mesenger and phone calls of course and so lack of MAC support isn’t a big deal for me.
I just want to try and dispell this idea abut who MAC users are. We’re not all snobbish, trendy, wannabe artists who have to buy everything made by Apple. I just happen to love working on MAC computers.