The Great Defection – Blackberry vs. Itself

April 5, 2010 - By Phineas Delgado

I know that I normally write “How Science Fiction Failed Us” but this time, I thought I would let the lovely and talented Jacinta Baca (@NerdyGurlBlog) put forth her take on the subject. It seems she was impatient for me to cover he topic of choice (which I believe is humanoid aliens in sci-fi), so she beguiled me with her feminine wiles and convinced me to let her write the next installment of “How Science Fiction Failed Us”.

That said, I was left to my own devices a bit for this piece, so I thought I would write about something that affected me personally recently; or rather, something I affected. With the decline of former handheld giant, Palm[1], RIM, Google and Apple have been left to fight it out in a three-way cage match. Of course with Google’s recent emulation of the Microsoft business model (i.e. world domination in seven easy steps) and the witty “Droid Does” ads, they’ve set themselves up specifically to take on Apple and the iPhone. Notice how they didn’t include RIM and their Blackberry phones in this contest. Let me explain why.

Recently, online market research group Crowd Science conducted a survey among smartphone users. In it they asked what brand of phone they’d be likely to get if the purchase was made the following day. Nearly 40% of current Blackberry users indicated they’d opt for an iPhone, and another third said they’d grab an Android-powered phone. Additionally, the battle between Apple and Google seems to be trickling down, Reagan-style, into their user base. According to the survey, 92% of iPhone users say they would stay loyal to Apple, while nearly as many (87%) of Google’s Android users say they would rather take a spoon to the eye than give up their phone. If only RIM users were so adamant. I would have actually tripped an iPhone user and stolen his phone to get rid of my Blackberry.

Now, this doesn’t mean that RIM isn’t a power player. Blackberry still commands a hefty piece of the market share (42% to Apple’s 25%), but sales figures from 4thQ 2009[2] indicate that RIM’s share dropped a point while Apple’s rose slightly more. If that trend continues, Apple could replace RIM as the top provider of smart phones as early as February of 2012. This doesn’t even take into consideration Apple’s limited exposure on the market. If they do open up and make the iPhone available on all carriers, as is currently rumored, this could cause a paradigm shift in the smartphone industry.

How is RIM failing? As a company, they made a niche for themselves by providing seamless connection to corporate exchange services, making them the phone of choice for many a business user. But Apple made the smartphone a viable option for everyone. Who cares if you can sync your work calendar on a Blackberry when your iPhone can play Bejeweled Blitz and order Chipotle for you. My experience? As a corporate user they were fine, but personally, I used my iPod Touch more often for anything other than just email. And now that I have a Droid Eris, I barely use the iPod (I still use it to play Bejeweled Blitz. I’m an addict, what can I say). If RIM doesn’t want to go the way of Palm and Microsoft Mobile, they need to make a phone that’s fun with Apps we all want… you know, like Bejeweled Blitz.

[2] April 1, 2010 – RIM shares fall as investors worry about results, outlook – MarketWatch.com – Dan Gallagher