BlackBerry cedes most consumer markets (iPhones, contract, capable, compatible)

[Grandpa Pipes]

The beloved Blackberry just can't compete with the toy phones that are cast in the iphone pattern. It's a shame but the buying public can be cruel when it's a good solid tool for communication not for playing.

BlackBerry maker to cede most consumer markets - Yahoo! Finance

[Peregrine]

It's not a shame. They got what they deserved. The market changed. They did not adapt.
Die RIM. Die.

You may consider these new phones "toys" but I have never been so productive, personally and professionaly, as I have been with my toy phones.
And I started on Blackberry from the very first one.

I had the 1st generation of this:

RIM never had a strong foothold in the consumer market so it's no surprise they are losing there, but they are also getting smoked, SMOKED, in the business market. Misstep after misstep after misstep.
How the mighty have fallen... and rightly so.
I have no sympathy. and I was a BIG fan at one time.

One example of stupidity: releasing a BB Tablet with no EMail client. Brilliant RIM.
Now die.

It's time to stick a fork in RIM. They were nice back in the day, before Apple came along and demonstrated that it was possible to make a mobile OS that wasn't clunky and miserable to use. Now, they've got to go up against iOS, Android, and WP, and all the arguments about better enterprise management, better security, etc just aren't cutting it, especially when RIM seem completely incapable of getting a finished, modern product out the door.

Consumers aren't going back to BB because there are better, faster, nicer phones out there. Business is running away, because they can just as easily deploy iPhones and Android, and get all the encryption, remote wipe, etc that supposedly makes BBOS good for business. Toss in the fact that they work seamlessly with ActiveSync, thus nixing the need to deploy BES servers, and the argument for sticking with RIM becomes very weak.

Then, of course, there's the fact that iOS/Android/WP are pretty easy and fun to develop for, while the current BBOS is a nightmarish mess, and the new OS is trying to support every API on the planet, with essentially no guidance as to what should be used. They're trying a spaghetti against the wall approach, but no one is quite sure which noodles are going to stick.

RIM needed a solid phone two years ago, with a modern OS and full support for BIS/BES/BBM. What they came out with was the Playbook - an unfinished mess that sent a very clear message that RIM was not keeping up with the competition, and also told us all that their backend is a mess that was never designed to evolve, hence the protracted struggle to get traditional BB features working on the Playbook.

[43north87west]

The thing about the "toy" phones is, they aren't toys. That is why RIM lost its ass.

[shopinchic]

Apple will bite the dust one day when something newer and cooler comes along. They won't dominate the market forever and I can't wait when that day comes!

I've got an iPod Touch(3rd gen) and there are a ton of apps and podcasts that are no longer compatible with it. Before that, I bought an iPod Shuffle and that sucker didn't last beyond a year and a half. Apple is the purveyor of overpriced crap. When my poor Blackberry stops working one day, and if RIM stops making phones, I guess I'll go back to simple phones or perhaps no phone it all.

[Grandpa Pipes]

Originally Posted by 43north87west

The thing about the "toy" phones is, they aren't toys. That is why RIM lost its ass.

it's possible that by making the iphone/ipad/ipod trifecta so popular ,by adding a huge toy factor to all of them, that companies like RIM lost the youth market to Apple that understood young people are still kids and kids like toys.

RIM also makes a great product for work that will appeal to the mature segment of the market. However, the mature segment wants a product that will last since they buy, unlike "kids", only as needed.

Serious question Grandpa Pipes - have you actually used iOS and Android phones?

It's not just "young people are still kids and kids like toys." People in general like things that are pleasant to use. That's why we see grandma with an iPhone and execs telling their IT departments to get them an iPhone.

There's a reason organizations like NOAA and the ATF are ditching blackberries, and it's not because of Angry Birds. Companies don't want to be beholden to a company that can't seem to get its act together, especially when that company provides an inferior end-user experience and winds up costing more money.

RIM was dead the second Apple and Google started bringing enterprise features to their platforms, because RIM had nothing else going for it - crappy, slow phones running a crappy, kludgey OS.

It's just mind boggling to me that people will so staunchly defend a product that is inferior to its competition in pretty much every conceivable way. Are you all still running Windows 95?

[Grandpa Pipes]

Originally Posted by JasonF

Serious question Grandpa Pipes - have you actually used iOS and Android phones? Yes, #2 son has an iphone. #1 & #3 son have an HTC android phone. Wife and I do fine with a simple flip phone to talk on.

It's not just "young people are still kids and kids like toys." People in general like things that are pleasant to use. That's why we see grandma with an iPhone and execs telling their IT departments to get them an iPhone.

There's a reason organizations like NOAA and the ATF are ditching blackberries, and it's not because of Angry Birds. Companies don't want to be beholden to a company that can't seem to get its act together, especially when that company provides an inferior end-user experience and winds up costing more money.

RIM was dead the second Apple and Google started bringing enterprise features to their platforms, because RIM had nothing else going for it - crappy, slow phones running a crappy, kludgey OS. Kludgey if you want to play but no so kludgy if all you need is data and to talk.

It's just mind boggling to me that people will so staunchly defend a product that is inferior to its competition in pretty much every conceivable way. Are you all still running Windows 95? No, I run Mac's and always have.

...

[20yrsinBranson]

I have loved Blackberry since I got my first one earlier this year. Unfortunately, however, I use PagePlus rather than a contract service and the internet really stinks on Blackberry because of their "controls" and "security" that will not let you use a browser unless you have your phone programmed by the "carrier".

If Blackberry had made their phone more user-friendly, I would have stayed with them forever. Their phones are strong and sturdy and they pull in a signal better than any other brand, IMHO. As far as the bells and whistles. The only thing I use besides calling is texting is internet access, and that is because I live in tornado country and when the weather is bad, I have to be able to see the radar map on my phone. Because of this, I was forced to get a different phone but I would have much rather stuck with my blackberry.

I think they are wise to stick with the business customer. However, given my personal experience and what I suspect to be similar thoughts by others, that isn't going to cut it.

What Blackberry needs to do is drop their OS and go with Android, security be damned. People want a user-friendly interface, and that is RIM's biggest failure, IMHO.

20yrsinBranson

Kludgey if you want to play but no so kludgy if all you need is data and to talk.

Kludgey if you want to change a setting. Kludgey if you want to browse the web and have it not suck (although this is much better in 7). If you just need to talk, sure a blackberry is fine. Unfortunately for RIM, people want to do more than just make calls and shoot off the occasional email.

I think they are wise to stick with the business customer. However, given my personal experience and what I suspect to be similar thoughts by others, that isn't going to cut it.

The problem is that even business doesn't want RIM anymore. The users don't like being saddled with an inferior phone, and IT and higher ups don't like wasting money on supporting BES when they can deploy iOS or Android devices for less money and less hassle.