Engadget editor and diehard BB fan gives up her BB

[Deeko]

Are you operating under the theory that the world really will be ending in 2012, and therefore she won't bother buying a new phone when this contract is up, because she'll only have two more weeks to live?

If you actually read the article, she talks about how much she loves the QNX operating system, but that there aren't near-term (like, early 2011) plans to bring it to smartphones. She isn't ditching her Curve because she decided "that's it! RIM sucks!" She lost it, and was forced to get a new phone now...not 6 months or a year from now.

I know people that had iPhones that have since upgraded to newer Android or WP7 devices. Just like there were BB and WM users that upgraded to iPhones. What makes you think that because a Blackberry user left a platform, they'll never come back? RIM has undeniably made a lot of good forward-looking moves, and they're certainly doing well enough to sustain themselves for the time being - why rush a QNX phone to the market, when they can keep riding their extremely strong sales while they solidify the platform?

Keep in mind, a lot of Blackberry users are fiercely loyal to their phones. Sure, lots of them, like the author in question, have switched because they don't like the current phones...but that doesn't change the fact that they still like the company, and could still very well come back when their next contract is up. A cell phone platform is not a life long decision.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Keep in mind, a lot of Blackberry users are fiercely loyal to their phones. Sure, lots of them, like the author in question, have switched because they don't like the current phones...but that doesn't change the fact that they still like the company, and could still very well come back when their next contract is up. A cell phone platform is not a life long decision.

LULZ...

The sky is blue Deeko...

 

[Deeko]

LULZ...

The sky is blue Deeko...

In other words, you have no response, but you aren't content to just slink into the shadows.

Bravo.

 

[Spicedaddy]

Windows...MacOS...Linux...the rest?

WinPhone7...iOS...Android...Blackberry?

Give it a year or two, it'll all fall into place.

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

Why would they do that? There are a lot of negatives to this. First off, I don't think you really appreciate the amount of work it would take to make Android as secure as BBOS, and to port their email system, BBM, and all the other things that make Blackberry, Blackberry. That's not something you just do overnight. Secondly, they have a powerful, full-fledged operating system of their own...why would they cede that to Google? The problem with Blackberry is not their infrastructure - conversely, they have some of the best infrastructure out there. The problem is the UI - and they just purchased a UI company to help improve that.

Bunch of excuses right there...

the only thing you're right about is me not appreciating the amount of work required for software development. But, the several points you fail to recognize are just simple marketing and survival technicques. The problem with people on this forum are they worry too much about all this nerd stuff that is not grounded in the realities of the business world. Business people are dumb. All they do is trick people for a living. They don't even need to port their BBM or make their BBandroid secure. Who cares. They would make money for each device they sold, no matter what OS it has on it. Android is just easy, popular, and FREE. That's basically free money right there. So, make one Android phone. Who cares. They can still make their 5 different Curves, Tour, and Torch and Bold, and yadda yadda yadda....

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

In other words, you have no response, but you aren't content to just slink into the shadows.

Bravo.

No he's saying that what you wasted your finger muscles typing out was not even worth the bandwidth it was used to post. It goes without saying. Except the part where you contradicted what you had said previously regarding brand "loyalty". Fanboys and Fangirls, sheeple suckered into whoring themselves out to corporations who don't care about them... You said a handset is not a lifelong commitment, but seem to be of the mind that it's BB or die.

 

[jrjiri]

Blackberry is toast and Apple is doomed. Oh well. Viva la Competitors!

 

[PhoKingGuy]

LULZ...

The sky is blue Deeko...

Hes right, I still like a lot about BBerry and I'll give them a shot once my 2 years with the G2 is over with. Id hope they can pull it back together by then or if not then Android or WP7 evolving into something more.

 

[Rottie]

RIM/Blackberry will not survive 2011 be ready to leave BB!

 

[DivideBYZero]

RIM/Blackberry will not survive 2011 be ready to leave BB!

 

[nixium]

I was a long time BB fan who switched to android because of BB's lack of features. Mine was a corporate account. Took me about 2 months to switch back to my bold. My stock captivate email kept crashing, calendar went out of sync and the GPS was absolutely terrible. There are fixes, but I'll have to mod my phone.

So I have a BB for work email and messaging, and an android phone for personal use. Win/win.

 

[Deeko]

Bunch of excuses right there...

the only thing you're right about is me not appreciating the amount of work required for software development. But, the several points you fail to recognize are just simple marketing and survival technicques. The problem with people on this forum are they worry too much about all this nerd stuff that is not grounded in the realities of the business world. Business people are dumb. All they do is trick people for a living. They don't even need to port their BBM or make their BBandroid secure. Who cares. They would make money for each device they sold, no matter what OS it has on it. Android is just easy, popular, and FREE. That's basically free money right there. So, make one Android phone. Who cares. They can still make their 5 different Curves, Tour, and Torch and Bold, and yadda yadda yadda....

What you fail to recognize is the simple fact that there's potential for a lot more money in being a platform owner than a simple hardware manufacturer. Especially in today's world of advertising and apps. Blackberry already has a solid core to their operating system. Why should they give that up and cede the millions - or billions - of potential revenue of being a platform owner? That wouldn't make any business sense at all. The only thing that's wrong with Blackberry is the UI, and they're takign steps to improve that in future products. Whether or not that effort will be successful is yet to be seen...but anyone (other than an Android fanboy, perhaps) can see that its the move with the most potential.

RIM is still making a ton of money. If they were in dire straits, and needed to downsize the company to stay alive, what you're saying would have more merit - but that's not the case right now, no matter how the doomsayers spin it.

No he's saying that what you wasted your finger muscles typing out was not even worth the bandwidth it was used to post. It goes without saying. Except the part where you contradicted what you had said previously regarding brand "loyalty". Fanboys and Fangirls, sheeple suckered into whoring themselves out to corporations who don't care about them... You said a handset is not a lifelong commitment, but seem to be of the mind that it's BB or die.

I didn't say anything is BB or die. I said people that were very loyal to their BBs and switched could very well come back. Just read the article that this thread is about! She said the very same thing! She wants to get another Blackberry and hopes their future products fit her needs - its just that the current ones don't.

I was a huge Nintendo fanboy as a kid. I even had the Virtual Boy. However, the Wii wasn't what I looked for in a system, so I got a PS3 instead. But if Nintendo made a more "pure" game system next generation (which I doubt they will, but that's beside the point) I would be all over it. Same idea.

Hes right, I still like a lot about BBerry and I'll give them a shot once my 2 years with the G2 is over with. Id hope they can pull it back together by then or if not then Android or WP7 evolving into something more.

Thank you.

 

[Pliablemoose]

92% of RIM's growth is outside of the US.

http://www.intomobile.com/2010/12/17/92-of-blackberry-sales-growth-is-outside-the-u-s/

 

[DivideBYZero]

So what?

 

[Pliablemoose]

So what?

I hear Corollas are popular in Indonesia as well...

 

[DivideBYZero]

I guess it matters to you where money is made more than how much. Pretty tough taking that attitude to the bank.

 

[Deeko]

I hear Corollas are popular in Indonesia as well...

I'm fairly certain that sales from outside the US still make RIM money. Just like those Corollas still make Toyota money. Not to mention that while the growth was smaller, there was still growth.