Semi Conscious
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Frank Eory
For every Blackberry owner I ever knew, "email" was precisely the reason they ...
eewiz
Apple is grabbing those enterprise slots pretty fast. In addition many ...
Could RIM really mount a comeback?
Dylan McGrath
1/30/2013 2:31 AM EST
Under gun
RIM is clearly under the gun. But IHS said recent events have opened a window of opportunity for RIM as well as for other potential smartphone competitors.
For example, IHS said, the struggle for traction by Windows Phone is opening opportunities for another player to establish itself. Nokia shipped just 4.4 million Lumia Windows Phones in the fourth quarter and posted poor ASP figures for its Lumia line, IHS said. With the revocation of the payments previously provided by Microsoft, the outlook for Nokia is tougher than ever.
Apple shiped 48 million iPhones in the fourth quarter of 2012. More importantly, according to IHS, Apple has kept the iPhone average selling price (ASP) steady, suggesting that much rumored supply chain issues for the iPhone 5 did not adversely affect its sales.
But IHS points out that Apple has had a few stumbles of late, including the Maps app fiasco. This has created a willingness among Apple friendly consumers to try other products, opening the door for a new competitor to enter the market.
“With the smartphone market maturing and changing, smartphone challengers must adopt differentiated strategies, rather than simply mimic what Apple, Google and Samsung did in the past,” Fogg said.
RIM hopes the BlackBerry 10 will offer differentiation in the areas of user interface with one designed to juggle apps, by helping consumers and businesses have content coexisting on the same device, according to IHS. RIM also has created a new smartphone OS focused on delivering a communications experience meaningful to the user and is pursuing a content-based strategy offering songs, television and movies.
At this point, a return to relevance by RIM is hard to imagine. Any firm looking to shake up the status quo in the smartphone market and break the chokehold of Apple, Samsung and Google faces long odds. But stranger things have happened—Apple itself reversed a long downward spiral with the introduction of the iPod in 2001. And the rest is history.
Related stories:
RIM is clearly under the gun. But IHS said recent events have opened a window of opportunity for RIM as well as for other potential smartphone competitors.
For example, IHS said, the struggle for traction by Windows Phone is opening opportunities for another player to establish itself. Nokia shipped just 4.4 million Lumia Windows Phones in the fourth quarter and posted poor ASP figures for its Lumia line, IHS said. With the revocation of the payments previously provided by Microsoft, the outlook for Nokia is tougher than ever.
Apple shiped 48 million iPhones in the fourth quarter of 2012. More importantly, according to IHS, Apple has kept the iPhone average selling price (ASP) steady, suggesting that much rumored supply chain issues for the iPhone 5 did not adversely affect its sales.
But IHS points out that Apple has had a few stumbles of late, including the Maps app fiasco. This has created a willingness among Apple friendly consumers to try other products, opening the door for a new competitor to enter the market.
“With the smartphone market maturing and changing, smartphone challengers must adopt differentiated strategies, rather than simply mimic what Apple, Google and Samsung did in the past,” Fogg said.
RIM hopes the BlackBerry 10 will offer differentiation in the areas of user interface with one designed to juggle apps, by helping consumers and businesses have content coexisting on the same device, according to IHS. RIM also has created a new smartphone OS focused on delivering a communications experience meaningful to the user and is pursuing a content-based strategy offering songs, television and movies.
At this point, a return to relevance by RIM is hard to imagine. Any firm looking to shake up the status quo in the smartphone market and break the chokehold of Apple, Samsung and Google faces long odds. But stranger things have happened—Apple itself reversed a long downward spiral with the introduction of the iPod in 2001. And the rest is history.
Related stories:
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- Silicon Valley Nation: Electric vehicles stuck in neutral
- Opening Day: MLB.com At Bat Coming To BlackBerry 10 In 2013
- Yoshida in Vegas: Chasing elusive LTE design wins
- Marvell hit by $1 billion damage award
- Top 10 tech blunders of 2012
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tangey
1/30/2013 6:36 AM EST
"Apple shiped 48 million iPhones in 2012"
Hmmmm.
They shipped 48M iphones in the last quarter of 2012.
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dylan.mcgrath
1/30/2013 1:42 PM EST
Right you are. Thanks for pointing out the mistake, which was now been corrected.
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dutchmam
2/1/2013 5:07 PM EST
Who "They?"
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de_la_rosa
1/30/2013 12:05 PM EST
Blackberry phones just seemed to become 'cool' for a period. I don't think 'email' was ever the reason.
I remember almost every American TV sitcom and movie would mention the name "Blackberry" instead of "cell phone" in their shows. I'm not sure if that was through paid advertisement or just writers jumping on the bandwagon.
But 'cool' doesn't last long for a product. Remember the Tamagotchi? Boom and bust within a year.
Apple rule the planet. And there is nothing we can do about it.
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Frank Eory
2/5/2013 3:53 PM EST
For every Blackberry owner I ever knew, "email" was precisely the reason they loved it so much. But for ordinary web browsing, it was pretty lame.
And as eewiz points out below, even RIM's traditional preference as the corporate phone is becoming less relevant as more and more companies adopt BYOD policies.
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Cookie Jar
1/31/2013 11:46 AM EST
A relevant piece of trivia: RIM has changed its name to Blackberry. Yesterday's news (Jan 30/13).
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grnewell
1/31/2013 4:07 PM EST
"By 2016, the firm expects that smartphones will account for nearly 75 percent of all smartphones shipped."
I should hope so. I wonder what is shipped for the other 25% of smartphones shipped?
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dutchmam
2/1/2013 5:05 PM EST
Blackberry is still, and will always be the go-to brand for corporations (like aerospace) where security is essential.
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eewiz
2/5/2013 4:37 AM EST
Apple is grabbing those enterprise slots pretty fast. In addition many enterprise adopted BYOD(bring your own device) policy at work. So to say "Blackberry is still, and will always be" is very optimistic.
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Dale Shpak
2/1/2013 7:46 PM EST
The Blackberry OS wasn't written from scratch by RIM.
RIM bought QNX Software Systems because QNX Neutrino is a mature, elegant, and efficient RTOS. I have taught a college RTOS course using QNX for about 10 years. iOS pales by comparison.
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