Research
In Motion recently unveiled its next-generation mobile operating system, BlackBerry 10,
giving critics a little more insight into the company's future
prospects. BlackBerry 10 is a significant break from previous
BlackBerry operating systems that focused on physical keyboards and smaller
screens; BB10 is designed for touchscreens first. The new BlackBerry platform
will still include RIM's traditional enterprise-focused hallmarks such as
stability and security. But the company is also making a play for app
developers so it can woo consumers by offering popular apps for gaming and
social networking. Once the reigning king of smartphones in the U.S., the
company's popularity has fallen off a cliff since Apple introduced the iPhone in
2007. As recently as December 2009, RIM's BlackBerry handsets claimed nearly 42
percent of all smartphone users in the U.S. As of March, that market share has
dropped to just 12.3 percent behind Android and iOS, according to metrics firm
comScore. RIM's fresh face could help the company reclaim its smartphone
prominence, but there are still some big roadblocks in its way, namely Apple
and Google.
BlackBerry 10 Looks Slick
BlackBerry 10 looks impressive
with features such as an adaptive keyboard that adjusts to your typing style,
keyboard gestures for easier communication, and a WebOS-style card interface to
swipe between apps and separate screens within apps. There's also a new camera
that captures a few frames before you even hit the shutter button to let you
adjust and edit your photos on the fly. RIM also says the new QNX-based OS will
have true multitasking and fast touch-based responsiveness. It's hard to know
for sure how good BlackBerry 10 will be until the first round of devices roll
out this year, but what RIM has shown off so far looks great.
BlackBerry 10 Isn't Just for Smartphone and
Tablets
RIM wants to take BlackBerry 10
way beyond handheld mobile devices and put the new OS in cars and other
embedded devices. This is not so surprising since BlackBerry 10's software core
comes from QNX, a company RIM acquired in 2010. QNX is known for its
industrial-grade operating systems and many cars currently on the road are
running QNX software. Going beyond smartphones and tablets could be a big win
for RIM, especially as it tries to battle back from years of smartphone market
share losses to Android and iOS.
Overcoming iOS and Android
At this point it seems unlikely that RIM will ever reclaim its
position as the top smartphone OS in the U.S. Apple and Google have a huge lead
over RIM, with Google taking the lion's share of smartphone users at 51 percent
as of March, according to comScore. Apple is in second place with 30.7 percent,
followed by RIM at 12.3 percent. Those numbers show a 3.7 percentage point drop
for RIM compared to December 2011, when BlackBerry claimed 16 percent of users
in the U.S.
Windows Phone
RIM may
also have to deal with Windows Phone, although this obstacle will be not be as
formidable as clawing back market share from Android and iOS. Microsoft's
revamped smartphone platform hasn't gained much traction yet, but that could
change if users decide to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8 later this year. Just like Windows
Phone, Windows 8 uses Microsoft's Metro-style interface and if users like Metro
on their new tablets and PCs, that could convince some to jump to a Metro-style
phone as well. Microsoft's upcoming Windows Phone 8 is also expected to integrate deeply
with Windows 8, which could also convince users to move into an all Microsoft
world.
The Keyboard Lives
RIM says it plans to produce not only touch-based devices, but
also traditional physical keyboard smartphones using its new BB10 platform.
That shows the company is aware that even though most of the world is looking
for responsive touchscreen devices, RIM still attracts a lot of people to its
platforms thanks to devices with physical keyboards. That's a smart move as
many enterprises may still be looking for a traditional physical keyboard to
satisfy executives not wishing to embrace the touchscreen revolution. RIM's
first round of BB10 devices could arrive as early as October.
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