Blackberry Has completed a good amount of Homework and have returned to the market with lot of new & bold initiatives
a. RIM has been renamed itself to Blackberry
b. Launched new OS Blackberry 10
Before we look into the output of BB , shall try & understand the intent of blackberry in making these changes
Blackberry ever was a niche player in the market having their own core brand identity.
Brand Identity of BB during early Days were
a. Mail on Mobile
b. For Corporate Employees
This got redefined additionally to
c. Always Connected - Thru Mail,IM,BBM
d. For Youths/teenagers
This change can be felt from their marketing program which became viral across the globe.
Blackberry OS always had intimations of SMS,Mail,FB etc in the Homescreen as well in Locked screen.
They started to change the outlook of the OS from just the intimations / connectivity features to All Features which include multimedia features like music,camera.
But as a user of a blackberry phone, everyone including me expect the extended intimations in the lock screen and home screen. As the number of connectivity applications are on the rise eg - 3-4 email accounts, facebook,twitter,linkedin,google+,BBM,Gtalk etc, the phone/OS( hardware & software) need to handle the data as best as possible with minimum interruptions.
Mobile phones are being used as a time killing device these days. People want to spend their time by playing games , reading news, watching videos etc while on the move. These should not cover the most important feature of the mobile phone ie connectivity. From connectivity through voice, there has been a paradigm shift to different levels of connectivity. This is being used as a marketing research tool to analyse people's choices etc.
This doesn't mean that those uses of mobile phones should not be motivated. Playing games during travel & in-between work helps to revitalize your brain cells.
So in order to be successful smartphone maker, this eco-system of applications plays a major role, which any company cannot ignore.
Getting the eco-system of applications is easy in meeting the quality applications and not just by mere numbers. I have not analysed the number of applications being used from the 2,75,000 apps available in Apples app store. However, of the major trend of apps being used is known and if it can be made available in our system also , then it is good. May be we need to spend more to attract the programmers to get these applications.Windows has started doing this in very big way by conducting events for programmers and in many other forums. This set of applications is a must to be in the race as users expect this trend as of today.
How far is BB in creating the applications?
http://crave.cnet.co.uk/software/rim-bb10-will-have-more-launch-apps-than-any-other-os-50009132/
http://www.bb10apps.com/
These links show the path of BB10 is right and BB has understood the trend of this mobile phone industry.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/developers-submit-15000-bb10-apps-in-single-weekend/
I recollect the Charles Darwin's Quote " It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change"
Many may feel that we missed or lost the opportunities but in fact " there is always scope of improvement" and in business finally Money Speaks. All companies in all fields undergo similar phases like losing good people,global competition etc but not all companies have lost the battle.There are many companies which have continued in business and created a unique space for them.
The Brand Identity of BB plus the eco-system of applications will define the success of the new BB10 OS.
Is it enough?
Another emerging trend fueled by Apple and being continued by Microsoft and Google is the ecosystem of Hardware Devices which all can handle the same applications like a tablet,laptop etc. This is like compelling the user to continue the same phone/ecosystem and prevent using the others. Ie a person using iOS if wants to use a bigger screen device to handle only the data & apps portion of his mobile content, then a device running a same OS comes handy. The User is well versed with OS & operations and since some of the applications are purchased, you have to buy them once only. This technology is fueled by the advent of cloud storage facilities and better network bandwidths.
Tablets are not new to Blackberry. They have been in the market. However they have not reached anywhere in the tablets market.
Speaking at the unveiling of BB10 in New York, CEO Thorsten Heins said that the firm is “working on” pushing out the software for the PlayBook but stressed that the company will only make tablets again if the terms are right.
“The way I look at the tablet business is this: providing profit to shareholders on hardware only is difficult. We will continue in the tablet space, but we want to provide a value proposition that isn't just the hardware," said Heins.
This clearly shows that BB understands the importance of being in the tablets market and also i feel they have learnt from their past to bring out a tab with a better value proposition to the users.The new BB tablet has to be no way lower in hardware to Industry's benchmark Apple ipad and some software applications which will help to create,edit presentations and a attachable keyboard.
Today many corporate employees who travel a lot, feel a tablet is much better to access mails on the go instead of an Laptop. However when it comes to making presentations and working in excel, users tend to go for a laptop or a desktop device only, as they become handy.
Even though Ipad is capable of doing all these, as of now, not many users use a tablet for such activities,May be that's a niche market targeting the corporate world and if BB can give a good package of hardware & software, it can create a niche space in the Tablets market too.
How this ecosystem of hardware devices impact BB's 10 success?
Definitely this eco-system of hardware is also needed to be in the race.
Even a step forward, if BB can get the BB10 work for the already sold tablets, it has already sold close to 2 to 3 lakh units ( even though small) can be a real boost for the new tablets.This may look bit too much though to expect from BB.
Also the future also brings in new category of hardware deives like Netbooks,Chrome Books,etc. Apple & Microsoft have the complete softwares for Mobile,Tablets,Laptops,PCs. Google is working in that direction already.
Also in terms of hardware Apple only has all manufacturing under it.Google has started in this direction by purchasing Motorola. ( You may like to read my earlier article -MotoGoogle) Microsoft has announced surface tablets with the latest Windows 8 Operating system.
As Google and Microsoft are currently more in to the software , with constant innovations in their software, has to be supported with the right hardware to get the best output. Hence these companies will put lot of efforts in the tablets space as this will help in popularizing the software and maintaining the ecosystem.They may & have to follow the foot steps of Apple.
BB has taken a major step in maintaining their own OS instead of embracing Android or Windows. We need to appreciate the courage for the same but however the future is now on BB10. By doing so, BB is maintaining or can maintain it's Brand Identity and trademarks. Yes there are many users who like the BB statement ( of using a Blackberry Phone).
Will the new BB10 OS be able to get back Blackberry a 10 on 10 , as the mobile choice of the corporate & student world again?
I feel after the OS launch, yes the OS is in the right direction and with more Apps it can create the magic , which it had, once again.Many reviews indicate the same.
BB10 Review by TechRadar
BB10 by Wired.UK
Cnet Reviews BB10 !!!
Certain markets may be too competitive but Blackberry has lot of presence in markets which have a huge growth potential like India and China.
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