For all of you BlackBerry users that were worried RIM was going to close up shop because they couldn’t possibly compete once the iPhone SDK becomes available, don’t fret. Apple has decided to allow BlackBerrys to be sold at least through the rest of the year by locking down their SDK tighter than Verizon could ever lock down a mobile device.
That is an awful lot of sarcasm, I know, but I couldn’t resist. Two days ago we found out that the iPhone SDK was going to add some pretty cool features and functionality to the iPhone and many people were already claiming that Apple had somehow won the war for smartphone supremacy in the enterprise. Today we find out that the iPhone SDK has some pretty serious limitations, namely no background processes for third party apps, that will give the iPhone less teeth in the enterprise than many other BlackBerry killers that never panned out.
I’ve said it before and I’ll it again. The iPhone very well may end up on top by the time it is all said and done. That day, however, certainly isn’t today, won’t be tomorrow, and probably won’t be anytime in the near, foreseeable future.
Oh my god, Very little comeback so far from the iPhone groupies, I can hardly wait. Lmao
I’m a WinMo user who has been considering a switch to BB (rather than iPhone). What is the difference between having Exchange, as I do and the iPhone will, and Blackberry push email? I’m not a large corporation. Or working for one. I just can’t figure out the advantage of BES over regular Exchange for a prosumer. I really like the easy functionality of BBs, but I’m trying to figure out all my options.
Thanks!
Yeah, the lack of background running apps sucks. That’s one of the things I really like about the Blackberry (and might be one of the problems I have with my 8830 magically running out of memory and me having to reset it on what seems to be a weekly basis).
I’m sure this is something that might change. My wife’s treo 650 works the same way and that’s one of the reasons I didn’t really like it.
honestly most folks wouldn’t even know what the hell background processes are. alot are just amazed they can even see their calendar and e-mail without having to connect it to a cradle
Apple has always been known for its lockdown and in some ways its a good thing, although I think they can loosen the collar a little. By having somewhat of a lockdown, it ensures proper support and hopefully zero errors when using. But on the other hand, I also think apple needs to open things up on the iPhone front since they have decent momentum, have created something that’s captured everyones attention, and provides features that have caught the attention of those in the mobile industry. The comment of being locked down further than VZW is funny, but yet accurate. The BB isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but it should be interesting to watch how BB goes after the consumer market and apple goes after the corporate market..
I recently own a BlackBerry Curve which replace a 3 yr-old used BlackBerry (passed down from my boss). So, I consider I am new to BB. I choose BB because my company does not support iPhone and I don’t have extra money to buy one myself in that price tag.
I am excited with Curve and it is a very solid (not as good as Pearl, though). In a way, I like to see competition which make the products better. In turns, consumers benefit to it.
So, instead of saying how iPhone getting better or limited, why can’t you guys be more constructive like how to make BB even better, so that iPhone won’t have a chance?
If BB secure the enterprise, how can BB be better in that area? I don’t know but someone out there should know. Why iPhone is popular now? Why BB don’t get better and compete with that?
Make a product better than iPhone is what I want to see? I don’t want to hear how iPhone is catching up but not there yet. If someone is catching up, you should ran even faster. NOT LOOKING BACK and see how much they are closing in!!
Robb,
You’ve never developed for the BlackBerry have you? My personal opinion is that this limitation pales in comparison to limitations with the BlackBerry SDK.
I also don’t understand how you’ve managed to conceptually link up a flaw with the iPhone SDK to enterprise?
Besides, the SDK only just came out for christ’s sake! The OS has already been demonstrated to be multi-tasking capable, so I’m sure Apple is going to fix this pretty quickly.
There are many legitimate points you could bring up to demonstrate that Apple won’t be suddenly taking over RIM in enterprise (and I would agree). This isn’t one of them, and frankly it doesn’t even make sense.
I agree with Neil…people are passing all sorts of negative judgements on this “no background processes” without fully realizing what that means and does not mean.
The real question is how that impacts end user experience, and at this point, who knows?
Plus, as Neil points out, the iPhone is capable of multitasking, and does that with its native Apple apps…so this is an issue that can easily be resolved.
In fact, the biggest advantage the iPhone has over the current BB, and all other smart phones for that matter, is that it is indeed a more powerful, robust computing environment. That’s going to be a hard gap to close considering Apple’s huge experience advantage in desktop computing, and that Apple has in essence ported over its desktop OS into its iPhone.
RIMarkable is primarily a site about BlackBerrys, however, that doesn’t mean that I won’t talk about or give my opinions on the iPhone or any or mobile device that happens to tickle my fancy.
I’ve owned on iPhone since day one and have stated several times that I think that it is the coolest mobile device for personal use that I have ever seen. I have also said that it is not ready for prime time in the enterprise, and don’t believe that it will ready even after the SDK is available.
It cracks me up when people continually tell me what RIMarkable is about and how I need to be careful about what I write about. RIMarkable is more a less an editorial style glimpse as to what “I” think about the BlackBerry and the the industry it currently dominates and I have been fortunate to have a few people come by each day to see what’s on my mind.
They need to fix the issue where you’re connected via VPN, call comes in and your disconnected. Pain in the ass if you get plenty of calls, especially a sales person. If I lm correct, I believe Robb owns both a BB and an iPhone. As for the articles, its a blog! Hey over it. I think the author likes to toss in a little sarcasim into the mix if you can pick that up.
Is truthseeker hellno?
Thought,
Good post, another here at RIMarkable with a objective/realistic view, it’s refreshing to see.
The iPhone is a handheld computer, the Blackberry is a smartphone which relies on a server to do all the heavy lifting for it’s data.
As Neil started to bring up RIM, even with years the popularity of the BB doesn’t need more than a post-it-note to list all its developers. Then again it’s 2008 the industry is no longer about text only emails, a web browser which belongs in a museum it’s so slow and lacks features it might even bore people there. Native support for only one desktop OS also shows just how far behind RIM and the BB are. Wasn’t it Thought? who brought up long ago RIM isn’t going to out Apple, Apple.
It’s not a good thing to see RIMarkable drop all the way down to supporting cheerleading based on unintelligent, uninformed, negative judgements. Especially when it’s about a device which will without question continue to change the entire wireless industry.
What is this obsession with “hellno”? Seems like his/her opinions have people listening.
I will agree to disagree with everyone that thinks that RIM is about to get hit hard in the enterprise by the iPhone. One question that I do want bring up the SDK, however, is what affect will it have on the handheld gaming industry?
As Truthseeker and others have pointed out, the iPhone is more of a handheld computer than it is a smartphone and all that processing power should allow for some really cool games to be created.
Apple itself hasn’t been strong in the gaming industry from the desktop standpoint. With the iPhone coming into play, I’m sure there will be some sort of approach and focus as to integrating the gaminig industry into their products going forward (they already have with EA is I’m correct). One issue that may come into play and a concern for consumers who own an iPhone would be obtaining the game. Download or card slot? Since the iPhone doesn’t have a slot, it would require a download. No problem there unless you decide to swap devices for whatever reason, how do you port it over? iTunes? That would work, but who knows how it would be handled. Next issue is battery power. If you’re a gamer, get phone calls, listen to music, hit the web and watch an occasional video or something, you’re going to need that spare battery. Something has to give.
Perhaps what has to give is the SDK and Apple again need to be given the chance to prove themselves, like they proved themselves countless times before. Unknowledgeable, subjective, claims are just another way to bring out the smoke and mirrors, which it’s clear some here think RIM needs, or at least those making the comments need to give themselves the false sense. There is no reason to doubt what has yet to be released by Apple, especially when a visual record of the announcement and demo is available for all to see. The answers on the iPhone v2.0 (SDK/Enterprise) software will come like they do with any product, when it’s released. Just like there is no reason to doubt what RIM has yet to release. It’s fair to say when it comes to wireless devices Apple and RIM know a heck of alot more than haters and doubters posting Unknowledgeable, subjective, claims at RIMarkable.
Thought I would throw in my $.02. It is very true that the SDK just came out and it is too early to know what it will and will not do. However, this post is a good counterpoint to those that have postulated that the release of the SDK and Exchange compatibility mean the beginning of the end for RIM. We shoud not also assume that the release in June will be fully baked and free of serious bugs.
RIM has a place in the enterprise due to a lot of factors, including full wireless sync, security, great data entry capability and relatively low cost. It will interesting to see what Apple and iPhone can do to counter those and the other features of the BB experience. It is still possible that the iPhone will be like the Mac, very popular with consumers with limited corporate adoption.
What I look forward to over the next few years is the competition this will spark. Having Apple playing hard will force others RIM, Symbian, Windows Mobile and others to innovate like never before and we will all benefit.
Cheers to Robb…this is his blog, he doesn’t do this for the money, and so he can write about whatever he wants. Judging from the expanding number of comments to his posts, I would say he’s doing quite well.
As to the gaming industry, I think the iPhone will prove to be a huge hit. The accelerometer feature alone, whereby the angle you hold it influences play, will allow for some pretty neat stuff. I’m willing to predict that the iPhone goes on to become a very popular portable gaming platform.
As to the issues that bluehorseshoe raises with regards to battery life, porting product over if you switch units, etc…they are valid issues. However, I would say that all of these issues are the same as with any multimedia functionality. If you switch units, then your media, your songs, your videos, your games…go with you through iTunes, just like on the current iPhone and iPods. As to battery life, again, that’s the same issue as with videos, etc. I think the iPhone battery life is robust enough to handle some game play on the device, just as it allows for watching videos.
All in all, I think gaming on the iPhone will be a huge hit.
@ Thought,
It certainly has the screen for gaming, that is for sure.
can we stay on topic for this blog. I come here to get info on Blackberries, I don’t care about iphones (or any apple product).
If you want start a new one dedicated to iphones.
Although RIMarkable is dedicated to BBs it doesn’t hurt to talk about iPhones or Treos or whatever. Yes, this particular thread has focused a lot on the iPhone. If you don’t want to hear about the iPhone don’t read a thread that has “Apple” in the title…
I think you have to look at this from a business perspective. The reason the iPhone gets brought up so frequently is because it probably the most popular alternative to a BB right now. As a business RIM has to look at what Apple is doing with the iPhone and it needs to speculate about what they will do in the future. This is how business works… you simply cannot run a successful business without analyzing your competition. A little Business 101 for ya.
I think BB’s single point of failure issue has the potential to bring down what otherwise could be the winning device. The iPhone is sexy but not as fast for composing messages. It’s prone to a lot of keying errors due to its touch screen interface. Tactile keys are faster and easier to use. However, Apple has a knack for harnessing the forces of public opinion, and Steve Jobs correctly is focussing on a perception that BB’s are prone to system failures due to the network being centrally served out of one Network Operation Centre in – gasp – Canada… I wrote a blog article on it, here: http://www.genereuxlaw.com/
Robb: Here’s a link to a good article on the Appleinsider site (and yes, it’s objective…not slanted towards Apple) on the relative strengths of the BB vs the iPhone on email.
@ Genereux
I read your blog and I agree. Everyone does like to line up with a winner and you’re exactly right about what makes a winner. I also think that RIM has a great opportunity here to learn from Apple… Google… I would like to see them have a better “failover” system in place. Especially since our U.S. Government tends to buy a lot of BBs. What happens when you take out the BB headquarters in Canada? How vulnerable is the U.S. Gov at that point?!
@ Genereux
I read your blog and I agree. Everyone does like to line up with a winner and you’re exactly right about what makes a winner. I also think that RIM has a great opportunity here to learn from Apple… Google… I would like to see them have a better “failover” system in place. Especially since our U.S. Government tends to buy a lot of BBs. What happens when you take out the BB headquarters in Canada? How vulnerable is the U.S. Gov at that point?!
Here’s another reason why Apple will continue to let the BB sell…
http://www.news.com/8301-13579_3-9892315-37.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20