I was talking to an friend that has had the original BlackBerry Storm 9530 since the day that it came out. They are one of the many BlackBerry Storm users that stuck it out through all of the issues that the Storm had and has actually become quite fond of the device. As fond of the BlackBerry Storm as my friend is, the 9530 is over 2-years old and they are ready for an upgrade.
The problem for them, acutally, the problem for RIM, is that there isn’t a new BlackBerry Storm for folks with original BlackBerry Storm to upgrade to. The BlackBerry Storm2 is over a year old and it doesn’t support BlackBerry 6. Original BlackBerry Storm users that want a new BlackBerry, but, want to stay with the touch screen form factor are forced to either switch carriers and get the BlackBerry Torch, or upgrade to the BlackBerry Storm2 which really isn’t that much of an upgrade at all.
My friend said that they would absolutely get another BlackBerry Storm if one comes out, but, their Storm 9530 is only its last leg from wear and tear and that they can’t hold out waiting any longer without knowing that new Storm is coming. Their plan is to get either a Droid Incredible or a Droid X now, and possibly switch back to the BlackBerry if a new Storm comes out…
There are a lot of BlackBerry Storm users, myself included, in the same boat as my friend… We would get a BlackBerry Storm3 if it were offered, but, aren’t willing to wait too long after our 2-year plans are up to get a new device. A lot of people say that they will get a new phone until the Storm3 comes out and then switch back, however, that rarely happens once that 30-day return policy has passed.
If there is actually a BlackBerry Storm 9570 coming out, RIM needs to go ahead an announce it. There are millions of BlackBerry Storm 9530 users coming up on their 2-year plans and are ready to upgrade. If there isn’t going to be another touch screen BlackBerry for them to upgrade to, it could be a long winter as far as brand churn goes…
I’m in that boat too. I got a Storm on launch day, and I’ve suffered through 5 malfunctioning units to get to the device in my hands today. It’s at least stable and fully functional, even though the limited RAM makes it really hard having to chose what apps to have installed.
Actually, Verizon allows you to upgrade with the two year contract price after only 18 months, so all of us who bought into Storm at launch have technically been eligible for an upgrade since mid-summer. I was very close to having my boss pull the trigger on upgrading me to a Storm2 but then the “Storm2 Refresh” leaks started hitting and I knew I would be kicking myself if I upgraded in July and the “Refresh” hit as prognosticated in the September/October time frame. So, I waited. And I’m still waiting.
My boss to date has only been willing to supply us with Verizon BlackBerry phones, even though we’re BIS-only so it’s not a matter of BES email I would lose by switching to a Droid device. Not a snowball’s chance he’d allow any of us to switch to ATT or any other carrier. I’m just not yet sold on Android, though there’s no arguing the devices ARE far more modern than anything RIM offers. Yes, I could have him upgrade me to a Bold so I could at least get BlackBerry 6, but I already have a Tour from my other employer (yeah, I have two BlackBerry and don’t pay for either!) so that’s kinda pointless (I’m pushing them to upgrade me to a Bold anyway) as I’d prefer my “second device” be a full touch screen with “big glass”.
RIM…PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give us a Storm3, and give it to us before the holidays!
What would be the point in that? If you want a high end smartphone, RIM has nothing for you. Your only choices are Android, iPhone or the new Windows Phone 7.
Not sure if it will help, but on the off chance that someone from RIM actually reads this blog… this article is dead on. There are a lot of people who really like touchscreen devices and really like Blackberrys – will RIM give us an option soon? Honestly if something does not happen over this winter then I like many others are practically forced to head off to the land of the Droids! Interesting, this has to be one of the few times when a company that I want to stay with is actually pushing me away.
I would like to know if this is an indefinite exclusive or what? This device could stand to be on more carriers in the US. There is a GSM version for the Storm 1 (international), don’t know about the 2. A Storm 3 does need to become available, but on a non-exclusive basis. It needs to make people drool and want to leave Android. I don’t say iPhone simply because it is only on one carrier and I truly believe some get Android simply because they want a touchscreen and the only viable option is Android on their carrier. Also, the startup time needs to be vastly improved. I think it is somewhat on the Torch, but pretty much still a slow boat. Right now they are keeping those who like the simplicity of a blackberry and the bbm (yes, that again). But, the frequency of folks inquiring about bbm features on non-blackberry devices is making it clear they are those lusting after other devices. They need a home run device. That device needs to be on every carrier like the Curve/Curve 2 is and not an exclusive.
They are in an uphill battle if this is the stuff carriers are saying: http://gigaom.com/2010/11/03/t-mobile-usas-cto-nokia-blackberry-need-to-step-up/ .
Words from the mountain top – I’m stuck in the same place.
I Was looking forward to the Storm2.5 (Sure Press & OS6). My problem with the “Storm 3” is NO “Sure Press” – I LOVE “Sure Press” (If the Apple would have come up with it – Everybody would have it, or want it).
What to do, What to do – Droid 2 (Touch screen and keyboard) or Storm2 (already in mid-life crisis).
I agree with the point of the article but it doesn’t look like you’re going to see the Storm 2.5 9570. RIM has made several mistakes with the Storm series over the years. First they launched the original Storm with really bad/buggy software and it took Verizon/RIM 6 months to release a good version (version 4.7.0.148). It had such a bad reputation after that which it still hasn’t recovered from. Second, they never released it on other U.S. carriers. After Verizon’s exclusivity expired they should have offered the Storm on Sprint and also developed/sold GSM/UMTS versions of the Storm with support for AT&T and T-Mobile 3G bands like the 9700. (The GSM Storm 9500 and Storm2 9520 only support the UMTS 3G 2100MHz band). If you look at the Blackberry forums, there are so many people using unlocked Storms on AT&T and T-Mobile so I think they would have sold a lot of Storms on AT&T and T-Mobile had it been available. Granted selling the Storm on AT&T/T-Mobile would have cannibalized some sales of the Bold 9700 but having it available on other carriers in the U.S. would have built up the Storm brand. Lastly, the upgrades made to the 9570 were such a joke that it got trashed in the blogs before it was even released. I think that’s why RIM canceled it. The only upgrades from the 9550 to the 9570 were OS 6, more memory (512mb), 5mp camera, support for 802.11n and support for 3G mobile hot spot. The only one that would be noticeable to the average consumer is the 5mp camera and possibly OS 6. The rest are all internal upgrades which aren’t important to the average consumer. The 2010 Storm 9570 simply should not have the same size/resolution screen that you had in the 2008 Storm 9530. If RIM would have put in a 3.7 to 4 inch screen with a 480 x 800 resolution (like most of the Android devices) and a faster snapdragon processor in the 9570, it wouldn’t have been trashed in the blogs and they probably would have sold a lot of them. RIM developed the Storm series strickly for the consumer market but you can’t compete in the consumer market when your best device looks mediocre next to the main competition (iPhone and Android).
I agree with most of what you said, but disagree with the fact they canceled the refresh because of blogs trashing it. The blogs trashed the refreshed Bolds and Curves, but they still released them.
Maybe the negative opinions in the blogs have nothing to do with why they canceled it. Who knows. But I have a feeling they just thought it wouldn’t sell well compared to their other devices. RIM always sells a ton of Bolds and Curves especially to corporations so they’re going to release those devices no matter what the blogs say. It’s also possible that the real upgrade to the Storm that we’ve been hearing about was going to come out in the first or second quarter of 2011 so Verizon decided to wait for that one instead of releasing another minor upgrade to the existing Storm.
If RIM doesn’t have a Storm3 out before Christmas, they might as well not bother. With the iPhone reportedly hitting Verizon 1Q11, RIM would be fools to try to launch versus that juggernaut. And the PlayBook in 2Q11? They seriously need to get it out there NOW before NOBODY cares any more about a touch screen BlackBerry smartphone.