Is the Blackberry Storm an iPhone killer?
I woke up this morning to an interesting article on GigaOm, that talked about the possibility of the new touchscreen Blackberry, the Blackberry Storm, being an iPhone killer. Jim Courtney raised a few good points in the article, no doubt, but an iPhone killer? I think not.
Let’s go through his article point by point shall we? … After the jump.
The carriers: BlackBerry Storm was designed for two major carriers, with proven 3G network performance, who aren’t able to carry the iPhone: Verizon and Vodafone (also coming to Canada on Telus and Bell). This opens up access to several large existing customer bases (70 million at Verizon) with strong presence in both consumer and enterprise markets. For roaming outside North America, the Storm for Verizon/Bell/Telus includes the appropriate European/Asian-supported GSM bands.
This is one place where I can totally agree. Until AT&T’s exclusivity deal with Apple is over, this will be the next best thing for Verizon and (eventually) Sprint customers who don’t want to ditch their current cellphone service in the US. Though don’t for a minute think you’re going to get many new customers over from AT&T who are currently on the iPhone. And now since the iPhone is now widely available on the worldwide market, there isn’t as much of an advantage for the Storm in that respect.
A smarter touch screen: It employs new “haptic” touch keyboard technology with three keyboard options: QWERTY in landscape mode, SureType and Traditional 12-key in Portrait mode. Kevin Michaluk’s “First Impressions” review talks about his user experience with the keyboard and its unique features. One example: Hover on a letter and you’ll get other language options for the letter such as “é”. This YouTube video demonstrates the dynamic nature of the Storm’s keyboard.
I don’t think that many people will be swayed too far from the iPhone’s touchscreen. A touchscreen is a touchscreen whether it clicks or not. I have a feeling that most of the Blackberry die hards who didn’t like the iPhone because of the touch typing, won’t like this very much either. Look for the serious crackberry addicts to go after the Bold. I will admit though that the clicking mechanism is a fantastic idea, and I hope to see it in a future revision of the iPhone.
Enterprise ready: IT managers already supporting BlackBerry within their IT infrastructure will readily accept the Storm as simply one more BlackBerry device. There is a legion of stories building about IT managers’ refusal of employee requests for iPhone support. With its multimedia features, including syncing to iTunes, Storm presents an opportunity to have a touchscreen smartphone that easily meets both business and personal needs.
With the addition of Exchange support, the iPhone has made a serious play for the business sector. Though I will admit that the Blackberry Storm will much more easily gain traction in organizations already set up for the Blackberry. As the iPhone grows as a platform, I’d look for it to get more acceptance within businesses who generally take a wait and see attitude when it comes to technology. Considering it’s only had exchange support for less than a year, one can’t expect the iPhone to take over the market right away. It’s going to be a great fight. I know that much.
A BlackBerry App Store is coming: Last week, RIM held its first BlackBerry Developer Conference, at which the 700 attendees learned about the BlackBerry App Store opening March 2009. Unlike Android Market, struggling to get to 100 applications, there currently exist more than 4,000 applications available via various web-based stores. The BlackBerry App Store makes it much easier to purchase applications directly off the device, both existing apps, as well as new ones that will appear as a result of developer support announced during the conference. Some developers will be backed by the $150 million BlackBerry Partners Fund.
This is the weakest of the arguments. Anyone who’s used a Blackberry knows that the third party developer ecosystem is in a horrible state. The biggest problem with developing for the Blackberry is that the devices tend to be underpowered and that the development architecture is pretty ancient. Even some of the best apps out there right now still have that 1990s java applet feel to them. RIM is going to need to make a serious upgrade to it’s OS in the near future to allow for more advanced applications, until then, they aren’t even COMPETING with the iPhone in the Application market.
Major general-purpose applications appearing for BlackBerry: Several applications I have been using on a Nokia N95 are now becoming available for the BlackBerry. Last week, I saw a demonstration of SlingPlayer for BlackBerry (still in pre-alpha, not yet released) on a Bold. Yesterday, there were two announcements: an alpha release of the popular “live-to-Internet” video recording application Qik became available and Truphone Anywhere for BlackBerry became available.
Have you even looked at the iPhone app store? Seriously though, most of these apps will end up making thier way onto the iPhone as well, and chances are the apps will be more polished, faster, and more stable. Qik for example, has submitted their app to the App Store approval process, and will likely be approved in short order. While the frustration with the App Store continues for the time being, It’s unlikely it will continue indefinetly. Likely once Apple’s deal with AT&T is over, you will see an opening of the App Store to applications like netshare and Slingplayer that AT&T would have a problem with.
Background processing: While the Storm brings a different user interface, its underlying operating system is still the traditional BlackBerry O/S. I have been using a Bold for the past eight weeks and an iPhone for about three months. One key differentiator is BlackBerry’s ability to handle true background processing of data-based applications. For instance, you can run IM applications, such as Skype IM, via iSkoot, in the background, keeping you up-to-date on IM messages in real time while performing other data applications such as web browsing or checking your email concurrently. On the iPhone, you can make voice calls and play iTunes while looking at an application; otherwise, applications stop running until you return to it. Full background processing on the Storm, as on all recent Blackberry models, not only brings a significant productivity benefit to users but also allows notification and delivery of time sensitive information in real time.
I can’t really argue with this one. The lack of background processing on the iPhone is frustrating to say the least. Though I can understand why it’s being done. The main reason (besides security) that the iPhone can run only one App at a time, is simply because each app can then take full advantage of the hardware on the phone. Imagine trying to run a graphically intensive game on the iPhone with a twitter client, an im client, email, and maps all running in the background. It’s an impossibility, and would lead to the sloppy task manager type tools we have on Blackberry and Windows Mobile today. It’s a shame that Apple is so late in releasing it’s Push notification system that we had heard so much about last year, as it would solve most of these issues.
What isn’t mentioned in the article is the topic of price. This is really where the iPhone will shine compared to these new Blackberries. The $199 price point for the iPhone is by far cheaper than the rumored $299 price point for either the Bold or the new Storm.
That’s not to say that the Blackberries won’t be phenominally successful. They obivously will. There are quite a number of hard-core Blackberry fanatics out there who will be waiting on line for the device. However, It is in no way shape or form an iPhone killer. It’s simply just the first phone to do a good job of COMPETING.
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October 30th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
1. Verizon’s network is much better than AT&T in coverage.
2. The touchscreen on the RIM Storm will make a big difference. I’m big on HIDs. I’ve purchased every other innovative or stupid HID device built, with a graveyard of them in the basement. When it comes to touch screens, the additional “Z-axis” click is going to be huge in what it can do. Adding a 3rd degree of freedom opens up big options. Dragging your hands across the screen doesn’t have to “select” the data. Imagine the difference between a mouse without any buttons but can only sense start and stop vs the same mouse with a single button. Big difference in what you can do with a button!
3. The iPhone cannot and will not be used by much of corporate America. I can understand that RIM has an uphill battle in the consumer market, but Apple will have twice the difficulty in the corporate market. Many of the major companies I deal with now have switched to Lotus Notes for security reasons. Besides the fact that iPhones look too juvenille for most executives, most corporate Blackberrys are locked down. Can’t download apps, can use SD slot, can’t put music or videos on a Blackberry, can’t do squat except email, talk, instant message, browse web and run corporate apps. Why would anyone want to get an iPhone and lose the multimedia features? The Blackberry is a communication tool. The iPhone is a communication toy (in a good sense). RIMs enterprise servers make all the difference in this arena.
4. Apps again are different categories. BB apps are geared towards business. iPhone apps towards life.
October 31st, 2008 at 8:17 am
Um… the Storm is cool for a BlackBerry, but doesn’t come close to the iPhone. Check this out.
October 31st, 2008 at 9:27 am
Hey Ubiquityman
I agree that Verizon’s network is far superior to AT&T, but that’s just the US. Blackberry and Apple are both in global markets. I’m just saying on a global scale, the network itself matters less than the device.
I also agree that the click is something that the iPhone should adopt too, but considering the age of the Blackberry OS, I still think the iPhone will have the superior user experience.
I completely disagree with your third point. The iPhone is clearly a well built and elegant device. It has quite a number of the security features of the Blackberry, and will likely continue to build in more as the firmware gets more refined. Remember that at one point the blackberry didn’t have any of that either. It gained it as it became more mature. Also remember that 2 years ago, there was no such THING as an iPhone. You have to give credit that Apple has made quite an impact in a very short period of time.
Your point that lotus notes doesn’t have support on the iPhone, doesn’t mean that it WONT. In fact I’d imagine that as the iPhone becomes more business oriented, you’ll begin to see a lot of the productivity apps from the Blackberry platform being ported to the iPhone. Again, it’s just a matter of time.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:19 pm
On the 3rd point, I think you may have misunderstood my comment. I’m not saying that the iPhone is a toy in a bad sense, but a toy in a good sense. It’s something that brings the user _enjoyment_. That’s why people buy the iPhone. That’s why it’s selling so well. As addicting as the current Blackberry can be, it’s much more work related and a different user experience.
Also, I believe that people who think the iPhone is going to make significant inroads into the corporate market only look at it from a consumer perspective and not a corporate perspective.
Even with the recent surge in iPhone sales, RIM’s corporate market share continues to rise. Apple is not taking RIM’s market share significantly in this category. It could happen, but I don’t see a way for iPhones to break into this market significantly. At best, there will be a slight erosion. This is due to the severe lack of security combined with the fact that locking down an iPhone defeats the _enjoyment_ aspect of it.
It’s simple, if you have a job to do and need to communicate via email, and you have the choice of either an iPhone with video, music, apps, camera, all disabled, or a Blackberry with video, music, apps, camera, all disabled, which would you pick? Anyone in their right mind would pick the blackberry. Corporate users would pick the Blackberry. The keyboard, plus push email, plus security, plus backend options, is a no-brainer.
Yes, Apple could develop the same thing with keyboard and even Lotus Notes connections, but RIM can easily come out with a “multimedia smart phone” as they are doing now with the Storm.
Personally, I highly doubt the Storm will make it’s way into the corporate market. Corporations make corporate strategy decisions not based on how smart phones make people feel, but rather based on cost benefit for work. They don’t want employees to be “distracted” by their tools.
Over the last 10 years, I’ve owned about 7 or so different PDAs. 3 of them have been Smartphones. Every single smartphone that I’ve owned, including the Blackberry has been a WORSE phone than the Samsung A900 I have because the samsung is much easier to operate with one hand, and has fabulous voice to text for messaging. If all I needed to do was talk on the phone, I would definitely not have a smartphone. However, I sacrificed a bit of the phone functionality to get combined email functionality without having to carry around a separate phone+PDA. It’s a tradeoff. If I didn’t need email and calendaring, I would definitely be back to just using a regular old cell phone.
Again, two different markets, but Apple has a much steeper hill in the corporate market than RIM has in the consumer market.
October 31st, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Nick,
Here are more objective comparisons between Blackberry & iPhone. (Excludes Storm)
http://www.customsba.com/
http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2008/05/iphone-vs-black.html
(BTW, is there a “how to” on formatting comments and embedding URLs for BlogOhBlog?)
November 3rd, 2008 at 4:02 pm
All other Blackberry’s are inferior to the iPhone 3G. I was referring to the Storm.
The iPhone (both EDGE & 3G) has a more superior OS, media capabilities, and design. Sure a Blackberry that checks e-mail and plays Arkanoid/Brick is going to have better battery life, but people still choose the iPhone.
Don’t believe me? Look at the last quarter’s sales. Every single Blackberry model on all the different networks didn’t outsell iPhone 3G. Hmm…
SIDENOTE: I have had very little issues with battery life on my iPhone. I just charge it every night.
Tech minded people and business people buy Blackberrys. The casual consumer, tech minded people, and business people buy iPhones.
November 7th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
No disagreement that iPhone (Apple) OS is superior on a technical level, but that does not make it a better smartphone if it doesn’t translate into usability.
It could be Linux based for all I care (I don’t), but I’m concerned about whether the device gets the job done.
They can cram windows onto a smartphone (wait, they did that already, it’s called WindowsMobile) and that doesn’t make it a better smartphone.
iPhone does have slightly better media capability in the area of DRM iTunes which the Blackberrys don’t do.
However, in terms of usability, I would diagree. The Blackberry is more usable, but usability is a subjective matter, so I doubt we will get agreement on that.
And, like I said if you had to disable all the media features of your iPhone for business, would you still want an iPhone? I wouldn’t. If you would, why?
iPhone sales as with other Apple products often do get good receptions at launch. Jobs is known for guerrilla marketing. Sure they exceed RIM in the last quarter but barely. And that’s in a quarter that Apple had a new product with a worldwide launch and RIM had very little. The same thing is happening for the Storm right now. People are already queuing up and pre-ordering the Storm. If Apple really can beat RIM in the next two quarters, then I would concede that Apple has a good chance of dominating the consumer market. (RIM will still control the business market for the foreseeable future.)
On battery life, your iPhone usage is such that you can get by with charging it every day. Some people use their mobile phones more than you use your iPhone. With Blackberry’s, the battery life lasts significantly longer, and switching batteries takes just a few seconds. Critical for mobile warriors.
in general:
The casual consumer, tech minded people and business people buy Blackberrys.
The casual consumer, tech minded people buy iPhones. Business people generally do not buy iPhones.
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Maybe they thought he was talking to his terrorist friend