BlackBerry: Back in the Game

(Photo from: BGR.com)

Two days ago, RIM (now known as BlackBerry) finally gave its long overdue update: the release of BlackBerry 10, its latest OS that the company bets on to revive itself. Here in this post I don't want to talk much about the features since they are all over the Internet (for example, engadget). I would like to share my thoughts on whether BlackBerry got its very chance to return to its great old days.

BlackBerry used to be the symbol of 'smart and cool', even US president used it for its highly secured protection of private data on the phone. Then it got stuck right there, no more significant improvement in both hardware and software. After five years, people still have to navigate around the tiny icons and read the email with crammed text. Stock market has reflected the same as how consumers feel about BlackBerry. The current share price is about 10% of its peak price 5 years ago. Its global smartphone market share has slipped from 20% to the marginal 7% now. Facing intensive competition from iOS and Android could be one reason, the other, and a more dominant one is apparently its lack in innovation.

Now with the latest mobile OS, BlackBerry 10, the company has its chance to reclaim old glory. It is now the time that consumers get somewhat tired of the two mobile OS, iOS and Android. Such a fatigue may lead them to give a shot to something new. The BlackBerry 10 is a completely different system compared to its ancestor, just like Microsoft's Windows Phone 7, both are something starting from scratch. A whole new user experience is definitely getting some great attention and people are just eager to try out new things nowadays. 

It wouldn't create much buzz if BlackBerry's new OS is just like Android with a different look. It does have some good features that set itself apart from the competitors. Its great security measures are still in place to make sure your data is safe and the new feature, BlackBerry Balance, which is a service that separates the personal and business data, may be appealing to many corporate clients. Based on current reviews, other standard apps, such as browser, text, and email, are looking good so far. However, the actual experience will need to be tested when the phone is put into market for some time. 

However, some problems are still obvious and challenging. iOS and Android already have millions of users who are so used to the ecosystems and it's just difficult for BlackBerry to grab a good slice from them if that's possible at all. Given the fact that BlackBerry 10's apps are very limited (70,000 vs. hundreds of thousand) and switching cost is high for other OS's users, BlackBerry must get its user experience right in the first place and it will then be able to gain some momentum in the growth.

I guess BlackBerry's story has again proved the importance of innovation, especially in the technology industry where everyone is spending like hell just to create something cool, fun and new. To me, it is still too early to say whether BlackBerry has what it takes to regain consumers' good faith and loyalty. At least, good to see it's back in the game. 

Technorati Tags: Commentary, News, BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry