Ahead of today’s BlackBerry 10 release date, developers have suggested RIM’s new BB10 operating system will not help the company compete with the likes of Apple or Android.
As BlackBerry looks to regain its footing in the smartphone market with the imminent BlackBerry 10 release, an app developer has told TrustedReviews that the new BB10 platform will not be enough to help the company challenge the likes of Apple and Google for smartphone glory.
“iPhone and Android will remain the dominant factors,” Dan Beasley, Head of Mobile at development firm Jam said when discussing the upcoming BlackBerry 10 launch.
Suggesting that BlackBerry’s repeatedly delayed BB10 launch is too late to the party to truly rival Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android mobile operating systems, Beasley suggested that instead of producing a high-end consumer smartphones of choice, much like the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S3, BlackBerry will continue to find its market in cheap, more accessible handsets for the teenage market.
“The most gifted handset over Christmas was a BlackBerry, but it was a device that is clearly aimed at the teenage market through the likes of BBM,” Beasley told TrustedReviews. “Despite everything that has been said, BlackBerry is still not losing its attraction from teenagers.”
Discussing the company’s continuing appeal with a teenage, PAYG audience, Beasley added: “When you think about that user group, everyone would have to shift across to WhatsApp or Vibe or whatever it might be.”
Although BlackBerry parent company RIM has revealed plans to have 70,000 BlackBerry 10 apps ready and available at launch, Beasley has suggested that the new BB10 platform, like Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 OS, could fail to attract the developers required to turn it into a true Apple and Android rival.
Discussing developers’ reservations about creating app-based content for new platforms such as BB10, Jam’s Head of Mobile stated: “BlackBerry 10 will be a serious consideration only if they can shift the units.”
Despite a steadily growing user base, one which is closing in on BlackBerry’s smartphone market share, Microsoft’s Windows Phone platforms are still failing to attract high-profile applications, with developers continuing to favour the larger instant user base of Apple and Google’s platforms.
Would the limited number of quality, high-profile, recognisable apps deter you from making the jump to RIM’s upcoming BlackBerry 10 platform? Let us know via the Trusted Reviews Twitter and Facebook feeds or through the comment boxes below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
