The BlackBerry 10 OS is set to launch on Jan. 30, 2013. This may be RIM’s last opportunity to remain, even where they still exist.
About 13 years ago Blackberry began establishing itself in corporations as a mobile platform. About 11 years later though, in 2010, an IDC report emerged that Android would overtake iPhone, BlackBerry by 2013. It now seems that prediction is coming to pass, at least as it applies to Android & Blackberry.
In a recent article here entitled, “Blackberry Woes: Overall Sales Decline As The NTSB Also Departs To The iPhone 5”, we reported that not only has RIM’s once popular BlackBerry line of mobile phones been on the decline in consumer markets, but RIM has also begun losing large-scale government contracts as well. A few rays of light have shined on RIM at the moment though as RIM shares were recently up 4% percent in Canadian stock trading. Goldman Sachs has also upgraded the stock to a buy rating. Goldman Sachs stated their reason for the Blackberry upgrade to be that they now believe Blackberry has a “30 percent chance of success for BB10 (Blackberry 10)”. That 30 percent chance of BB10 survival may be a bit skewed though, at least based on current corporate trends.
IDC recently reported that RIM is now actually being hit from both sides now. Both Apple and Android have now found common seats in corporate offices, through various entrance methods.
Apple on one hand is being bought “in droves” by the corporations themselves for “corporate liable” use and IDC believes that Apple will have shipped just more than 37 million iPhones for corporate use in 2012. Those numbers far exceed RIM’s expectations, according to IDC. IDC sees another issue for Blackberry as well though.
Just as they had predicted I 2010, Android is now supplanting Blackberry as well. It’s now estimated that employees working for companies that encourage an “employee liable” smart-phone use (meaning, “bring your own” and connect as needed) are overwhelmingly choosing Android and estimates now have it that more than 87 million “bring your own” devices will be in place in corporate use as well by the end of this year.
The verdict is still out, but time will soon tell as to whether or not the Blackberry 10 can compete with the latest mobile trends stacked against it.