Can you blame ‘em? If you bought into a two-year contract a little more than two years ago, possibly because of shortcomings in the first iPhone (a perfectly reasonable decision), you would have been watching with jealous eye the introduction of the 3G, the 3GS, and the launch and growth of the App Store. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to change horses. BlackBerry makes some excellent handsets and has a unique value proposition, but if I’m honest, I think they’ve progressed even less in the last couple years than the iPhone has. That’s hard, people! And really, even if you love BlackBerry, if you want a versatile touchscreen phone, are you really going to go with a Storm?
This is according to a study by Crowd Science, in which it is also revealed that 32% of BB users would be cool with trading in for a Nexus One. Dangerous info all around, then. Of course, that also means that 60% of BB users want to stick with RIM, which is probably more than US Symbian users or feature-phone people aching to make the jump to something cooler. Only 9% of iPhone users said they’d switch to a Nexus One, though, so I don’t think Apple is sweating it.
[via Ars Technica]
Right. Can you explain to me why Blackberry’s market share continues to increase and why, after two years and contract renewal opportunities, it still beats the iPhone by a factor of two to one?
Anyone?
Presumably because there are dozens of models with availability on just about every carrier?
Is that why the Curve was the top selling smartphone in the US for Q4 2009?
http://blackberrysync.com/2010/02/idc-announces-top-10-smartphones-in-q4-for-usa-blackberry-takes-510-spots/
Hmm?
That list shows the Curve at #1, true. But all the Curve sales are lumped together while different iPhone versions are separated. You have to consider that.
Different versions like the 16GB and 32GB models you mean?
Ah Gary M. how ironic! Every single argument about Apple’s “dominance” in any given market centers around grouping every device in a product line (like iPod, or iPhone) as though it is a single product, then totaling up every single sale they have made over the space of years, then pretending that it is proof that it is the best selling product ever. Yet when an Apple product is treated like any other product (you will notice each different family of BlackBerry is broken out too), and suddenly Apple is seen not to be the best seller, you scream foul.
@Lee Lloyd
No… I’m not trying to defend the iPhone because I like it, I’m merely pointing out that the statistics could be different from what people think it is.
For your information, I happen to be waiting for the Pearl 9100 to be released, because I prefer Blackberry over iPhones.
I agree with Mark.. Here in Asia, still alot of people aren’t using iPhone, in fact, they know how great an iPhone is, but still uses a blackberry smartphone.
So maybe that reports only holds some truth on USA, considering the fact that they didn’t even mention, in what area they gathered that survey…
A little off-topic: If people are wanting to shift with the iPhone, then why the BB Slider and BB Magnum are garnering so much hype and attention?
Actually… on second thoughts it might not. Interesting.
So… when they say 40% would switch to iPhone and 32% would switch to Android are they exclusive sets or subsets – that is, is it the same people?
This survey feels a bit well… shit for lack of a better word.
I am a blackberry user for one and half years and just trying to renew my contract with AT&T with an i phone…the second option (may be, i will consider as first option also) is android one…even i will consider windows based one,,,,but never one more blackberry….This Curve 8310 which i have now hangs all the time…even not allowing me to switch it off…no applications which are useful..and even if you find a couple, it really makes the phone to freeze..Browser is a fun…that everybody knows….I installed voange application and called India…and BB diverted all the calls through ATT network……..how fun it is when you get the bill…..(OMG)…..I will throw this away when my contract is over..
Most businesses use the blackberry enterprise server and therefore purchase blackberrires on a large scale for their employees. Since the iPhone hasnt really penetrated the corporate sphere, you won’t see them having as much market share as blackberrires as yet.
Please… these “studies” ( i couldn’t possibly use the term any looser) have been coming out for 2 years now. All saying how all these BB users are just waiting to trade in their handsets for an iPhone. It hasn’t happened and it won’t. In my personal circle people have been trading in their iPhones for BBs and Androids. I have to see ONE do the opposite. so i guess I should publish a study that says that most iPhone owners can’t wait to switch to other phones.
You know I have this arguement with my brother all the time.
I have a Nexus One.
He has the new Blackberry Bold.
I tell him how my phone has an amazing browser, is super fast, has a beautiful screen and a great camera.
His response: Mine has a way better battery life, hardly ever has any programs crash on it, has UMA so I always have service whenever i have wifi, the camera is just as good and a great keyboard.
Really I find myself saying if blackberry would come out with an actual decent browser I’d have no reason not to switch to a BB.
So, in other words. 60% or roughly 2/3 are totally happy with their blackberry.
I’m sorry, I don’t buy this…
Not because I prefer one phone over the other, but for two other reasons.
1. 15% of all respondents used BB. That is about 170 people. That means the sample size was too small to be reliable (let alone there is no way to dig into the questions asked to see if there was any bias in the survey)
and, MOST IMPORTANTLY…
2. Comparing an iPhone to a BB is like comparing a pine cone to a pineapple. Which one is which does not matter. Has any dedicated iPhone user ever tried using a BlackBerry device? Hardly likely, with few exceptions. Has any hardcore BB user ever tried to use an iPhone? My point here is that the user paradigms are so different for these two devices that hard core users of either of them will get completely lost trying the other one — and give up after a short time trying. Why do I know this? Because we develop apps for all platforms (except JME and BREW) and learned the hard way that if you try to force a similar user experience of your app on all mobile platforms, you ruin it for them all.
been there, done that… with the scars to prove it.
Actually, I have found that most BB users have tried the iPhone. The beauty of the iPhone is it’s simplicity, and it’s also it’s downfall. You experiment with an iPhone for 15min, and you understand exactly what it can and cannot do. However, most iPhone users who pickup a BB have no idea what it can do, and so often make ignorant remarks about the device. That is not their fault, the BB is for the power user, it is complex, and if you dive into it and try and understand it, you realize how powerful it is. The fact of the matter is, a BB user can run circles around any Android or iPhone user when it comes to communication – making phone calls, answering/reading emails, texting, instant messaging, calendar events, etc. And this, is BB’s downfall. It is too complex for the average user who does not have the patience to figure out the nuances and shortcuts the device provides. It’s all about usage pattern. I prioritize flexibility and actual “smartphone” functionality over a one-size fits all walled garden, entertainment and fashion statement. For me, function over form will always take precedence.
I can tell you this. I regularly interact with kids from wealthy households. They could have any piece of gear they wanted. They are all using Blackberry. Want to know why? Because of BBM. Yep, they all want to interact through BBM. The fact that 14-17 year old kids are switching from iPhone to BB or not even considering an iPhone in the first place was a huge shock to me.
Alternate headline: “40% of Blackberry users aspire to be lemmings”.
lol, exactly.
I personally hate the iphone touch pad, and would rather use the LG dare or something, the downside to all these phones though ends up being the service is never with the same company as the phone you want, and they sucker you in with a 2 year contract :(
In our iPass survey, we actually found a higher percentage – 54% of BlackBerry users (about 1/3 of the respondents) would switch to an iPhone and 3% to an Android. But we also found that 63 percent of mobile employees prefer a smartphone over a laptop as their primary mobile device. I don’t know how IT can keep up.
LMFAO…PLEASE! I wouldn’t trade an old blackberry for a new iphone!
Now, wheres the “80% of iphone owners say: ‘yeah, I’d trade it in for a droid phone’”?
iPhone users don’t like options and devices with more than 1 button.
I hope someone does that survey soon. I like my G-1. And just saw the report about 74 day sales.
This speaks more to “consumerification” than an actual enterprise trend … so far. As mentioned already in several posts, Blackberry’s are often enterprise-purchased.
BUT … Increasingly businesses are supporting the use of personal devices, like the iPhone (not purchased and traditionally supported by enterprise IT) for business use, which may be the reason for this number. According to a Forrester survey cited in a recent Sybase piece, roughly half already do.
Many iPhones enter an organization as a personal device. Moreover, they merge a person’s work, personal and social media life together. But until organizations expand their mobile app strategy to include more than just email, only perception of Blackberry devices, not sales, will likely be impacted. About Me
My problem with the iPhone lies with the carrier, not with the iPhone. I love my Blackberry and it does not require me to use AT&T! If and when there is a non-AT&T iPhone, I might consider one (might!).