I'm not sure the first advantage really makes a difference though. Corporate users are not buying a lot of apps. This is shown in the latest market share data, where the App Store took in $769 million in revenue, with RIM App World in second place with only $36 million. This is especially significant because RIM has a similar smartphone market share as Apple. So you've got two companies with similar market shares, and one is doing 21 times the app revenue than the other.
The 2nd point is definitely valid, but it's a niche market. I'm not saying ALL developers would abandon RIM, but just that most would. I don't think a major player in the smartphone market can afford to only go after a niche market.
I agree that a lot of the stuff I mentioned is small. But a lot of small problems add up to a big problem. It's well known in the development community that Apple and Google have superiors SDKs in terms of ease of use, as well as tools and APIs. With the Android growth explosion, they will have a much bigger app market, and Apple will probably have the most profitable market for some time to come because Apple customers have demonstrated their willingness to spend money. RIM is going to have to really up their game if they want to lure some of the talented developers away from the other platforms.
To add on to your first point, I know people who have company-provided-and-paid-for blackberries, and they buy their own iphone out of pocket and use that more. the BB is just for the bare minimum compliance at work - all their downtime is with their device of choice - and that's where their money gets spent (on apps, add-ons, etc).
Would people using company-provided blackberries - the kind companies love because they can be 'locked down' to the 'enterprise's' needs - even be allowed to purchase apps on their own?
Not to mention this market segment is usually behind a product iteration, or two, due to corporate security policies. This bunch probably won't have the Playbook or whateverphoneisnext--that can actually do anything remotely worth purchasing--vetted for them until RIM's all set and done.
Comments
I'm not sure the first advantage really makes a difference though. Corporate users are not buying a lot of apps. This is shown in the latest market share data, where the App Store took in $769 million in revenue, with RIM App World in second place with only $36 million. This is especially significant because RIM has a similar smartphone market share as Apple. So you've got two companies with similar market shares, and one is doing 21 times the app revenue than the other.
The 2nd point is definitely valid, but it's a niche market. I'm not saying ALL developers would abandon RIM, but just that most would. I don't think a major player in the smartphone market can afford to only go after a niche market.
I agree that a lot of the stuff I mentioned is small. But a lot of small problems add up to a big problem. It's well known in the development community that Apple and Google have superiors SDKs in terms of ease of use, as well as tools and APIs. With the Android growth explosion, they will have a much bigger app market, and Apple will probably have the most profitable market for some time to come because Apple customers have demonstrated their willingness to spend money. RIM is going to have to really up their game if they want to lure some of the talented developers away from the other platforms.
To add on to your first point, I know people who have company-provided-and-paid-for blackberries, and they buy their own iphone out of pocket and use that more. the BB is just for the bare minimum compliance at work - all their downtime is with their device of choice - and that's where their money gets spent (on apps, add-ons, etc).
Would people using company-provided blackberries - the kind companies love because they can be 'locked down' to the 'enterprise's' needs - even be allowed to purchase apps on their own?
Not to mention this market segment is usually behind a product iteration, or two, due to corporate security policies. This bunch probably won't have the Playbook or whateverphoneisnext--that can actually do anything remotely worth purchasing--vetted for them until RIM's all set and done.