RIM Puts Strong Focus on Recruiting Developers
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But Bocking also noted that RIM already has a large collection of apps that
will run on BlackBerry 10 devices. Existing PlayBook apps will work on
BlackBerry 10, he said. Those need to adapt to a slightly smaller screen and
portrait first orientation, he added. He said new app submissions are up
significantly since the announcement of BB10. We had our best ever quarter
last quarter for app submissions, Bocking said, adding that the numbers were
up 240 percent for QNX apps for the PlayBookall apps that can easily be
tweaked for BB10 devices, he noted.
Bocking also said that RIM is considering licensing BlackBerry OS 10 for a
variety of devices, not so much for makers of handheld devices such as HTC or
Samsung, but for embedded and automotive devices. Earlier Heins had noted that
60 percent of the cars on the road use QNX software, and Bocking said that
these devices could support BB10.
Bocking said interest in developing for QNX and BlackBerry 10 is growing
rapidly. He said developers are finding that BlackBerry users are willing to
pay for their apps instead of expecting them to be free. He also said developers
appreciate the fact that BlackBerry App World effectively eliminates piracy and
that it gives them an effective way to monetize their efforts over a very large
global user base.
BlackBerry is growing worldwide, Heins noted, and while its losing market
share in the U.S., thats not the case in other regions. In some areas, Heins
said, RIM is able to position BlackBerry devices to compete effectively with
feature phones by offering less expensive, much more basic devices than the
company sells in North America and Western Europe.
While Bocking wouldnt say publically exactly how many apps will be in
BlackBerry App World when the BlackBerry 10 devices appear, he did say that the
numbers will be substantial. He noted that RIM is working closely with
developers to give them the tools they need to develop for the device,
including providing devices for developers to use, as was the case at
BlackBerry Jam, the developers conference that happened concurrently with
BlackBerry World in Orlando. We are treating our external developers as if
they were internal by making sure they have early access, Bocking said.
Of course, its impossible to know for sure whether the efforts of Heins,
Bocking and others will be able to reverse the slide that BlackBerry has
suffered due to the mismanagement by the previous team. But at least from the
outside, it does seem that they recognize their problems and have a plan for
overcoming them. This alone should be good news for RIM.
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Wayne Rash is a Senior Analyst for eWEEK Labs and runs the magazine's Washington Bureau. Prior to joining eWEEK as a Senior Writer on wireless technology, he was a Senior Contributing Editor and previously a Senior Analyst in the InfoWorld Test Center. He was also a reviewer for Federal Computer Week and Information Security Magazine. Previously, he ran the reviews and events departments at CMP's InternetWeek.He is a retired naval officer, a former principal at American Management Systems and a long-time columnist for Byte Magazine. He is a regular contributor to Plane & Pilot Magazine and The Washington Post.
