News Analysis: Research In Motion's new BlackBerry models may display significant performance improvements provided by the BlackBerry 7 operating system, but otherwise the devices have no new features and seem rather boring. They just don't reflect the changing smartphone marketplace.
Research In Motion on Aug. 3
announced five new BlackBerry smartphones that the company says, are vast
improvements over their predecessors. The devices, which include two BlackBerry
Bold models and three versions of the company's BlackBerry Torch, all run
BlackBerry 7 OS. According to RIM, browsing the Web on BlackBerry 7 is 40
percent faster than on BlackBerry 6 and up to 100 percent faster on BlackBerry
5.
As nice as that might be for
those who are long-time fans of RIM and the BlackBerry, aside from the
performance improvements, there isn't much the company will be offering in the
new smartphones that will make the average customer think twice about buying an
iPhone or Android-based handset. In fact, the latest generation of BlackBerry
smartphones seems rather boring. In a marketplace where innovation and neat new
features grab attention, being boring doesn't bode well for RIM's sales
figures.
Read on to find out why the
latest slate of BlackBerry smartphones, as solidly designed as they may be,
will fail miserably.
1. What's the difference?
When one examines the five
new BlackBerry smartphones RIM is planning to launch, they will find a set of
devices that don't break any new ground. The smartphones come with physical
keyboards, comparatively small screens and an operating system that has the
same feel as previous versions of the software. If RIM is having trouble with
sales of existing smartphones, why would it offer up products that are hardly
any different? It doesn't make much sense.
2. BlackBerry 7 doesn't work out so well
There's little debating that
the BlackBerry 7 OS is a better version of RIM's software than the previous
options. However, it's still not Android or iOS. The operating system simply
isn't as well-designed or as forward-thinking as its top competitors. Consumers
looking to have the best experience will quickly discover that. BlackBerry 7 is
nice, but it's no iOS or Android killer.
3. RIM forgets about the iPhone's features
Against its better judgment,
RIM continues to offer up products that fly in the face of what the iPhone is
all about. Like it or not, Apple's smartphone is the benchmark by which all
other handsets are judged. And the onus is on RIM to try and match that. But
the handset maker didn't do anything of the sort. Instead, it stuck to its game
plan and
that game plan is failing miserably.
4. The physical keyboard is a loser
RIM seems to believe that
customers will want a physical keyboard. So these devices come with the typical
physical keys current customers have come to expect. However, these days,
consumers are favoring smartphones with virtual keyboards. That's why the top
handset makers in the business aren't wasting their time on physical keys. With
their tired, old physical keyboards,
RIM's latest line of devices smack of obsolescence.
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