Research In Motion has good news for Mac users. BlackBerry Desktop Software for Mac will be available in September and will support systems running Mac OS 10.5.5 and higher.
“We have all been hard at work here for a while now, and you may have noticed some Mac support with the preview version of BlackBerry Media Sync for Mac released back in December,” stated a post on RIM’s BlackBerry blog July 20.
With BlackBerry Desktop Software, Mac users will be able to sync iTunes playlists, tasks, and Calendar, Contacts and Notes applications between their computers and their mobile devices; add and remove applications; update the mobile device when new software is available; back up and restore the device with features such as scheduled backups and optional encryption; and manage multiple devices.
The BlackBerry blog includes preview screenshots of what users can expect, and at BlackBerry.com, anyone interested in being alerted to the software’s availability can register to be updated.
Until September, RIM encourages BlackBerry owners to make user of PocketMac for BlackBerry, which offers features including synchronization between iTunes, Mail.app, Contacts and Entourage, and which RIM offers free support for.
While an Apple iPhone may be the more expected device for a Mac user, RIM has had enormous success in building its BlackBerry user subscriber base, which has expanded well beyond enterprise customers.
On June 18, RIM announced revenues of $3.42 billion for the first quarter of fiscal year 2009, representing a 53 percent increase from the first quarter of the previous year. Co-CEO Jim Balsillie stated that day that a number of new products and opportunities were planned, and that “approximately 80 percent of net new [subscriptions] came from non-enterprise customers.”
He continued, “These customers now represent over half of the total BlackBerry subscriber account base.”
Apple will be announcing its most recent profits, for the third quarter of 2009, on July 21.
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