eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.
Apple’s iPhone 4S has proven wildly successful in just its first weekend of availability. In fact, Apple said that it has already sold 4 million iPhone 4S units worldwide, easily shattering the previous record held by its predecessor, the iPhone 4, which marked up 1.7 million unit sales worldwide during its first weekend of availability.
The iPhone 4S’ success is set against the backdrop of what has become an extremely tumultuous mobile space. Much of that tumult is the direct result of Research In Motion. Last week, RIM’s BlackBerry services suffered an outage, prompting some to wonder just how much longer they’ll stick with the firm’s devices.
Well, let’s make it easy. The time to switch is now. Apple’s iPhone 4S is a solid offering and the future of the BlackBerry is decidedly in doubt. The smart move now is to ditch the BlackBerry and buy the iPhone 4S.
Read on to find out why:
1. First and foremost: Design
The biggest issue standing in RIM’s way of attracting new customers is product design. The company’s handsets fall short when it comes to the look and feel, and so far, it has been unwilling to address that. Apple’s iPhone 4S, on the other hand, doesn’t fall short at all. Quite the contrary, the device is arguably the best-looking smartphone on the market. That should be enough for at least some BlackBerry owners to switch to Apple’s handset.
2. Enough outages
When RIM announced that people were suffering from BlackBerry outages all over the world last week, many folks were fed up. It’s understandable. Millions rely upon RIM’s service to get their work done. Dealing with service outages that last in some cases a couple of days is absolutely unacceptable. Apple’s services, on the other hand, are always working. That’s something to keep in mind.
3. There’s no change in sight at RIM
For months, investors, customers and even employees have been calling on RIM’s management to make some changes. Yet, the company’s co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie haven’t done so. Instead, they’ve kept the same course in the hope that customer reactions will change over time. They won’t. If a company’s management is unwilling to change things up, at what point do customers start accepting that and moving on to something better?
4. A better operating system
RIM’s BlackBerry operating system was widely considered one of the best mobile platforms of last decade. But ever since Apple launched iOS, all that changed. Today, Apple’s mobile operating system is the best in the business. Now iOS 5, which is running on Apple’s latest handset, is the best version of it yet. Those looking for better software experiences should jump at the chance to use the iPhone 4S.
Carrier Choice Is No Longer a Barrier for the iPhone
5. Improved Web browsing
One of the biggest issues BlackBerry owners run into on their devices is the Web browsing. Too often, they’re forced to scroll through huge pages on a small screen and can’t quite get the full effect of surfing on a Website. On the iPhone 4S, however, browsing is a fantastic experience that, while not as good as desktop Web browsing, is a reasonable alternative. For users that do a lot of mobile Web surfing, ditching a BlackBerry device for an iPhone 4S is a smart move.
6. Siri is a fine enterprise feature
It’s no secret that the vast majority of BlackBerry users have those devices because of their work. Around the world, companies still believe that RIM’s handsets are best for their operations. But with Siri, that might change. That application, which is available exclusively on the iPhone 4S, allows users to employ voice commands to run various applications and mobiles services. Siri can write up emails, send out messages and more. It’s an ideal personal assistant that most would agree works quite well. And it’s a fine option for former BlackBerry users.
7. Physical keyboards are boring and unnecessary
If one looks at RIM’s product line, they’ll find that it’s overrun with devices featuring physical keyboards. That might appeal to some folks, but with the current state of smartphone design, physical keyboards are looking old hat. Like it or not, Apple has ensured that virtual keyboards are the future. But so far, for most of its products, RIM hasn’t accepted that. Unfortunately for RIM, consumers have. Many are deciding that the iPhone 4S, with its top-notch virtual keyboard, is an ideal option when trying to switch from physical keys.
8. Security isn’t an issue
When the iPhone first launched in 2007, there was some concern that the device would suffer from security woes. Because of that, cautious companies decided to stick with RIM’s line of devices, since, they believed, they would prove to be most secure. But now more than four years later, it’s clear that iOS is actually quite secure, and companies worried about the safety of their data shouldn’t be all that concerned with Apple’s products-especially the iPhone 4S.
9. More (and better) apps
Although RIM has its BlackBerry App World, that marketplace pales in comparison to the Apple App Store. The App Store comes with many more applications-more than 500,000 at last count. For the most part, iPhone applications are higher quality and have more capabilities because of the generally higher quality of Apple’s smartphone. Those looking for better (and more) applications should ditch the BlackBerry in favor of Apple’s iPhone 4S. Not only does it support all the applications in the App Store, but thanks to its dual-core processor and higher-quality camera, it takes full advantage of all the applications available.
10. Carrier choice is no longer an issue
In the past, BlackBerry owners justified their handset choices by saying that RIM’s devices were available on any carrier’s network. The iPhone, they said at the time, was only available on AT&T’s service, which was an issue. But the iPhone 4S is different. That smartphone is available on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint networks, making it nearly as ubiquitous as RIM’s BlackBerry line. Those enterprise users who still say carrier choice is their biggest barrier to buying the iPhone need to rethink that argument.