It is pretty easy to forget Canadian company Research in Motion when thinking of big companies that will be facing off by the time the holiday season hits. Right now, the big lineup is Google, Apple and Microsoft (with operating systems Android, iOS and the Windows Phone 7). As iconic as the BlackBerry handset and brand have become, its’ market position and product style certainly places it on a different level.
According to various reports, BlackBerry smart phones take a very distant third place when compared to the Apple iPhone or other Android devices. Despite the large number of users for BlackBerry, the fact that most of these are business users alienates general users even more.
Nelson Wire has revealed the results of a recent survey that gives a grim look at RIM’s current place in the industry. At the moment, the real big competition is with the Android and the iOS. Most of the users from either of the two handsets are considering to stick with their original OS or to switch to another. As for trading in their Android or iPhone for a BlackBerry, very few are interested that it is hardly a significant number at all.
What is worse is the information revealed about RIM’s current owners as a large percent are already considering switching over to an Android handset or to get an Apple iPhone later on. The number of users that intend to stay with the brand are getting fewer every year.
Currently, RIM has expressed its intention to get the BlackBerry more recognizable with general users, with a new OS that caters more to multimedia playback and adding in a larger screen to its newer devices (such as the 9800 Torch smart phone). Of course nobody knows if this will really work, but it seems like logical choice for the phone maker.
Tags: BlackBerry, RIM