Mike check
Are the Matts ready?
Matt Baxter-Reynolds
Promising
Unlikely
Matthew Miller
The moderator has delivered a final verdict.
Are the Matts ready?
I'm prepared.
I am for Promising
I'm prepared too.
I am for Unlikely
Let’s open up the debate with personal opinion. BES 10, and BlackBerry 10 devices and platform. Are you excited, or not interested--and why?
To be honest, I flip-flop on this from one day to the next! What I think they have absolutely right is their philosophy. BlackBerry 10 is a true post-PC proposition, built by an organization that really understands what's happening to the industry and society as we become more and more entangled in ubiquitous computing.
Where they have challenges is that although it's a great product, they're coming from way behind. The app coverage at launch is very rough around the edges. The pricing is a little too high to be of interest to anyone other than hardcore, moneyed technologists.
What I think it will do a as a platform is drive the story of enterprise and consumer mobile computing forward in a way that hasn't happened for a good number of years.
I am for Promising
As a smartphone enthusiast and early adopter I am excited for BB 10 and the devices. I've been using a BlackBerry Z10 for nearly a week and am enjoying many aspects of it. BlackBerry has always focused on communications and so far the BlackBerry Hub looks like an optimal way to support communications in today's world of smartphones.
I was never a die hard BlackBerry user before, primarily because my small marine consulting firm doesn't have a BES and BlackBerry devices are not well supported. I like what I see in BlackBerry Balance, but am unable to take it for a spin myself. I am debating for the Not Likely side of this argument because I think businesses may have already moved away from BlackBerry after they essentially took the year off in 2012.
I am for Unlikely
BlackBerry (RIM) boomed in the enterprise in the early-mid 2000s, then consumers fell in love with BlackBerrys in the late-2000s. Now, BlackBerrys barely exist in either market. Which audience should BlackBerry be focusing its BlackBerry 10 pitch on, and why?
I'm not sure they can win this one. Fighting a battle on two fronts is never a clever idea, yet BlackBerry has to have both an story to tell consumers and a story to tell enterprises.
The enterprise story is easier to tell (and to sell) as BlackBerry 10 is more of a natural extension of old school BlackBerry devices in enterprise. For consumers of low-end battery devices (think low-cost data and BBM) it's not a very straightforward transition as the devices are too expensive. For consumers who are looking to move to BlackBerry 10 from iPhone or Android, there's that tricky problem in that the app support is a little ropey.
I am for Promising
I think BlackBerry should be focusing on the enterprise market because I think their two new devices and the BlackBerry 10 OS currently match other platforms and consumers will discover them in stores, via online articles, and in magazines. However, to be viable for the long term, I think BlackBerry needs to convince businesses to stay with them while also convincing those that may have left or are looking for a provider that BlackBerry is the best enterprise solution.
More and more consumers are bringing their own devices, but when you look at large corporations and government agencies there are still millions of phones that are issued to employees and this steady business should be targeted. Apple is making some advancements in the enterprise, but I still think BlackBerry is associated with high security and they need to convince enterprise that they are still number one in this regard while now also offering a compelling product that employees will want to use.
I am for Unlikely
Do you think BlackBerry got the pricing right? Where’s the sweet spot between the enterprise and consumer audiences?
I think the BlackBerry has the pricing right in the enterprise. For one thing, enterprises aren't that price sensitive when it comes to handsets. For another, a good number of people who are demanding that their IT teams let them move off of old BlackBerry devices and onto iPhone so there's already a "high sticker price" expectation there.
In the consumer market, it's too expensive.
I am for Promising
I think the pricing is right and I do not think they should go any lower or they will take an unnecessary hit on profits. It looks like the Z10 will likely cost $200 with the Q10 probably coming in at $150. The specifications are the same on both, with the exception of the display size, display technology, and physical keyboard. These prices are typical for Android and Windows Phone devices and less than the iPhone.
I am for Unlikely
With governments and businesses flocking to adopt Apple’s iPhone, is BlackBerry’s secure messaging service enough to prevent a further exodus?
This is one of these situations where BlackBerry has always had a good story to tell, and that story continues to be good. In a lot of places in the BlackBerry 10 proposition, it's more that it's their game to lose, rather than their game to win. They certainly haven't done anything that would turn off governments or commercial organisations in this regard.
I am for Promising
BlackBerry really needs to promote their security and the flexibility they offer to with BlackBerry Balance. They need to make sure companies understand that many people currently have a work phone and an iPhone and with BB10 devices the employee can have a single phone that excels in both aspects of people's lives, without being a security risk. Even if government agencies and businesses issue iPhones to employees, the employees may still carry another personal phone to keep their personal life separate from their work life. BlackBerry has a solution for this and needs to get the word out if they want to have a chance at success.
I am for Unlikely
RIM’s BlackBerry 10 strategy is a tale of two parts: the smartphones and its operating system platform, and BES 10, which now supports Android devices and iPhones. Does BES 10 have enough to compete with open mobile device management (MDM) alternatives for rival platforms?
It's a relative newcomer into a very mature market. Products like MobileIron, Airwatch, and Good Technology are considered to be the market leaders in this space. In a Gartner magic quadrant from May 2012, Mobile Fusion was too new to be considered.
It's going to depend what your needs are, and what you're used to. If you have no MDM at all as an organization, Mobile Fusion is probably good enough to manage a mixed fleet without surprises. Enterprises may find it more of a challenge to "downgrade" to Mobile Fusion from more mature products.
I am for Promising
More and more people are bringing their own smartphones to work and I think some of this was driven by the desire to have something more advanced than an older generation BlackBerry. With BES 10 now supporting Android and iOS, a company can roll out BES 10 to support these users and new BB10 smartphone owners. As employees see the functionality of BlackBerry Balance in action with a BES, they may start bringing BB10 devices to the workplace.
The challenge for BlackBerry is to convince IT departments that BES 10 is worth the price when there are other solutions that may cost less and provide the flexibility companies need.
I am for Unlikely
BlackBerry Balance enables users to switch between ‘work’ and ‘home’ lives. While it’s ideal for bring-your-own-device (BYOD) employees, is it enough to coax them away from rival devices? What about IT policy makers and those in control of the IT budget?
The only way that's going to work is if their employer mandates BlackBerry 10 -- e.g. someone walking into a shop and saying "work says that I'm only allowed a BlackBerry 10". There's no way that a regular smartphone customer will care that much about BlackBerry Balance without that push.
Of course, there's the flipside to that in someone being told that the phone will separate their work and personal lives only to find out that their employer doesn't run BES10 and the customer has been oversold.
I am for Promising
From what I have seen so far, there isn't really anything in BB10 that makes me want to drop another platform and run to it. Actually, the application story is still sad and BlackBerry has a lot of work to do to compete in the application and services space. It is nice to see that Balance looks to be the first system that lets you make a device fully for work or fully for home without any real degradation in either environment.
I think IT will like the control they get with BlackBerry devices while also being able to tell employees they can switch to a home environment that the employee manages without IT involvement. Larger companies are concerned about security and I think people still associate BlackBerry with security.
I am for Unlikely
BES 10 will not offer a free Express version. Should RIM continue to support small-medium sized businesses with Express versions?
Yes, I think this is an real misstep by BlackBerry. Although you don't need BES in order to connect a BlackBerry 10 through to the enterprises (you can just use Exchange ActiveSync), you don't get BlackBerry Balance without BES. This means that BlackBerry Balance is only available to organizations who spend money on the back-end infrastructure to support it. BlackBerrry Balance is such a huge selling point over any other platform, it needs to be universal, and that can only be achieved with a free BES tier.
I am for Promising
I work at a company of 71 employees and we do not have a BES, nor plan to purchase and set one up. We have an Exchange server and small IT staff that works to keep it up and running. I know that we don't care about the Express version and think Blackberry should just focus on BES 10 for companies willing to pay for it as they try to stay competitive in the mobile world.
I am for Unlikely
BlackBerry 10 phones arrive on two year contracts in the U.K., and three year contracts in the U.S. Not wanting to send any subliminal signals, do you not think--at least for the annual IT budget review--RIM should have offered a one-year contract, just in case the company collapses?
Nice try. The carriers wouldn't allow it!
I am for Promising
I understand Canada has three-year contracts, but have not heard of these extended contracts in the U.S. Mobile contracts are managed by the carrier and I believe that a business can setup shorter contracts directly through a carrier business account. I don't think BlackBerry should offer shorter contracts because that would be a sign they are not confident of a long future with BlackBerry 10 and beyond.
I am for Unlikely
BlackBerry PlayBook wasn't mentioned at the BlackBerry 10 launch. Has the tablet, which failed to launch in the first place, got a future?
My sources have told me this was intentional. It's a case of focus -- taking PlayBook out of the story meant no one was talking about PlayBook.
PlayBook remains hugely important to BlackBerry. Although they are planning to update the PlayBook OS to harmonize it with BlackBerry 10, no timescales have been announced. In this market, they need both -- it's not enough to have a smartphone offering and no tablet offering.
I am for Promising
BlackBerry stated that all existing PlayBooks would be upgraded to BlackBerry 10. Even with the upgrade, I don't think people will go out and buy PlayBook devices. The PlayBook is actually one of the best 7 inch tablets, but it never took off and I don't think BlackBerry should stray off course and work on tablets again. They need to succeed with their smartphones and I would like to see them focus on them and BES 10.
I am for Unlikely
Maybe this last question makes the whole debate moot, but is BlackBerry 10 simply too late? Has the influx or rivals--notably the iPhone in the enterprise space--carried too many prominent customers over to the other side?
One thing that BlackBerry has going for them on the enterprise side is that large businesses are typically very conservative. In that sector of the market, it's arguable that iPhone is actually too new to have filtered through. (Of course, some enterprises will be much more responsive.) People that I have spoken to have indicated that there is considerable interest from enterprises looking seriously into BlackBerry 10 pilot projects alongside the existing fleet.
I don't think it's too late for BlackBerry in that context.
I am for Promising
I think Android and iOS are untouchable for the foreseeable future and the third place platform will have to define success as something like 10-15 percent of the smartphone market. Even though Windows Phone has been out for over two years, Microsoft is not having much impact in the smartphone market. BlackBerry is still in third, but have been on a downward trend for a while and need to turn the tide with BlackBerry 10. Developers are on board with iOS and Android while Windows Phone is gaining with a number of high end applications. BlackBerry has been working hard to bring in developers, but they may be asking too much at this time in the mobile market.
Some large government agencies and companies have moved to iOS and Apple continues to work hard to attract enterprise customers. It is definitely an uphill climb for BlackBerry and I think it may just be too little, too late.
I am for Unlikely
Thanks to the two Matts for a great debate. Check back tomorrow to see the closing arguments and Thursday for the final verdict. And thank you for joining us. Don't forget to tell us your take on the newest BlackBerry.
Matt Baxter-Reynolds
Matthew Miller
Zack Whittaker
This was a tricky one. I'm going with Mr. Miller on this one, despite the audience voting in favor of Mr. Baxter-Reynolds' position. There is, perhaps, a strange logic to this madness.
This wasn't necessarily a debate to see whether or not BlackBerry can survive with BlackBerry 10. It falls down to one thing: Will BlackBerry 10 revitalize enterprise interest? That's the key word here. "Interest," sure, and these two new devices will definitely prick up the ears of IT managers and reinvigorate enterprise interest in the platform. But it's hard to conclude that enterprises will fully bite down and not look elsewhere for a more stable offering, in terms of feature set, back-end manageability, and long-term prospects for the company's stability.
This debate was won on semantics. Both presented a string of valid points, but "interest" unfortunately does not equal "success."
Posted by Zack Whittaker