BlackBerry 10 ZDNet Great Debate: Interest does not equal success
I had an interesting debate this week with Matt Baxter-Reynolds as we each tried to defend our chosen side surrounding the question, Will BlackBerry 10 revitalize enterprise interest?.
I argued the point that it was unlikely and even though the audience voting was 65 percent to 35 percent against my side, Zack gave me the win on this one. He keyed in on the words used in the question and debate and while there may be passing interest, he agreed with me that enterprise likely won't go further than that with BlackBerry at this time.
As Zack stated, companies will look for platforms that have been around and have been shown to be stable and reliable, have all the features and apps needed by employees, support back-end management, and come from a company with long term viability. BlackBerry is back with a new platform, but it remains to be proven and there is still a lot of work to do.
I have been using a Z10 for a week, but passed it along to a fellow writer to evaluate and don't miss it at all. BlackBerry 10 has a nice user interface, it's going to take people some time to get used to it, but there are still lots of apps and services missing and I find nothing compelling enough for me to give up an iOS, Android, or Windows Phone device.
Carriers and manufacturers want more than two primary competitors, currently Apple and Samsung, in the smartphone space and I look forward to seeing if BlackBerry can pull it off with BlackBerry 10 in 2013. I have my doubts, but then again I thought Windows Phone would be more successful by now too.
Related coverage:
- Will BlackBerry 10 revitalize enterprise interest?
- BlackBerry 10 and the Z10: 10 things I like and 5 things I don't
- BlackBerry 10 operating system screenshot gallery
- BlackBerry 10 and the Z10 (MobileTechRoundup show #289)
- BlackBerry 10 is the first BlackBerry to fully support BYOD
- Nokia MeeGo fans will appreciate UI elements of BlackBerry 10
- BlackBerry Q10: Hands on with the elusive keyboard-equipped handset