On multiple occasions I have written about Blackberry. It was the first smartphone to get so much business recognition and love. Many businesses still swear by it. Android of course has left it in the tatters, but RIM did not quit. They did not sell or move to Android like others. When it was initially mentioned that the first Blackberry 10 device will be launched in January end, my first thought was – “What will they sell in the meantime?”
It seemed a long time then and in all honesty, it was. For a company, to have no product in the market to face the fierce competition for almost half a year, it was never going to be easy. It may not be possible for RIM to get back the old days ever.
With Galaxy S3 and Note 2, it seems Samsung can do no wrong. Other Android devices are getting their fair share as well. Add to that Windows and the mighty Apple, RIM is plain late.
This was my belief then and to an extent this is same belief I have now. Still, I am happy to see that the company has regrouped and is on schedule with the launching of its best effort in the mobile arena to date. There will be predictions and there will reviews soon enough. People, including me, will review and criticize or appreciate the phone. This will all happen in the future.
For now, I am just pleased that there is one more competitor in the arena. This seasoned fighter was ousted but now it’s back and will now add more craziness to the thing we call mobile space.
The share market suggests that I may not be the only one who is excited about this launch. RIM shares are increasingly consistently showing people have faith.
Somehow I feel, this faith is not unwarranted.
Images that have leaked on the internet show a beautiful device that gives hope that even though they might not win the mobile war from here (might!), they still can regain what they lost and maybe scare a few Android manufacturers and Apple. If that happens, according to me, is job well done.
Because ultimately, good competition always means improvement in quality which in turn means that End-User gets the benefits. Everyone has different things they want in their devices so pleasing everybody is impossible. In my opinion, if they are able to find a ways to keep true multitasking and improve battery life, these would be the spades in its kitty.
