[Bluenoser63]

Personally, I don't see BB succeeding as a "software house" - particularly in the areas being talked about in this thread. They are way too sluggish to compete in a 100MPH industry. They just can not keep up.

At this stage, and with the current leadership, I really have no expectations for anything from BB at all. I fully expect to ride out my time with my Z30 (that I still love) until it's no longer providing what I need. When that time comes, I expect BB to either be gone entirely, or to be gone from mobile hardware AND software at the very least.

BB is transitioning into a company I have very little use for.

Posted via CB10

Being into software for 35 years, I see the same thing. They don't have the right people to be a software company. At least one that isn't B2B. Chen doesn't understand the consumer at all. He sees what businesses want. BlackBerry was supposed to be focused on businesses so they came out with the Priv so people can Snapchat which is not the business side of things. BYOD with MDM is proving to be a failure. People don't want companies controlling and having access to their personal phone. BlackBerry has great ideas, but they either are slow to develop them, don't complete them, abandon them too soon or don't even market them. It's so sad and I love my Z30 and will keep it as long as it works.

[Bluenoser63]

Add to that little big developer support.

That is BlackBerry management. They didn't know how to get those big apps. I hope we see in the future reports about how little they tried to get them. They probably just asked and said "please".

For the 1 billion in write downs for Z10, they could have given the top 20 apps 5 million a piece and still had lots of money left and probably would have sold those Z10s.

[Bluenoser63]

LOL, so it's Apple's fault that the BB10 Apps aren't on iOS?!

Given that the Hub App on the Priv still doesn't work properly (is that Google's fault?), I reckon BB's failure to deliver on their commitment to bring the BB10 Apps to iOS is just that... BB's failure.

I'm sure getting the Apps running on the Priv is the overarching priority for BB. I wouldn't be surprised if the iOS development was parked right now.

No. I think he was saying that it was an idea that BlackBerry had, but wasn't transferable as you need access to the OS to make it work as an integrated process. Just look at the Hub on the Priv. It isn't the same as BlackBerry can't integrate with OS without forking the OS.

[JeepBB]

No. I think he was saying that it was an idea that BlackBerry had, but wasn't transferable as you need access to the OS to make it work as an integrated process. Just look at the Hub on the Priv. It isn't the same as BlackBerry can't integrate with OS without forking the OS.

Hmmm... still not Apple's nor Google's fault, or problem frankly.

Much, much more than an idea I think. BB announced many months back that they were bringing the BB10 Apps to iOS, Android, (and WinPhone IIRC)...

Nobody forced BB to make that announcement, and I'd have thought a bit of basic research to understand the limitations of being merely an App under someone else's OS, *prior* to making that announcement might have been "wise".

So no, I doubt it's "iOS limitations" that are the problem.

[mikeo007]

Hmmm... still not Apple's nor Google's fault, or problem frankly.

Much, much more than an idea I think. BB announced many months back that they were bringing the BB10 Apps to iOS, Android, (and WinPhone IIRC)...

Nobody forced BB to make that announcement, and I'd have thought a bit of basic research to understand the limitations of being merely an App under someone else's OS, *prior* to making that announcement might have been "wise".

So no, I doubt it's "iOS limitations" that are the problem.

Classic example of marketing/PR having no actual grasp on reality. The software team likely knew exactly what the limitations were with getting their software onto another manufacturer's OS. Too bad BB marketing never consulted their own team.

[Bluenoser63]

Hmmm... still not Apple's nor Google's fault, or problem frankly.

Much, much more than an idea I think. BB announced many months back that they were bringing the BB10 Apps to iOS, Android, (and WinPhone IIRC)...

Nobody forced BB to make that announcement, and I'd have thought a bit of basic research to understand the limitations of being merely an App under someone else's OS, *prior* to making that announcement might have been "wise".

So no, I doubt it's "iOS limitations" that are the problem.

You actually want BlackBerry to make good announcements and marketing? Don't think it has happened yet.

That is why I feel that the right people haven't been in place and still are not. To sell SAS which is what Chen wants to do, you need to know how to market.

[jhimmel]

Hmmm... still not Apple's nor Google's fault, or problem frankly.

Of course not. I'm not a developer, but I'm thinking one of the first things I would do before committing to a project would be to make sure what I hoped to accomplish was supported by the available platform API's.

Anyway, "BB Experience" on iOS strikes me as a complete waste of time and resources. It's never going to be adopted in enough volume to make it a worthwhile endeavor (my opinion).

Let's face it, the HUB works well on BB10 because of BB's complete control over that platform. iOS (and Android) versions will never be quite the same (again, my opinion).

Did BB really announce that the BB Experience Suite was definitely coming to iOS? Did they give a time frame too?

Posted via CB10

[JeepBB]

Classic example of marketing/PR having no actual grasp on reality. The software team likely knew exactly what the limitations were with getting their software onto another manufacturer's OS. Too bad BB marketing never consulted their own team.

Yes, very probably.

That disconnect between the business and engineering guys is (sadly) all too common. Coming from a software development background myself, I've seen first-hand how the business guys often expect the impossible of their engineering people by doing a bit of handwavingly naive brainstorming, accompanied by some variant of the "it's only software, just how hard can it be?!" words.

Strangely, it's always the engineers that are at fault when some pie-in-the-sky "vision" doesn't make it to reality.

[JeepBB]

Of course not. I'm not a developer, but I'm thinking one of the first things I would do before committing to a project would be to make sure what I hoped to accomplish was supported by the available platform API's.

Anyway, "BB Experience" on iOS strikes me as a complete waste of time and resources. It's never going to be adopted in enough volume to make it a worthwhile endeavor (my opinion).

Let's face it, the HUB works well on BB10 because of BB's complete control over that platform. iOS (and Android) versions will never be quite the same (again, my opinion).

Did BB really announce that the BB Experience Suite was definitely coming to iOS? Did they give a time frame too?

Posted via CB10

Yes, I agree. I think bringing the BB10 Apps to other platforms is a classic example of a solution looking for a problem. I have never seen any evidence that iOS and Android users are eager, or even mildly interested, in having access to the BB10 apps.

BB made the announcement, specifically mentioning iOS, Android, and WinPhone end of February 2015. There was no timescale given... not even the usual "soon".

[bb10adopter111]

BYOD with MDM is proving to be a failure. People don't want companies controlling and having access to their personal phone

BYOD without MDM? How do you propose companies secure their network resources? Not allow employees to use mobile for work? Buy them company only phones?

What do you do when an employee whose work involves confidential agreements, intellectual property or trade secrets loses his/her phone while traveling, or downloads an app that steals data?

Posted via CB10

[jhimmel]

Yes, I agree. I think bringing the BB10 Apps to other platforms is a classic example of a solution looking for a problem.

I agree with that Re: iOS - Apple already has a user experience paradigm. They have set up their products to provide a specific experience - one that is popular within its user base. Android is a little different. The user experience, in large part, IS the apps you choose to install. I do see an opportunity here for BB to offer a nice experience suite. Whether it is done well enough to be compelling remains to be seen. Again though, I'm not sure what the end game is here. BB wants to be an app developer for the Android platform? Why? I see no clear direction from BB any more, and it has been this way for a long time. Despite all their statements of what they are "focused" on - I rarely see actual focus. To me, they have the appearance of being all over the place - and not in a good way.

Posted via CB10

[Bluenoser63]

BYOD without MDM? How do you propose companies secure their network resources? Not allow employees to use mobile for work? Buy them company only phones?

What do you do when an employee whose work involves confidential agreements, intellectual property or trade secrets loses his/her phone while traveling, or downloads an app that steals data?

Posted via CB10

Do what was done in the past, provide company phones and secure them with a MDM solution.

[bb10adopter111]

Do what was done in the past, provide company phones and secure them with a MDM solution.

Yeah. I agree with that being a better policy. If emcees WANT to use their own devices with MDM, they should be able to if the devices are approved, but if the employer wants employees to carry a smartphone, then it needs to offer to provide one.

Posted via CB10

[gkl]

LOL, so it's Apple's fault that the BB10 Apps aren't on iOS?!

Given that the Hub App on the Priv still doesn't work properly (is that Google's fault?), I reckon BB's failure to deliver on their commitment to bring the BB10 Apps to iOS is just that... BB's failure.

I'm sure getting the Apps running on the Priv is the overarching priority for BB. I wouldn't be surprised if the iOS development was parked right now.

Nope, didn't say that.

I'm saying that because of how the OS works, BlackBerry is having a hard time getting it to work the way it needs to.

[gkl]

What's the Priv's excuse for the subpar experience then?

Couldn't tell you...don't have (or want) an Android device.

[gkl]

So no, I doubt it's "iOS limitations" that are the problem.

True,they may not have the right talent in board,but there is a wall in place to Apple's system accounts.

They won't allow another app to manage email added through settings thus any app would have to add that itself (like Outlook does). But that creates a problem...

Now you have more than in app connecting to your work email,for example, creating additional overhead, and you can't delete the system account, or you won't have contacts in the phone app.

Then they also have to develop a file browser in the app, cause Apple doesn't provide one, for attachments,and now the app is all over the place.

No system level integration gives the same sub-par experience everyone gives, so why do it at all?

[gkl]

So no, I doubt it's "iOS limitations" that are the problem.

True,they may not have the right talent in board,but there is a wall in place to Apple's system accounts.

They won't allow another app to manage email added through settings thus any app would have to add that itself (like Outlook does). But that creates a problem...

Now you have more than in app connecting to your work email,for example, creating additional overhead, and you can't delete the system account, or you won't have contacts in the phone app.

Then they also have to develop a file browser in the app, cause Apple doesn't provide one, for attachments,and now the app is all over the place.

No system level integration gives the same sub-par experience everyone gives, so why do it at all?

[xtremeled]

Just buy a BlackBerry 10 device

Posted via CB10

Buy something that is going in the ground? Not a wise choice. Perhaps they can pair it with the Playbook? Remember how they were going to support that device and then kicked it to the curb

[JeepBB]

No system level integration gives the same sub-par experience everyone gives, so why do it at all?

A very good question, and a question that should probably be addressed to BB.

Even a cursory investigation by BB would have revealed the difficulty of bringing an even partly functional Hub App to iOS. Like most OS's, iOS has a published set of APIs and an underlying paradigm of usage. Apps cannot go "under the hood" ... which is a good thing as it prevents badly or maliciously coded Apps from causing harm.

As I've said, BB should have known this before they made their announcement.

So why did they announce it, given that it can never "work" in a way that would be acceptable to folk used to the BB10 experience, and is something that most iOS users don't appear to be asking for?

My suspicion is that it was an attempt to soften the "BB10 is dead" blow by offering the hope that fans could continue to use BB10 on other platforms. It's a False hope of course, because it's impossible to achieve the same degree of deep integration with someone else's OS. Though, having announced it, BB can maintain the fiction that it's "coming soon" and keep hope alive for as long as they want.

It's for similar reasons that Chen has trailed that "if BB does well... they might even consider making another BB10 phone... though (of course ) there are no plans he can share" ... it's a game to keep-up the pretence that BB10 isn't dead, and which is seized upon by fans as evidence that there is still hope for BB10 devices.

[kelvn]

If nothing else, I want the keyboard.

No one has any info? Rumors? Bueller...?

I want it too