1. Joao Oliveira's Avatar
    Well... for the past month's, I've seen an increse of the use this stupid word: "Ecosystem"

    Let me explain:

    The "Ecosystem" is nothing more, than a marketing strategy to FORCE you to buy the products within the brand... No, they don't care if you have better connectivity betweem devices, because if they did, they would make their devices work in tune with every device, no matter the brand... All they want is you freaking money, all they want is you to buy the devices of the same brand.... Wich is 100% Ok in my opinion, it's what marketing departments are for, and this stuff exists in every kind of market, and sometimes is important to a sustainable business...

    The Problem is, the STUPID consumer celebrates the "Ecosystem" as a good thing, the fact that the device only works well within the same "ecosystem" is perceived as a BONUS... Wouldn't it much better if I had a Android phone, and iPad, and a windows PC and all "talked" the same language between them? The fact that a Ipad suits me, doesn't mean a Macbook is the best for me aswell...

    Saying that you want this brand because it as a "better" ecosystem is the same as you saying that you have to choose between 3 Prisons, but you like X prison better because it's stronger and won't let you get out as easly... (isn't it anoying that Iphone has a proprietary charger for example? Do you think is usefull feature?)


    Open your freaking eyes people!!! We should fight against Ecosystems, not embrace, they take your freedom to the most important thing in your life, they take away your CHOICE
    Last edited by Joao Oliveira; 09-30-14 at 11:16 AM.
    09-30-14 08:58 AM
  2. baarn's Avatar
    Saying that you want this brand because it as a "better" ecosystem is [U]the same as you saying that you have to choose between 3 Prisons, but you like X prison better because it's stronger and won't let you get out as easly...
    Nice analogy!
    srfinva and Joao Oliveira like this.
    09-30-14 09:07 AM
  3. smart548's Avatar
    Well explained. I share your exact thought! If I can add something little to the discussion: BLEND. People, think about BLEND. It works (or will)with everything (almost)! That's the kind of 'connectivity' between devices that we want and need!
    09-30-14 09:09 AM
  4. Joao Oliveira's Avatar
    Well explained. I share your exact thought! If I can add something little to the discussion: BLEND. People, think about BLEND. It works (or will)with everything (almost)! That's the kind of 'connectivity' between devices that we want and need!
    True... Blend actualy works against the Ecosystem...
    smart548 and bungaboy like this.
    09-30-14 09:12 AM
  5. ubizmo's Avatar
    Rage against the Ecosystem!
    09-30-14 09:28 AM
  6. raydogsboarder's Avatar
    Rage against the Ecosystem!
    Lol

    Z10 via CB10
    09-30-14 09:34 AM
  7. --TommesJay--'s Avatar
    Very well put, after thinking about it for another second I have to agree 100%.

    Though the "ecosystem" most people refer to isn't necessarily a system that locks you in, but just about "the total of apps, services and accessories" that work with your device.

    Posted via CB10
    09-30-14 09:35 AM
  8. Joao Oliveira's Avatar
    Very well put, after thinking about it for another second I have to agree 100%.

    Though the "ecosystem" most people refer to isn't necessarily a system that locks you in, but just about "the total of apps, services and accessories" that work with your device.

    Posted via CB10
    You're right, although some of those apps are things tha lack of google services in BB10 for example... Developing google apps for BB10 would cost change to google
    09-30-14 09:48 AM
  9. sidhuk's Avatar
    This weekend. Apple TV is going on kijiji

    Posted using BlackBerry passport.
    09-30-14 09:49 AM
  10. StormieTwo's Avatar
    I agree with you, but there is a reason people choose to be "locked up". I know it sounds craze but let me explain.

    First I'll refer you to this Wikipedia entry:
    The Paradox of Choice - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Which basically says that too "much choice makes people unhappy". when you go to the grocery store and pick one of the thousands of available salad dressings (which are all basically the same) you go home and are left to wonder if you got the best salad dressing. this makes you feel uneasy because you can never know for sure. Multiply this by the thousands of small choices we have to make everyday and its no wonder that anti-depressant medication use is sky-rocketing!

    People let themselves get locked in because it simplifies the choices. if I choose to use a Blackberry I can ignore apple or android and get on with what is important to me.

    Years ago, before MP3s, I starting buying components for a stereo system. I choose JVC not because it had the best components or the cheapest price, but because it was an established brand that seemed like it would be around long enough for me to slowly buy the components over the years. My stereo eventually evolved into a JVC home theatre system.

    So the real problem is that people choose an ecosystem to simplify their choices but the ecosystems keep adding choices which defeats the purpose of choosing to be locked in. I don't buy stereo components anymore!
    09-30-14 10:05 AM
  11. bungaboy's Avatar
    A prime example of the words of Jubei Raziel. "Blogging has become graffiti with punctuation and many of these so-called writers shouldn’t be allowed near a keyboard, let alone reviewing anything. It’s all become about link baiting and shock value."

    BlackBerry's Collapsing Ecosystem

    hXXp://seekingalpha.com/article/2531325-blackberrys-collapsing-ecosystem?uprof=22
    Joao Oliveira, wincyUt and sidhuk like this.
    09-30-14 10:16 AM
  12. BBUniq01's Avatar
    I agree with u OP. Which is why our family left Apple and are now using a mix of BlackBerry, Windows, Linux and Android devices. They play well together :-).

    Posted via Q10 with 1154
    Joao Oliveira likes this.
    09-30-14 10:19 AM
  13. THBW's Avatar
    Funny, my wife and I had a somewhat similar conversation after dinner. We were talking mobile and she said "OK, there are a few things that smartphones do well (communications, media consumption, games) and I like that. But a lot of apps just do so little and there more bother than help". I couldn't agree more. The thing I like about blackberry is it makes the things everyone needs, - efficient, productive and core to the operating system. The other Apps just fill out the platform and provide personalization. This is a very different approach than Apple and Android.
    09-30-14 10:34 AM
  14. A_Aviator_A's Avatar
    The Problem is, the STUPID consumer celebrates the "Ecosystem" as a good thing, the fact that the device only works well within the same "ecosystem" is perceived as a BONUS... Wouldn't it much better if I had a Android phone, and iPad, and a windows PC and all "talked" the same language between them? The fact that a Ipad suits me, doesn't mean a Macbook is the best for me aswell...

    Saying that you want this brand because it as a "better" ecosystem is the same as you saying that you have to choose between 3 Prisons, but you like X prison better because it's stronger and won't let you get out as easly... (isn't it anoying that Iphone has a proprietary charger for example? Do you think is usefull feature?)
    I'm going to respectfully disagree with the OP. You're describing an open-source model where everyone should be free to smell the roses, hold hands, sing Koumbaya around campfires while downloading multi-platform content.

    The stupid consumer is not the one who celebrates an ecosystem. It is the freeloaders who think companies will commit billions of dollars to innovation and technology but allow the customer to open other doors so that competition can profit on the company's innovation investments.

    Ecosystems are closed-loop environments. I work for a company that adopts the "ecosystem" model to push our products. If you like my product, you buy the stuff that is on sale through my ecosystem. If not, I have competitors, go to them instead. Blackberry would NEVER have allowed the Amazon App store into their environment had they not been desperate enough to shore up their application offerings. So they went open-source even though it directly contradicts their business model. They didn't do it to give you choice. They did it to survive.

    Celebrate the ecosystem. Celebrate the companies that make consumers WANT to buy their products and services because of the massive amounts of money they invest in their products. For the rest of the world, keep thinking the world is free and that technology companies "OWE" you the choices you think you're entitled to. Money talks!

    My $0.02
    09-30-14 10:36 AM
  15. Joao Oliveira's Avatar
    I'm going to respectfully disagree with the OP. You're describing an open-source model where everyone should be free to smell the roses, hold hands, sing Koumbaya around campfires while downloading multi-platform content.

    The stupid consumer is not the one who celebrates an ecosystem. It is the freeloaders who think companies will commit billions of dollars to innovation and technology but allow the customer to open other doors so that competition can profit on the company's innovation investments.

    Ecosystems are closed-loop environments. I work for a company that adopts the "ecosystem" model to push our products. If you like my product, you buy the stuff that is on sale through my ecosystem. If not, I have competitors, go to them instead. Blackberry would NEVER have allowed the Amazon App store into their environment had they not been desperate enough to shore up their application offerings. So they went open-source even though it directly contradicts their business model. They didn't do it to give you choice. They did it to survive.

    Celebrate the ecosystem. Celebrate the companies that make consumers WANT to buy their products and services because of the massive amounts of money they invest in their products. For the rest of the world, keep thinking the world is free and that technology companies "OWE" you the choices you think you're entitled to. Money talks!

    My $0.02
    And I agree with you, please read the Paragraph before the one you Quoted me. In the Optical point of view of the company, the ecosystem makes sense, it's like the patent, it works to protect the company investment. I totally understand that, and I tried to let it be clear in OP, I'm not against it...

    But in the CONSUMER point of view it works in the oposite way... I personaly think the ipad is the tablet that suits me better. It's simple, reliable, and a good quality product... But I don't use Itunes or Apple TV, so I'm sure I would have a hard time transfering my music or movies to listen/watch on the ipad, because of the "Ecosystem"... but that I'm agains't

    Bottom line, what I wanted to emphasize that the "Ecosystem" is good for the Companys, and bad for the Consumer, and each one should pull for their respective interest, and we would find a balance in the middle... That isn't happening, we have both Consumer and Companys pushing to the same side, ending up with excessively closed "Ecosystems" that become a burden to the Consumer
    09-30-14 10:50 AM
  16. --TommesJay--'s Avatar
    I agree with you, but there is a reason people choose to be "locked up". I know it sounds craze but let me explain.

    First I'll refer you to this Wikipedia entry:
    The Paradox of Choice - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Which basically says that too "much choice makes people unhappy". when you go to the grocery store and pick one of the thousands of available salad dressings (which are all basically the same) you go home and are left to wonder if you got the best salad dressing. this makes you feel uneasy because you can never know for sure. Multiply this by the thousands of small choices we have to make everyday and its no wonder that anti-depressant medication use is sky-rocketing!

    People let themselves get locked in because it simplifies the choices. if I choose to use a Blackberry I can ignore apple or android and get on with what is important to me.

    Years ago, before MP3s, I starting buying components for a stereo system. I choose JVC not because it had the best components or the cheapest price, but because it was an established brand that seemed like it would be around long enough for me to slowly buy the components over the years. My stereo eventually evolved into a JVC home theatre system.

    So the real problem is that people choose an ecosystem to simplify their choices but the ecosystems keep adding choices which defeats the purpose of choosing to be locked in. I don't buy stereo components anymore!
    Exactly. What you just described (or referred to) is basically brand management 101 (I work in marketing). It speaks to one of the very core functions of brands. Brands give (uneducated) consumers orientation in a sea of similar products to destress them.

    Posted via CB10
    09-30-14 10:51 AM
  17. ArtForm's Avatar
    I also must disagree with OP. Not only is the idea of mutual device interoperability a terrible business model, but a device ecosystem offers intangibles that are not only important, but necessary for consumers. We "tech minded" folks have no problem transitioning from one operating system to another, but there are many less "tech savvy" folks who really appreciate the consistency that comes within an ecosystem. Windows phone and Windows 8 have a similar look and feel. iOS is on people's tablets and phones and operates consistently. Along with these consistencies the companies offer products that play well, such a OneDrive for Windows and Google Drive for Android.

    As mentioned in a previous post, to demand or even expect Apple, Microsoft, or Google to make products that "play nice" with competitors, without also demonstrating a fiduciary advantage, is silly. The company says: "if you buy our products exclusively, you will find an extra level of convenience, consistency, and fluidity". This isn't bad. In fact, it makes sense.

    Gadgets are finally getting to the point in their evolution where consumers don't want them "in the way" of their lives, but rather aligned with how they live. Since a smartphone can't offer everything, nor can a tablet, a strong ecosystem helps smooth the transitional edges of using multiple devices and form factors throughout any given day. I love leaving my Windows computer and picking up my Windows tablet knowing they run the same OS, same programs, have the same look (exactly), and even have all the same files (through OneDrive sync). If Windows Phone wasn't so unproductive, I would have one of those too (actually I do, but it collects dust in favor of my Z10). If Windows Phone figures itself out, I'll be back there in an instant, because the ecosystem Microsoft has built is AMAZING, and to the degree they have merged their offerings my productivity is that much better.

    I won't deny the unfortunate side-effect of an ecosystem, that being the "monopoly" that a business seeks to claim on my devices. But this is business here. Every business says they want to create the "best user experience" and "its about the user" and all that trash. It's not. Blackberry isn't about the user, it's about staying in business. Just like Microsoft, and Apple, and Google. They think about the user because they want your money. And it works. And it will continue to work, because we as users, by in large, NEED our devices to get out of our way and work for us.

    The thoughts are a bit scattered, but there you have it.
    09-30-14 10:53 AM
  18. Joao Oliveira's Avatar
    I also must disagree with OP. Not only is the idea of mutual device interoperability a terrible business model, but a device ecosystem offers intangibles that are not only important, but necessary for consumers. We "tech minded" folks have no problem transitioning from one operating system to another, but there are many less "tech savvy" folks who really appreciate the consistency that comes within an ecosystem. Windows phone and Windows 8 have a similar look and feel. iOS is on people's tablets and phones and operates consistently. Along with these consistencies the companies offer products that play well, such a OneDrive for Windows and Google Drive for Android.

    As mentioned in a previous post, to demand or even expect Apple, Microsoft, or Google to make products that "play nice" with competitors, without also demonstrating a fiduciary advantage, is silly. The company says: "if you buy our products exclusively, you will find an extra level of convenience, consistency, and fluidity". This isn't bad. In fact, it makes sense.
    I understand and agree with your point of view, but I think doesn't detract at all from what I said... It's all about choice. You can have the ecosystem, but not have it closed with 4 walls. If living in the "Ecosystem" is that much better it should sell itself, there's no need to "block" other Ecosystems if they will be inferior anyway

    what I wanted to emphasize that the "Ecosystem" is good for the Companys, and bad for the Consumer, and each one should pull for their respective interest, and we would find a balance in the middle... That isn't happening, we have both Consumer and Companys pushing to the same side, ending up with excessively closed "Ecosystems" that become a burden to the Consumer

    Let's face it, until blend, if I had my blackbery and Ipad, and wanted to exchange some information, I would be totally f**ed... I don't mind Iphone having advantage "talking" with an Ipad, but I think there's a limit for what's reasonable... Like I said, is a burden to the consumer, because Blackberry is the phone that suits me the best, and Ipad could be the best tablet for me at the same time
    09-30-14 10:57 AM
  19. eduzojordan's Avatar
    Celebrate the ecosystem. Celebrate the companies that make consumers WANT to buy their products and services because of the massive amounts of money they invest in their products. For the rest of the world, keep thinking the world is free and that technology companies "OWE" you the choices you think you're entitled to. Money talks!
    My $0.02
    Really? Then why Ello is getting so much attention...y like the final statement at end of manifesto..."Yo are not a product"
    https://ello.co/manifesto
    09-30-14 11:09 AM
  20. Mirk's Avatar
    I have to wholeheartedly agree with the OP. This is one of the primary reasons I choose BlackBerry. A simple example would be if I want to display video on my TV. BlackBerry offers numerous options and none of them require special BlackBerry hardware. There is HDMI out, Miracast, and DLNA and they all work perfectly fine without being is an ecosystem.

    I was talking about this with an iPhone user the other day and they basically admitted they are starting to fell trapped. Between all the purchased apps and other Apple equipment (Apple TV, iPads, Apple Air, MacBooks) its hard to justify a move to a different phone. Not to mention a little more difficult. I don't feel this way with BlackBerry and hope never to.
    Joao Oliveira likes this.
    09-30-14 11:12 AM
  21. randall2580's Avatar
    OP I would counter that the marketplace should take care of what you are "ranting" about. If there was sufficient demand for a provider who worked with "everything" it would be available and selling.

    As others have said here before me I think we who are a bit "tech savvy" who don't mind working with one tablet and another's phone and desktop, are not the majority. The majority IMHO want their technology to work like their toaster does. They push the "button" and it works no matter where they are.

    The surest way to assure that happens is to close the "ecosystem" so that one does not have to spend a small fortune making sure you application works with everything ever released.
    09-30-14 11:17 AM
  22. keepthetorch's Avatar
    I posted a question on another thread some time ago asking if there could be some sort of app programming standard that would work on all platforms. From there they could be tweaked for the respective platform. Trying to be on the side of app devs and getting them more exposure to all markets. Smartphones on all platforms are used for a lot of the same things but different ways of getting the job done. Be nice to have the major apps work well for everyone but not sure it is possible.

    Edit: Maybe app_developer could chime in here. No easy answer.
    09-30-14 11:27 AM
  23. NaijaBerry's Avatar
    Absolutely spot on! This is the reason why I ever remain multi-platform, I've been a tech lover since the days of Atari, Commodore 64 and BBC Micro, I quickly learnt that if you wanted options without boundaries, you just have to go cross platform, if you can afford it. Either that or remain eternally bored!
    09-30-14 11:28 AM
  24. Mirk's Avatar
    Here's a monitor that works with pretty much only an Apple computer.
    Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch) - Apple Store (Canada)
    Personally, I believe there is absolutely no reason for this. There are plenty of universal standards to connect monitors to computers with. It's all fine until you want a PC and need to replace the expensive monitor for no real reason, or try to sell the monitor and no one can buy it cause they don't have thunderbolt.

    The home entertainment system is another perfect example. There is no reason to buy only JVC, or whatever. Any TV works with any receiver which works with any speakers and any Blu-ray player. These things don't have proprietary cables that only work with same brand components, unlike said monitor above. Not to mention you can almost always make the remotes work for all the other components and so on.
    alan510 and spikesolie like this.
    09-30-14 11:33 AM
  25. Joao Oliveira's Avatar
    OP I would counter that the marketplace should take care of what you are "ranting" about. If there was sufficient demand for a provider who worked with "everything" it would be available and selling.

    As others have said here before me I think we who are a bit "tech savvy" who don't mind working with one tablet and another's phone and desktop, are not the majority. The majority IMHO want their technology to work like their toaster does. They push the "button" and it works no matter where they are.

    The surest way to assure that happens is to close the "ecosystem" so that one does not have to spend a small fortune making sure you application works with everything ever released.
    I fully understand that... But then we can't complain about the market share domination by iOS and Android, because that's what market demands, and Blackberry will die because it doesn't have any apps that the others have, you have to performa battery pulls, and it's completely outdated......... oh wait.....

    We are still in time to save some people from ignorance aren't we? The same aplies to the ecosystem thing
    09-30-14 11:39 AM
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