[neefer]

DISCLAIMER: Those are NOT my words in the title! That's why they are in quotation marks. Anyone whose reading-comprehension misses this point, resulting in flames to me for those words, will be subsequently mocked in public.

Disclaimer #2 -- I had no clue what forum to put this in... so here it is in Off-Topic. I presume the mods will move it if there is a more appropriate place for it.

So, I just ran across the following article and the title got my attention:

It's Time To Gentrify Android
By Dan Nosowitz
Posted 07.08.2013 at 9:00 am
It's Time To Gentrify Android | Popular Science

It's a real up-and-coming operating system. Oh, sure, it's been here for years, but now it's ready for rich people to move on in.

"Android is popular because it's cheap, not because it's good," wrote Sam Biddle for Gizmodo earlier this year, about the reason for the success of Android phones.

Blackberry is mentioned at the very end of the article, specifically in terms of "marketing more heavily to the lower-income segment" (which seems pretty much in-line with a lot of armchair-CEO'ing that I see on CB ). So I thought this might stimulate some interesting discussions here for a Friday.

The article starts out saying "Android is beating iOS in all income brackets except one."

So.... if "Android" starts going after Apple's "high-end" market share, do "current economic conditions" point to them growing themselves into that market?

Or is it more likely that they'll instead be refocusing current resources, thus leaving market share vulnerable for BB to move into what the article calls the "chintzy plastic" market?

What do you think? Could this be our "in"? And if so, can BB even pull it off?

And should BB even go anywhere near the "chintzy plastic" market, considering the low-regard people have for BB, especially in the USA? Wouldn't that just be confirming people's negative perceptions about BB?

(And now for the admittedly-blatant over-generalizing intellectually-snobby question: If current BB users are pitching fits over learning BB10, and complaining about how it's "too complicated" -- can the "chintzy plastic" market even handle BB10? Or would that be a disaster waiting to happen?)

Ready. Set. Debate!

[SCrid2000]

BlackBerry will be in trouble if they to after the low end for two reasons.
First, they're aimed at business. BES is their big money maker from what I understand, and professional business people don't want cheap low end devices (and can afford better).
Second, BlackBerry can't compete with Android on price. Manufacturers get Android for free because Android is let Google's product, Android Users are Google's product. BlackBerry simply can't compete on price because BlackBerry has to do everything from start to finish.
IMO

[howarmat]

android's high end is probably going to be higher than apple so i have to disagree.

[quackquack147]

wanted to post, wrote one full page. then clicked cancel. and then these lines.
one reason being source is made to public and second its hackable and lastly because google's elite marketing skills.
or else android is uber BS!
thanks!
-paul

[Tre Lawrence]

android is uber BS!

For an OS propping up itself AND BB10, I'd call it more than adequate.

[jjs6w]

Yup, Android smart phones are pretty cheap like the PC clones. It caters to the masses and ultimately, I think they can't lose. iOS has the best build quality. BBRY has a pretty good build quality. Android phones just look and feel cheap to me...