[miktro]

TheSpec - Dear RIM: Why the Canadian love affair with...

[wiley2000]

Hamilton representing...

[apengue1]

Its a great article. When i see RIM market share in the US I'm only confused since here in Canada, in Montreal at least, many people have blackberries. Good to see its the leader in market share in Canada

[app_Developer]

Is RIM marketing that much stronger in Canada? Is their partner network better there? Or is just that Canadians are being patriotic and supporting the "home team"?

In other words, can RIM under Heins now figure out why they succeed in places like Canada, India, Nigeria and apply those lessons to other countries?

I wonder what percentage of Playbooks were sold in Canada?

[apengue1]

I doubt its Canadians being patriotic... it could be said the other way around, you know. We are similar to American culture, but we are also different in many ways. BBM is very popular here, I think its a very strong selling point in Canada. We get all the same commercials you guys get.. we watch mainly american television.

I too wonder the same things. Maybe in some ways, most of us can cut through the bull who knows. I definitely know that carriers like Bell advertise the crap out of Android devices, RIM isnt very present in advertising any more than in the states, and they get equally bad press from cbc, ctv, newspapers, you name it!

[auditman]

I've got two kids. 1 boy 17 doesn't care much which phone he carry's my daughter 14 only want blackberry phones. I asked her if she wants to switch to android or iphone she says no. She says all her friends uses bbm so she's sticking to her 9780.

[OniBerry]

I don't think anyone accepts sub par products. Patriotism or not. iPhone has been around for awhile and a new Android device drops up here almost daily. If you think that by the large we prefer Canadian products based solely on the fact they are Canadian, you would be mistaken.

[alnamvet68]

There's nothing sub-par about Blackberry or the PlayBook, unless you're a fan of other platforms, then it's nothing more then a biased opinion. Post history is a clear indicator of where one stands insofar as Blackberry is concerned.

[berklon]

Unfortunately, from what I'm experiencing - the tide is turning against RIM even in Canada.

Where I work I keep hearing of people dumping BBs when their contract is up.

A co-worker bought an Android device and was about to kill off his BB - so he sent a BBM to all his contacts letting them know who they can reach him through his Android. He got a buttload of responses asking which specific phone he switched to because they're going to be dumping their BBs as well and were comparison shopping.

RIM needs to get their BB10 phones out NOW! Late 2012 is too little, too late.

[teknishun]

Canada has a smaller population than the state of California. Does it really matter?

[SnoozerBold]

Canadian's are more willing to accept a sub-par product as long as it is viewed as "Canadian". But the new generation that has been flooded with high end Apple and Android products may begin to not care how "Canadian" a product is or isnt.

I don't think thats the case with most people. I live and work in Hamilton and you see BB everywhere. I think a lot of it has to do with how we use our phones. Data is more expensive here so you don't see as many people downloading and streaming video and things like that. Thats not to say I don't see a ton of iphones everywhere too they're catching up.

[ALToronto]

I don't think thats the case with most people. I live and work in Hamilton and you see BB everywhere. I think a lot of it has to do with how we use our phones. Data is more expensive here so you don't see as many people downloading and streaming video and things like that. Thats not to say I don't see a ton of iphones everywhere too they're catching up.

Completely agree. Unlimited data plans are either outrageously expensive or unavailable with the major carriers. Discount carriers offer them, but their signal disappears as soon as you're outside of the city limits where they offer the service. So business people who must travel have to choose one of the 3 big carriers (Rogers, Bell, Telus), whose offerings with limited data plans end up costing well over $100/month, after you include voice, text, voice mail, call display, etc.

Bell still advertises iPhones that stream movies and tv shows, and honestly, I don't know anyone who actually does this. But there is still a lot of data syncing with the other platforms, so I suspect that some of the people who switched may decide that the trendiness isn't worth the extra $20-30/month. Also, salespeople here are very familiar with BBs and don't discourage customers from buying them.

[wendybeee]

I personally think that it's a shame what is happening with Rim. It's a solid product and people deserve choice ! Not everyone want's an iphone and the android devices are a dime a dozen dropping like flies and disappearing just as fast. I really hope that Rim can be saved because it would truly be a huge loss for a company that has been a staple in Canada and in the US and overseas for such a long time. We need choice, not a monopoly !

[BaconMunch]

I still see BB everywhere, almost 50% of smartphones I see in public are BlackBerry. That being said, they are most likely users that are 1-2 years into a 3 year contract. If RIM doesn't acknowledge and retain these customers, they are all looking over the fence right now.

That being said, the current situation here isn't as doom and gloom as the US Market, but it will be if they don't convert users in the next 1-2 renewal cycles.

The fast upgrade cycle of Android devices is way too aggressive for the typical Canadian consumer. The galaxy S3 is supposed to be out before summer 2012? Canadians will still have 2 years left on their contract with the Galaxy S1 by that time...

[Wh0mpu5]

I have said this before and i will say it again , People who own blackberries or buy Blackberries do NOT buy them because of the "apps" They buy Blackberries because they are a practical phone , and do what a phone should being a smartphone. I can understand if you want a phone with apps and stuff , And to each their own , But BB is not a brand that is going to go away. It may go away in the consumer market and in the North american market , but their global markets are up and their enterprise is still going strong.

Being Canadian , i can say this , i don't own a BB because its Canadian , i own it because it is second to none when it comes to things like email and BBM . Its functional and practical. If i want to play games i have two other tablets , a playbook and a Transformer prime , and a gaming desktop. a Smartphone is still a phone by any other name.

you want apps , there is android , iOS , and WP7 . You want a practical phone thats functional then own a Blackberry.

[Economist101]

The fast upgrade cycle of Android devices is way too aggressive for the typical Canadian consumer. The galaxy S3 is supposed to be out before summer 2012? Canadians will still have 2 years left on their contract with the Galaxy S1 by that time...

Well, if you're still on contract, you wait for the next one. Truthfully, Samsung doesn't expect users to buy a new Galaxy every year, they just hope that whenever you do upgrade, you'll stick with Samsung.

[Economist101]

you want apps , there is android , iOS , and WP7 . You want a practical phone thats functional then own a Blackberry.

The problem with this is that, if these are the options, most people seem to want apps, and "buy BlackBerry, our devices are functional" isn't pulling the users in like it once did.

[Wh0mpu5]

Oh i agree its not , However As i am sure any BB user will say they don't play games on their BB , Atleast not games like angry birds or something , However email, BBM and phone calls are the main purpose.

We are moving into a more app like direction and thats great for the market , i am just stateing that people don't own BBs for the apps.

[apengue1]

In reply to some people on the previous page with incredibly ignorant posts.. you know who you are:
Blackberries are popular here if not MORE to the younger crowd. At college and university, everybody uses bbm to keep in touch, as well as in highschool. I find that is a strong selling point. You know how the 'young' generation is with their IM.

Also, blackberries have not lost their status so much here as in the US. We do not hide them or are embarrassed by them like I read on a post somewhere in the forums. Read quote below. We do not buy sub-par products. We get what works.

Also, we are not so easily sold to marketing, but that is only my opinion. We are not as consumerish as the US is, and we are not as fickle. That also is just my opinion. Whether I'm wrong or not I don't know.. But Canadians are not often so 'caught up' in everything.. IMO

I don't see why there had to be conflict between 2 very friendly countries. Really ignorant remarks on behalf of a few.

We use BBs and iPhones at work and the only people who still have BBs are the ones who have not yet upgraded - having a BB is a sign of disgrace and they are usually kept hidden.