[BlueStreak67]

I see over and over in the forums people blame the app-gap for BlackBerry's "failures" with BB10.

Do you think this is the case or is there more to it?

Posted via CB10

[qbnkelt]

No, I think it's a valid reason.

When I first showed my Z10 to the people around me, everyone was excited. When they started to ask on availability of Instagram, for example, they were turned off when I explained it was not yet available.

True, there is a current workaround to use Android apps. But not everyone wishes to use a workaround to get they apps they want. Some do, some don't.

[Saberhagen]

I just wrote a marketing report about the failure of BB10. During my research I found that there were several reasons. First: they relied too much on the carriers, they chose a mode called Indirect exporting, which gives the least market control and the lowest possible risk (economically). We have all read that the sales reps where pushing other phones rather than BlackBerry. They also did not have any special product specific intensives to motivate the reps to sell their phones.

They also had very little training material and next to zero effort to understand why sales reps where against them.

Also off course the apps where lacking, together with BlackBerry's brand image. They did basically nothing to fix their brand image BEFORE the launch, which they should have done.

These are just some of the findings. When I get my grade, i will upload my report here

Black cards, Black cars - All BlackBerry-thing!

[jaydee5799]

I think the reason BB10 has not succeeded is the lack of marketing. Not many know about it. And the carriers are totally clueless.

[kbz1960]

No cop out but not the only reason. Several things all added up to, meh, most just don't care about bb or hate them from bad past experiences. Of course the company has done nothing to let people know their products are much different from the past ones. Well when they don't make new batches of old phones that is.

[moody]

No, I think it's a valid reason.

When I first showed my Z10 to the people around me, everyone was excited. When they started to ask on availability of Instagram, for example, they were turned off when I explained it was not yet available.

True, there is a current workaround to use Android apps. But not everyone wishes to use a workaround to get they apps they want. Some do, some don't.

A "work around" is having to apply for debug token, convert apk to bar, then use dev mode, hook to chrome extension to load bar file then cross fingers it works.

This is no longer necessary w/ Snap and Amazon market place. So IMO it shouldn't matter if app comes from bbw or snap or Amazon. If it's as easy as tapping "install" then it's not a work around.

So there really isn't an app problem anymore that I can see.

Posted via CB10 - the app that may or may not exist

[BlueStreak67]

A "work around" is having to apply for debug token, convert apk to bar, then use dev mode, hook to chrome extension to load bar file then cross fingers it works.

This is no longer necessary w/ Snap and Amazon market place. So IMO it shouldn't matter if app comes from bbw or snap or Amazon. If it's as easy as tapping "install" then it's not a work around.

So there really isn't an app problem anymore that I can see.

Posted via CB10 - the app that may or may not exist

There are additional options using DDPB Installer and APKs that have already been converted to BAR files.

The same method was possible for the PB as well.

Posted via CB10

[BlueStreak67]

From the comments it sounds like people feel marketing was/is an equal or greater factor in the struggles BlackBerry has had with BB10.

Posted via CB10

[BlueStreak67]

No, I think it's a valid reason.

When I first showed my Z10 to the people around me, everyone was excited. When they started to ask on availability of Instagram, for example, they were turned off when I explained it was not yet available.

True, there is a current workaround to use Android apps. But not everyone wishes to use a workaround to get they apps they want. Some do, some don't.

K.I.S.S. makes more sense. The workarounds take more time and requires educating most people on how it works.

Do you think most people felt the apps just weren't available (workaround or not)?

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[qbnkelt]

K.I.S.S. makes more sense. The workarounds take more time and requires educating most people on how it works.

Do you think most people felt the apps just weren't available (workaround or not)?

Posted via CB10

Can speak for those to whom I showed the phone. They raved about it. Lived it. Held it, swiped, peeked. Then when the app question came and I explained they were not available in BBW they returned the device.

I can't blame them. I want apps that I can readily obtain in the pllatform's App Store and which have developer support.

Others may feel differently. But I speak for myself and I recount what my experience was when I showed my Z10.

The impact is not quite as much with the Q10. It has the BB "look" so everybody can see it's a BB.


Sent from my AWESOME gold 64G iPhone 5s via Tapatalk

[Soulstream]

A "work around" is having to apply for debug token, convert apk to bar, then use dev mode, hook to chrome extension to load bar file then cross fingers it works.

This is no longer necessary w/ Snap and Amazon market place. So IMO it shouldn't matter if app comes from bbw or snap or Amazon. If it's as easy as tapping "install" then it's not a work around.

So there really isn't an app problem anymore that I can see.

Posted via CB10 - the app that may or may not exist

If people must search the internet to find out about the capability, then it is a workaround. It is not advertised at all. And if Google is pissed off one day, maybe snap will not work at all. Depending on the "mercy" of someone else is not a good way to do business.

[silvanus55]

Just drop the ball altogether. Blackberry choose not to get into the app game too late, so know there playing catch up with everyone else. When you go to any wireless store, or any store selling smartphone there's either now blackberry phones on display or they just don't carry them. While BB choose to stay business minded and was not focusing on apps, they became the phone of the past. As long as there is a strong feeling and thought out there that BB want be around for too long, who going to spend their time and effort making their apps for BB.

[DS1331]

Definitely a huge reason why but there's a few huge reasons. If they could have been minor reasons it might have sold more

Posted via CB10

[Laura Knotek]

There are additional options using DDPB Installer and APKs that have already been converted to BAR files.

The same method was possible for the PB as well.

Posted via CB10

The average consumer, who doesn't follow these forums, isn't going to know what "DDPB", "APK" or "BAR files" even are, much less how to install them.

[southlander]

Depends on the point in time. At first I think it was a significant reason to not buy a BlackBerry 10 device. Maybe even the biggest.

Now I think there are many many factors going against them.

[00_Agent]

First of all I just wanted to say that BlackBerry is really far behind in the "app game" they need to step up their game, fast.. I don't only mean the lack of apps but how feature-rich if that's even a word, is! I mean for example, Facebook missing a lot of features and options, I mean even the browser have more features and that's not the point.. ( comparing to iOS and Android "our competitors" we are faaaar behind) just saying tho)

Edit: forgot to post the reason I really wanted to post, lol xD like someone already said, it's marketing!!!! I mean no one knows how great BlackBerry 10 is and what it can do, some even thought that it was the BBOS instead of BB10.. Carriers don't know Shiznit 'bout it.. I wish with the release of 10.3 they could give BlackBerry 10 a huuuuugeee marketing around the globe, showing off, maybe make a huge video make the video epic, heart-raising/warmer-pounding like a movie trailer, everything posible not only for business people but for other consumer like me that just like to have fun with a phone, don't get me wrong I love BlackBerry 10 and that's why I'm here saying my opinion! BlackBerry 10 is killer and it's time that the world knows it!!
Posted via CB10 App

[Laura Knotek]

No, I think it's a valid reason.

When I first showed my Z10 to the people around me, everyone was excited. When they started to ask on availability of Instagram, for example, they were turned off when I explained it was not yet available.

True, there is a current workaround to use Android apps. But not everyone wishes to use a workaround to get they apps they want. Some do, some don't.

Is the workaround even explained in official BlackBerry documentation? If a user just picked up a new device and didn't visit CrackBerry, would he/she even find instructions on how to install Android apps in the device setup instructions or via any other official site?

[RyanGermann]

the reason why there is low BlackBerry market share (in my opinion) is primarily because of the perception that BlackBerry Ltd. will discontinue making devices (either because they go out of business or pursue a non-device strategy). Very few enterprise or consumer buyers will buy a device if they are not confident that the device will be supported.

That perception begets lack of developer support which begets lack of apps which begets (not ironically) lack of sales which begets low market share which begets a perception that BlackBerry Ltd. will discontinue handset sales.

Doing away with this perception is job one, and eventually we may see native apps come to BB10 but Android ports are just fine if they're available from App World. The current lack of enthusiasm by vendors to port Android apps to BB10 makes me so discouraged (given how easy it is), but so long as BlackBerry builds BB10 market share where apps aren't a key buying decision, then (ironically this time) app vendors will be more likely to port their apps, and in time, maybe even go native.

After customer confidence is restored past a tipping point, the "begetting chain" (many "individual" interconnected unseverable problems) will fall away, one link at a time.

[TioPepe78]

I don't really understand why using another store besides BBW should be considered a workaround, let me explain my point of view, I come from PC, I have downloaded all my PC apps for almost 20 years now directly from internet, no Windows store, then there came mobile and at the beginning I remember 2006 with my first BB downloading jar files and installing them directly as I did in my PC, at some point that I can't recall exactly appeared BBW, Apple store, Google Play (don't know the exact order) and finally now a Windows Store in my PC with Win8, but I can still obtain my apps outside of the Windows Store in my PC and I don't consider that a workaround.

For me that's a simple matter of how does the money flow when you buy an app, unfortunatelly BB is not getting any money when we get an app from Snap (Google Play) or Amazon, and the incentive for the developer to build a native app for BB10, knowing the BB users will still get their app from other stores, maybe is gone, but does this mean that BB should lose the Android Runtime? For me no, if eventually BB10 user base gets to a point that big name apps find attractive BB should do anything they can to convince them to build a native app.

So, is there really an app gap now with this options or workaround of valid app sources? I guess not really in a matter of usability of most of the important apps and the availability of third party substitutes (and good ones by the way) like Snap2Chat, iGrann, and others, the think at the end is marketing and to target the marketing where BB still can make a stand and for me that is developing countries where people are getting their first smartphone right now, the US, Canadian, European market are a niche for BB right now, just us the fans and why? because is the popular thing, a friend of mine changed her phone a month ago, I showed my Z30 and told her to get one, she said I want something with Instagram, I showed her igrann and Instagram in my phone, she said "but everyone has Samsung now", that's the "cool factor" as some people say that BB won't have for now at least, but that's just marketing, if I haven't used an android device before I got my first BB10 I would have go Android, fortunately for me I tried a Samsung Galaxy and didn't like it so I got a Z10 to see how it was, but that's me, most of the people agree with marketing (at least the good marketing).

[BlueStreak67]

Depends on the point in time. At first I think it was a significant reason to not buy a BlackBerry 10 device. Maybe even the biggest.

Now I think there are many many factors going against them.

I assume you mean marketing and what else?

Posted via CB10

[BlueStreak67]

Need a mod to edit the title... succeeded

Posted via CB10

[Ecm]

Need a mod to edit the title... succeeded

Posted via CB10

Title tweaked.

[Qaddafi]

A "work around" is having to apply for debug token, convert apk to bar, then use dev mode, hook to chrome extension to load bar file then cross fingers it works.

This is no longer necessary w/ Snap and Amazon market place. So IMO it shouldn't matter if app comes from bbw or snap or Amazon. If it's as easy as tapping "install" then it's not a work around.

So there really isn't an app problem anymore that I can see.

Posted via CB10 - the app that may or may not exist

I don't know because not every app is Instagram. For example I wanted Android's QuickPic gallery app but on BlackBerry 10, it cannot access my files because BlackBerry doesn't allow it. It makes the app useless.

Posted via CB10

[BlueStreak67]

Title tweaked.

Haha thanks!

Posted via CB10

[BlueStreak67]

I don't know because not every app is Instagram. For example I wanted Android's QuickPic gallery app but on BlackBerry 10, it cannot access my files because BlackBerry doesn't allow it. It makes the app useless.

Posted via CB10

If you had to get a new phone would this be a deciding factor between BlackBerry and Android?

Posted via CB10