[skstrials]

Just coming from my personal experience, my first smartphone was a Nokia N8 with Symbian OS bought in 2011. Although it was a very good phone, I wanted to upgrade by the second year with the phone for features such as:
- Availability of 4G LTE signals
- Not being able to have multiple Outlook mail accounts in Symbian.
- HD screen found on newer phones compared 480p screen on the N8.
- Messaging apps and banking apps found on other OS.
- Lack of Korean support in Symbian.
- General lag in the OS.

Now, when I moved to my Q10 and Z10, it was a huge upgrade with its 720p screen, lack of lag, support for all languages, banking apps, and being able to have multiple outlook accounts.

Before with my Nokia N8, I would have specific essential features that affected my day, so I had legitimate reasons to upgrade.

But now, even though the first gen BlackBerry 10 devices are close to two years old, I do not see any significant reasons to upgrade since the Z10 and the Q10 support my language, emails, and apps.

Sure the new Z30 and Passport receive better signals, has better speakers, USB on the go, and larger screens (which can be both a positive and a negative), but those features are not as critical as being able to have multiple email accounts, receiving a LTE signal, moving from a 480p screen to an HD screen, or being able to read a second language, which are the features I got from upgrading to a Q10 and the Z10 from the Nokia.

So do you feel that the phone industry in general is slowing down, and there is no longer a significant critical feature left to upgrade yearly or every two years?

I personally feel that the technology advancement has definitely slowed down, and there is no longer a compelling practical reason to be upgrading that often.

Posted via CB10 using Blackberry Q10

[Warlack]

This is the plateau phase.
We reached it with desktop PCS, then with laptops and now with our phones.

There is still innovation, but the basics are covered.

You will be happy with those first gen devices for at least another year.
The constant OS updates make the device seem like brand new - every 6 months.

As long as you are happy, no need to spend money....

PassportSQW100-1/10.3.1.632 and a Z30

[skstrials]

This is the plateau phase.
We reached it with desktop PCS, then with laptops and now with our phones.

There is still innovation, but the basics are covered.

You will be happy with those first gen devices for at least another year.
The constant OS updates make the device seem like brand new - every 6 months.

As long as you are happy, no need to spend money....

PassportSQW100-1/10.3.1.632 and a Z30

Yeah, I see what you mean.

It is hard to get genuinely excited about a new phone these days.

The only real area left for a drastic improvement is in the battery.

I want a Z10 sized phone with a z30 battery life.

Posted via CB10 using BlackBerry Z10

[Aleij Barb]

What about 64bit processing, more memory? What about bendable flexible screen and watches, and possibly holographic projection? What about transparent screen that can be viewed on both sides? Who knows.

Posted via CB10

[bobo616]

It feels like most phones are now good enough and the software upgrades make more of a difference than hardware now.

Posted via CB10

[Prem WatsApp]

It feels like most phones are now good enough and the software upgrades make more of a difference than hardware now.

Posted via CB10

Same on PCs. Any dual core / 2GB+ system will do your everyday basic tasks...

Just downloading Windows 10 Tech Preview edition. See how that goes...

(for those geeks interested, here's the link
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/preview-iso
Have fun! )

? BlackBerry? I premdict the future's gonna be chenomenal! ?

[ronfc]

In my opinion, as long as your device works for you, no need to upgrade. Ask yourself first if it's a necessity or simply a luxury.

Cave, cave, moderator videt

[BBUniq01]

Kinda like people who have to buy the next Coach handbag since the current ones are out of season. The late models still look good and work fine. I am with OP. With other real life expenses such as saving for retirement and kids' colleges, I will only upgrade when current phone has major lag or is broken. Plus, waiting means most of the bugs have been worked out and prices become more affordable.



Posted via Q10 with 1154

[tjodalv]

Agree with the OP. As far as Blackberry is concerned they just need to back fill a little bit terms of making them more relevant with "apps". Not that I need them but even business users require a certain amount of support from key app developers.

[KR2013]

It all depends on how a person feels about a change, and whether he/she can afford to buy a new device (or anything else). Take cars for example, do you think it is absolutely necessary for people to change cars or buy newer models as much as they do all over the world? Some people hang on to their 20 year old car because it still works, and gets them from point A to B safely. Some upgrade and buy a new one every couple of years. Necessity is not always the main driver!

As for mobile phones, whether it is necessary or not, it is always a lot of fun getting a new device or playing around with a new OS (if one can afford it, of course). I have had a Z10 and Q10 for a while, and just bought a Z30 a few days ago. Did I really need it? Of course not. Am I happy I got it? Absolutely, and looking forward to my next BB device!

Posted via CB10

[Playbook007]

I always found needing a new BlackBerry when on BBOS was not an issue. They were bullet proof phones. Now with BB10 upgrades in the shirt term are nice as the OS advances and the z30 was released over the z10 and now the Passport. But this is short term. BlackBerry will update all the BB10 devices to 10.3 and 10.31. This will definitely extend the user life of these devices. BlackBerry plans on making its lion share of sales via BES10 and BES12 licenses. Therefore, they won't have to force upgrades of hardware to survive! Better for business, better for the environment.

Posted via CB10

[bobo616]

It all depends on how a person feels about a change, and whether he/she can afford to buy a new device (or anything else). Take cars for example, do you think it is absolutely necessary for people to change cars or buy newer models as much as they do all over the world? Some people hang on to their 20 year old car because it still works, and gets them from point A to B safely. Some upgrade and buy a new one every couple of years. Necessity is not always the main driver!

As for mobile phones, whether it is necessary or not, it is always a lot of fun getting a new device or playing around with a new OS (if one can afford it, of course). I have had a Z10 and Q10 for a while, and just bought a Z30 a few days ago. Did I really need it? Of course not. Am I happy I got it? Absolutely, and looking forward to my next BB device!

Posted via CB10

I do agree but I am now at a stage in my life where I choose if I need it or just want it, usually it is the latter but I do still really enjoy getting new tech and setting it up but I no longer need to buy new phone to fix a hardware issue very often such as poor photo quality etc. The passport is the first phone in a long time to get me excited from a hardware perspective.

Posted via CB10

[CecilTsunami]

As was said above, we're about on par with the computer industry now. The phones do everything that we NEED and most of what we want and they do it quickly and efficiently.

At this point a new phone will get you a better screen (you might not be able to notice) a bit more speed (you might not be able to notice), and some new gimmicky features (that you may use but probably will not when the honeymoon new phone phase wears off).

And this is why I'm having trouble justifying buying the Passport. I want it very badly, I just am hard pressed to find an instance where it would better suit my needs than my Z10. I have to say since I got my Z10, this is the longest I've ever had a phone and not grown tired of it. The only real reason I want the Passport is that it's new and unique. That's it. I suppose I won't completely feel justified in replacing my Z10 until we reach the point where the latest OS is not available for it.

Posted via CB10

[mphillips828]

This post really made me think about a different perspective that BlackBerry could take in the industry.

Maybe BlackBerry could stick to a different product cycle than all other mobile companies. Every company creates a new phone and major upgrade every year.

Since BlackBerry is really a niche product now and focused on enterprise and productivity, they should not feel like they should compete in the yearly launch of a new device and major upgrade.

They have the OS upgrade cycle perfect now! Releasing upgrades (major ones) more than once per year. 10.2.1 to 10.3.1 will be less than a year!

The hardware side of things should be top of the line devices for the time but at the moment BlackBerry can't release the best spec devices year after year (and they shouldn't).

I may be completely wrong in my view but since BlackBerry isn't huge on apps, and consumers aren't exactly fond of BlackBerry devices. They don't need to convince people to buy a new one every year like Apple does. BlackBerry could release one top spec qwerty device and top spec touch screen device. And for that year and a half specifically focus on perfecting the OS and making the OS a powerhouse! Create the best first party apps! This makes the out of the box experience the best out of any phone on the market.

Personally I love my z10 still and 10.3 update makes me love it more! I don't need to upgrade to a new device every year (and also I can not upgrade every year), so if BlackBerry were to focus majority of resources on OS and software and not as much on hardware then it would keep my Z10 (2 year old device) feeling extremely fresh and usable.

I may be completely off base here and not explaining it the best. But since BlackBerry can't compete with market share of devices and are now a niche product, then they should create their own method of updates and an updated way to produce, update and market their products. This would create lasting value of BlackBerry products as well if they support them with upgrades and bug fixes for more years compared to apple and especially android.

Posted via CB10

[anon(1723145)]

The upcoming US Passport release had me thinking "get a new phone" like never before. Then I learned there wouldn't be a CDMA version, I'm on Verizon and would never change carriers just to chase a phone. I loaded up 10.3 and now I feel completely comfortable using my Q10 for the foreseeable future.

Q10SQN100-2/10.3.0.1052

[BeautyEh]

What about 64bit processing, more memory? What about bendable flexible screen and watches, and possibly holographic projection? What about transparent screen that can be viewed on both sides? Who knows.

Posted via CB10

Yeah but we can safely put all of that stuff in the "neat!" category, not really the "must have for basic productivity" category. OP is saying that at the point we're at now, it's difficult to see why upgrading constantly is necessary. I'm assuming the OP is not a rabid high-spec gamer type.

Posted via CB10

[bobo616]

While I still stick by what I said earlier I actually got to play with a passport today and was very impressed, despite preferring touch devices I could be tempted to go to a keyboard phone as it is a good mixture between innovative hardware and very good software.

Posted via CB10

[Banco]

Not so sure about that. At almost every point you could make the same argument and then someone produces something that makes you go Wow and everyone scrambles to do the same.

There'll be something out there that's being worked on that I have no idea I need, and when it comes out I'll find it extraordinary I lived without it. Let's take televisions - that's a mature tech sector. It's still changing radically, and improving at pace. My six year old one is fine as a TV, but it's seriously outdated in terms of what is out there now.

Posted via CB10

[CTU2fan]

Not so sure about that. At almost every point you could make the same argument and then someone produces something that makes you go Wow and everyone scrambles to do the same.

There'll be something out there that's being worked on that I have no idea I need, and when it comes out I'll find it extraordinary I lived without it. Let's take televisions - that's a mature tech sector. It's still changing radically, and improving at pace. My six year old one is fine as a TV, but it's seriously outdated in terms of what is out there now.

Posted via CB10

See to me the TV market strengthens the OPs point. A 5 year old TV, if it was high-end at the time, is a big screen 1080p display. Sure there's some cool stuff on newer TVS, but by and large it's gimmicky stuff. And that's how I feel about my Q10. It does everything I need and will for the foreseeable future. I'll probably stick with for a long time, until/unless BlackBerry releases my "dream device" (slider/Torch style BB10 phone).

Posted via CB10

[Banco]

See to me the TV market strengthens the OPs point. A 5 year old TV, if it was high-end at the time, is a big screen 1080p display. Sure there's some cool stuff on newer TVS, but by and large it's gimmicky stuff. And that's how I feel about my Q10. It does everything I need and will for the foreseeable future. I'll probably stick with for a long time, until/unless BlackBerry releases my "dream device" (slider/Torch style BB10 phone).

Posted via CB10

I thought about that, but a TV lifespan is a lot longer than a phone one, so it's not quite the same. But I do take your point, I would just say that the changes since I got it have been quite astonishing. The TV I mean.

Posted via CB10