[Peter Burns]

I seriously doubt any of these smartphone makers would be even as remotely popular had they not used an off the shelf O/S. One major thing I like about Blackberry is it runs its own unique O/S and is not like these other companies that use slightly tweaked versions of Googles android.

Discuss...

[Joao Oliveira]

So far is the oposite, but time will tell..

[propeller10]

There is no need for them to build OSes. That would create a massive headache for developers. (they will prolly end up developing for the 2 most popular platforms anyways)
Even if they build their own OS, it will most likely be linux based and will require a strong app eco-system to survive. And there is a linux based OS with a strong app ecosystem. It's called Android.

Also samsung is working on Tizen OS. But I'm not sure if it'll take off.

[Brutal Efficiency]

If Apple bought BlackBerry 10 and released BlackBerry 10.0 on the iPhone 6, it would still sell in the millions in the first weekend.



Sales pretty much has jack to do with the underlying OS. It's all about how cool you will look with such-and-such a phone.

Posted via my Z30.

[Kurdis Blough]

I seriously doubt any of these smartphone makers would be even as remotely popular had they not used an off the shelf O/S. One major thing I like about Blackberry is it runs its own unique O/S and is not like these other companies that use slightly tweaked versions of Googles android.

Discuss...

I don't see the comparison as BlackBerry and Windows were already established mobile OS's.

While both companies chose to completely rewrite their OS, to the public it's still BlackBerry OS and Windows Mobile.

I think anyone using a new OS has an uphill battle. But I wouldn't call BB10 or WP8 new based on existing Brand awareness.

[Troy Tiscareno]

It must be understood that the iOS App Store and the Android Market/Google Play Store changed everything. Even though previous mobile OSs (Palm, WinMo, BBOS) could use a small selection of apps, it was difficult enough to find and install them that most people never bothered. Starting around 2009, the advent of the on-device app store that easily, seamlessly allowed users to install powerful apps that greatly extended the usefulness of the phone created a sea change.

No longer was the context "phone vs. phone", but rather "ecosystem vs. ecosystem." No matter how great a phone was in and of itself, most people wouldn't buy it if it didn't have a strong ecosystem to customize and extend the phone's capabilities. There was a short window, from about 2009 to about 2011, where at least SOME customers were willing to choose a platform regardless of its ecosystem, mostly assuming that the apps, services, and companion devices (tablets and accessories) would eventually come and the ecosystem would grow. By 2012, it became VERY clear to virtually everyone that developers and manufacturers were simply not willing to give much support to niche ecosystems, because the ROI (return on investment) was too low. It quickly became clear that if it wasn't iOS or Android, it wasn't likely to get apps, complimentary hardware, services, or accessories.

Microsoft has been struggling with the same issue as BB: being very late to the game. The difference is that Microsoft has 3 big advantages:

1. A pre-existing suite of cloud services it could leverage with its own mobile OS.
2. Microsoft Office, which for bigger/older companies is the standard for business docs.
3. Hundreds of billions of dollars in the bank to spend and back up their bet, sustaining them through hard times.

Most developers are reluctant to support a third ecosystem, and almost none are willing to support a fourth. That is why all of the other OSs are counting on using pre-existing apps from another ecosystem (mostly Android, but in the case of Ubuntu, Linux apps). Firefox and Jolla both originally talked about relying on HTML5 web apps, but after feedback from users, it was clear to both companies that web apps simply aren't good enough, and so the current plan is to use Android apps.

But as I wrote in another post, it is very dangerous to try to feed off of a direct competitor, and given all of the companies who want to feed off of the Play Store, in violation of the TOS and often outright pirating, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Google were to roll out an update for Android apps that locks them to Google-Certified Android devices, and prevents them from running elsewhere. Devs could, of course, mod their apps and upload them to alternate stores for non-certified devices if they chose, but I don't see it very likely that most would choose to maintain two versions, when 99% of their money comes from the Play Store.

But if this were to happen, all of the companies relying on Android apps to make up for their ecosystem shortcomings would be cut off, and would be seriously screwed. BB has painted itself right into that corner, and unlike FireFox, Jolla, or Tizen, BB has a massive investment that counts on Android apps continuing to be available. That's a bad, bad place to be.

[donnation]

If Blackberry would have found a way to release BB10 earlier, I have no doubts it would have sold. At this time though, people are so invested in other platforms it makes it nearly impossible for them to switch.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bbnivende]

It must be understood that the iOS App Store and the Android Market/Google Play Store changed everything. Even though previous mobile OSs (Palm, WinMo, BBOS) could use a small selection of apps, it was difficult enough to find and install them that most people never bothered. Starting around 2009, the advent of the on-device app store that easily, seamlessly allowed users to install powerful apps that greatly extended the usefulness of the phone created a sea change.

No longer was the context "phone vs. phone", but rather "ecosystem vs. ecosystem." No matter how great a phone was in and of itself, most people wouldn't buy it if it didn't have a strong ecosystem to customize and extend the phone's capabilities. There was a short window, from about 2009 to about 2011, where at least SOME customers were willing to choose a platform regardless of its ecosystem, mostly assuming that the apps, services, and companion devices (tablets and accessories) would eventually come and the ecosystem would grow. By 2012, it became VERY clear to virtually everyone that developers and manufacturers were simply not willing to give much support to niche ecosystems, because the ROI (return on investment) was too low. It quickly became clear that if it wasn't iOS or Android, it wasn't likely to get apps, complimentary hardware, services, or accessories.

Microsoft has been struggling with the same issue as BB: being very late to the game. The difference is that Microsoft has 3 big advantages:

1. A pre-existing suite of cloud services it could leverage with its own mobile OS.
2. Microsoft Office, which for bigger/older companies is the standard for business docs.
3. Hundreds of billions of dollars in the bank to spend and back up their bet, sustaining them through hard times.

Most developers are reluctant to support a third ecosystem, and almost none are willing to support a fourth. That is why all of the other OSs are counting on using pre-existing apps from another ecosystem (mostly Android, but in the case of Ubuntu, Linux apps). Firefox and Jolla both originally talked about relying on HTML5 web apps, but after feedback from users, it was clear to both companies that web apps simply aren't good enough, and so the current plan is to use Android apps.

But as I wrote in another post, it is very dangerous to try to feed off of a direct competitor, and given all of the companies who want to feed off of the Play Store, in violation of the TOS and often outright pirating, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Google were to roll out an update for Android apps that locks them to Google-Certified Android devices, and prevents them from running elsewhere. Devs could, of course, mod their apps and upload them to alternate stores for non-certified devices if they chose, but I don't see it very likely that most would choose to maintain two versions, when 99% of their money comes from the Play Store.

But if this were to happen, all of the companies relying on Android apps to make up for their ecosystem shortcomings would be cut off, and would be seriously screwed. BB has painted itself right into that corner, and unlike FireFox, Jolla, or Tizen, BB has a massive investment that counts on Android apps continuing to be available. That's a bad, bad place to be.

BB10 devices are so few in number that Google barely knows they exist.

I wonder where Google is headed. They seem to be going to "Google Play Edition" across all brands. I would love to have the choice of purchasing a Google Play Edition Q10. I am more loyal to a BB physical keyboard than I am to a OS.