[40blind40]

BlackBerry is doing everything it can to encourage the vendors, including offering tech support, free tools and "opportunities related to their business," Mallick said. For each vendor, it customizes its pitch. "We really look and say, 'What are the motivators, what are the obstacles preventing you?' In some cases, it's marketing support. ... In other cases, it's maintenance," said Mallick. "To be clear, in cases where it's warranted, we do offer funding, to help bring people to the platform." - See more at: BlackBerry Explains Why Key Apps Are Still Missing From BB10

[Tre Lawrence]

Good write-up... but I still sense a bit of a disconnect. MM is mentioning Crackle. Cool, I can work with that; it's a wonderful app. But he loses me when he says that one doesn't need to pay $8 for it.

Neither does anyone else on any other platform.

Would love to hear about more business apps. Also interesting to hear what I consider an acknowledgement of app bounties, and the fact that maintenance is an issue.

[Dougie011]

A lot of the things mentioned need to be shown in a commercial. Show the things they highlighted towards the end of the article. Show people streaming movies to their tv from their phone, show someone checking the sports scores, ect..... I know it isn't anything another phone can't do, but show a normal person doing everyday things with it.
.

[Lincoln Liking]

Very timely article. Perfectly explains what's happening on the app front.

[devinthomas]

"Moving to another product category, there's talk of Netflix being missing, he continued, but no talk of PlayOn"

Why would there be? Why should there be when it comes to the average consumer? No more excuses, Instagram need to be there, Netflix needs to be there, Candy Crush needs to be there etc. Consumers do not want apps that are LIKE those apps they want those apps. There is nothing they can say any more who cares about having over 100,000 apps when the big ones are missing.

[Tre Lawrence]

I'd pay good money to hear unvarnished feedback from him with regards to backroom negotiations with Netflix LOL

[bekkay]

"Moving to another product category, there's talk of Netflix being missing, he continued, but no talk of PlayOn, which lets users stream any service they have on their PC onto their BlackBerry 10 devices, which means users can watch all their services, more than 60 of them, including Netflix and HBO Go."

Good article, but this caught my attention. I don't think PlayOn is an alternative to an app such as Netflix at all.

[jstirtzinger]

Good write-up... but I still sense a bit of a disconnect. MM is mentioning Crackle. Cool, I can work with that; it's a wonderful app. But he loses me when he says that one doesn't need to pay $8 for it.

Neither does anyone else on any other platform.

Would love to hear about more business apps. Also interesting to hear what I consider an acknowledgement of app bounties, and the fact that maintenance is an issue.

I think the $8 is a reference to Netflix as Crackle is sort of a similar service. (albeit a much smaller catalogue)

[KermEd]

Yes,

A good many of these companies hold a grudge against blackberry. Or they listen to yahoo's who complain 24/7 about "candy crush" missing -and it makes them avoid the platform.

Realistically - not trying to sound mean - but the whiners are a huge part of why the ecosystem is moving slowly.

It's very easy to complain, it's much harder to help in the movement. People pick their sides.

Posted via CB from my LE

[Lincoln Liking]

[QUOTE=devinthomas;9038201]"Moving to another product category, there's talk of Netflix being missing, he continued, but no talk of PlayOn"

Why would there be? Why should there be when it comes to the average consumer? No more excuses, Instagram need to be there, Netflix needs to be there, Candy Crush needs to be there etc. Consumers do not want apps that are LIKE those apps they want those apps. There is nothing they can say any more who cares about having over 100,000 apps when the big ones are missing.[/These are the types of responses I don't understand. So exactly what should blackberry do to get these apps hold them at gun point? Geez. Do you think they intentionally don't get the best apps? It is what it is. People want phones that have apps, the blackberry isnt selling because it doesn't have apps and app makers are not gonna make an app for a platform that doesn't have market share. Just a sad reality.]

[40blind40]

So to me it seems there willing to pay for apps, but how much is the Question?
A this point in the game to compete there should be no price to high, they would easily triple there sales with a few of these key apps,
And a good marketing campaign letting people no they have them.

[devinthomas]

So according to him if a consumer walked into a store and he was trying to sell a Blackberry phone this is how the conversation would go:

Consumer: Hi I want to buy a Blackberry but I am wondering about some apps I have on my current phone and if they are available if I switch.
Mallick: Sure what are you looking for?
Consumer: Well I use Instagram every day and...
Mallick: Nope but Followgram is available!
Consumer: um..... I don't know what that is...anyways what about Netflix??
Mallick: NOPE but there is PlayOn!
Consumer: hmmmm well...... I have never heard of that... I love playing Words With Friends how about that??
Mallick: Nahhhhh who needs that when you have Lexulous word game!
Consumer: Snapchat?
Mallick: nope
Consumer: Vine??
Mallick: ummmm well..........no
Consumer: ok........ cya

Good plan Blackberry!

[southlander]

Problem is bringing this or that app to BlackBerry 10 is not the only challenge. The app has to be at least as good as or hopefully better than its iOS and android counterparts. Which will almost never be the case in terms of features on any initial releases. Because features come with app maturity. The first versions would be likely pushed out missing things. Then the argument shifts from BlackBerry 10 doesn't have X to yeah it has it, but it's no where near as good as the iphone version.

I wish them all the luck but getting the apps on BlackBerry 10 and getting them on BlackBerry 10 as versions that meet or exceed other platforms are two separate things.

Z10STL100-4/10.2.0.1047

[KermEd]

Good article, but this caught my attention. I don't think PlayOn is an alternative to an app such as Netflix at all.

Umm playon streams netflix, Hulu, and about a hundred other channels to your phone.

In Addition it lets you (playon free version) stream videos from your PC too.

Justsaying

Posted via CB from my LE

[devinthomas]

Umm playon streams netflix, Hulu, and about a hundred other channels to your phone.

In Addition it lets you (playon free version) stream videos from your PC too.

Justsaying

Posted via CB from my LE

The average consumer does not want to stream services from their PC to their phone. Just saying.

[KermEd]

The average consumer does not want to stream services from their PC to their phone. Just saying.

I don't necessarily agree. I think it's too confusing and complicated for an average consumer. But I think if you bought an app, and it magically did everything for you to always stream to your phone, as an end user most people don't give a toot where it came from.

Just that the videos play, they can access their library of choice, and the interface is familiar.

Posted via CB from my LE

[mathking606]

He actually says they are funding the companies so in other words they have offered money.

[devinthomas]

He actually says they are funding the companies so in other words they have offered money.

Obviously not enough

[KermEd]

Obviously not enough

Some companies aren't playing ball for other reasons too I think.

BlackBerry has made a lot of enemies I'm the past... Odin knows there was a time I would have liked to tie up one of their employees in the basement for whipping every time BlackBerry made me angry

Posted via CB from my LE

[mathking606]

Obviously not enough

I heard they got turned down before, I think by Netflix

[mathking606]

Some companies aren't playing ball for other reasons too I think.

BlackBerry has made a lot of enemies I'm the past... Odin knows there was a time I would have liked to tie up one of their employees in the basement for whipping every time BlackBerry made me angry

Posted via CB from my LE

LoL!!!! It's not the employees that deserve whipping it's the damn executives and the board. How can you release a phone mobile computing platform that can not work well on low end hardware when that is one of the biggest growing sectors of the smartphone market.

[NotGoodIMO]

"Moving to another product category, there's talk of Netflix being missing, he continued, but no talk of PlayOn"

Why would there be? Why should there be when it comes to the average consumer? No more excuses, Instagram need to be there, Netflix needs to be there, Candy Crush needs to be there etc. Consumers do not want apps that are LIKE those apps they want those apps. There is nothing they can say any more who cares about having over 100,000 apps when the big ones are missing.

I guess you didn't get the point of the article? Blackberry is trying hard to get the app developers on board but there is only so much they can do. I want the apps on my phone but only on my BB10 phone because I like the user experience of BB10, so for me, it's that app or some other app 'like' that app because I am staying with BB10. In fact, BB10 needs to come with stronger alternatives where the incumbents like netflix and instagram feel threatened to start creating app for all platforms.

[devinthomas]

Sorry but I can not see instagram and netflix EVER being threatened by "alternatives" Blackberry comes up with app wise.

[gulfu]

the main problem is blackberry itself.. i have been trying to port my apps to blackberry store for more than 7 months... they havent accepted me as a developer... i had tried from 3 ids already. but no success....so i decide why bother uploding apps to a firm who dosent want ... this is not my alone issue.. i know 3-4 other developers having similar issue

[koolrosh]

This interview just shows how far away from the reality this guy is. He's trying to suggest that we should be happy with the offering on BB10 because they're good enough. He thinks that it doesn't matter if Netflix is missing because you have PlayOn and Crackle to replace it.

there's talk of Netflix being missing, he continued, but no talk of PlayOn

Why would people boast about the fact that we have PlayOn on BB10, when iOS and Android also have that app and they work better AND they also have Netflix. Why should we be proud to have Crackle when every other platform including Windows Phone has the app. I would understand his point if he was talking about an exclusive app to BB10 that was really cool.

This to me just shows the problem with BlackBerry in general. They don't try to be better than the competition, but just match what others offer. He should not only be matching the apps that both iOS and Android are offering, but also getting exclusive apps to BB10 alone. If I was this guy's boss I would fire him with his "Good enough" attitude.


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