[sf49ers]

one question, why isn't this "loyal" 80mm user base buying out all the OS7 devices? Clearly, the OS7 sales have been weak...so it's not that simple. The early adopters are mostly based in the US and BlackBerry's market share in the US has been dropping and we are still at least 6 months away...BB10 has to be awesome just to have weak sales and then very slowly you might see BlackBerry gain some market share back.

google Osborne effect

[hurds]

calm down haters/trolls, what Heins meant is that RIM has 80 million paying customers who will generate enough cash and not run out of cash or go bankrupt until they release BB10 in Q1 2013 and indeed he was comparing RIM's position to other vendors like Nokia when he mentioned 80 million userbase.

apple or google or any of the device makers technically don't even have a subscriber base. Likely a larger userbase but I bet both those companies would love a 78 million or whatever subscriber base.

[texazzpete]

apple or google or any of the device makers technically don't even have a subscriber base. Likely a larger userbase but I bet both those companies would love a 78 million or whatever subscriber base.

In satisfaction rating surveys, iPhone tops every other phone by a large margin...and research shows that the percentage of iPhone users leaving for other devices is minimal.

That's almost analogous to a 'subscriber base' since iPhone users tend to upgrade en bloc to the new devices

I had no issues ditching my iPhone for the Galaxy S III anyway

[hurds]

In satisfaction rating surveys, iPhone tops every other phone by a large margin...and research shows that the percentage of iPhone users leaving for other devices is minimal.

That's almost analogous to a 'subscriber base' since iPhone users tend to upgrade en bloc to the new devices

I had no issues ditching my iPhone for the Galaxy S III anyway

Hooray for apple!! Thanks for that 'research'. Subsribers pay recurring monthly fees. Big difference, not analogous. You have any research of this 'en bloc' upgrading. We will see if that pans out.

Its been in the past year were iphone has shown low churn. Things change, just like how BB used to dominate in the US.

[sinsin07]

apple or google or any of the device makers technically don't even have a subscriber base. Likely a larger userbase but I bet both those companies would love a 78 million or whatever subscriber base.

Apparently they don't need one.

[cgk]

Since last time I checked the annual revenue from the app store is larger than the annual revenue from RIM subscribers + app store I'm not sure anyone at Apple is lying awake at night. That's before you account for the subscription revenue from the icloud thingy they now do.

[Stewartj1]

I agree "loyal" is a bold word. I mean I'm on the verge of buying my very first Blackberry device but that doesn't make me a loyal costumer rather a simple customer. This seems more like a desperate rallying call to me.

I can't think of a single company that refers to their customers otherwise.

[hpjrt]

I can't think of a single company that refers to their customers otherwise.

Yeah ... I've only ever purchased one Toyota ... and yet I am a "loyal Toyota customer" according to the literature they send me.

All companies reference their customers like that. It's not a "desperate attempt" at anything! My goodness, you have only to have been alive for a short time in order to realize that companies with customers always refers to them as "loyal customers".

As for iPhone users upgrading "en masse" ... how else are iPhone users going to get any of the new features? It's not like their current software is going to be upgraded! I'm not sure that signals "customer satisfaction".

[[email protected]]

I tell all my friends to look out for RIM and they think I'm crazy but time will tell.

Time is already telling...

With each delay, 'Time' speaks very loudly...

[sosumi11]

apple or google or any of the device makers technically don't even have a subscriber base. Likely a larger userbase but I bet both those companies would love a 78 million or whatever subscriber base.

Apple has a 70 million installed user base just for the Mac alone. Throw in 225 million iPhones, 70 million iPads, 350 million iPods and 400 million credit cards on file (iTunes accounts) and those 78 million subscriptions don't mean too much.

[Rickroller]

I tell all my friends to look out for RIM and they think I'm crazy but time will tell.

So its not just me then? Phew..thats a relief

[hurds]

Apple has a 70 million installed user base just for the Mac alone. Throw in 225 million iPhones, 70 million iPads, 350 million iPods and 400 million credit cards on file (iTunes accounts) and those 78 million subscriptions don't mean too much.

Companies love recurring monthly fees. Apple is definitely in a good position. I wonder how the music fee thing they made with icloud is doing. Don't know about all the other device sellers but 78 millions subscribers is definitely valuable.

[hurds]

Time is already telling...

With each delay, 'Time' speaks very loudly...

You must be one of the people who thinks apple is going to dominate forever and this things already over. Things in tech are now extremely static. Android and Apple shot up in around 2.5 years or so and everything is just gonna stay the same. Go apple!! I'll buy whatever you sell forever!!!!!

[texazzpete]

You must be one of the people who thinks apple is going to dominate forever and this things already over. Things in tech are now extremely static. Android and Apple shot up in around 2.5 years or so and everything is just gonna stay the same. Go apple!! I'll buy whatever you sell forever!!!!!

Ah, but you forget that in that time, less than 40% of the phone wielding populace had smartphones...there was room for that massive expansion. And the smartphones of that era were clunky old Blackberries and ageing Palm and Windows Mobile 5/6 devices. Lots of wiggle room there at that time!

Such a meteoric rise is nearly impossible these days that nearly everyone has a smartphone and huge blocs of the public are becoming increasing trapped in ecosystems and apps. Do you know how many millions keep buying iPhone because they have Bose or Logitech sounddocks or speakers that dock with the iPhone?

My friend just downloaded Football Manager 2012 on his One X and is already hooked...when Football Manager 2013 rolls around, he'd much rather stick to Android or iOS if the game isn't available on BB10, for example.

[ADGrant]

You must be one of the people who thinks apple is going to dominate forever and this things already over. Things in tech are now extremely static. Android and Apple shot up in around 2.5 years or so and everything is just gonna stay the same. Go apple!! I'll buy whatever you sell forever!!!!!

Microsoft still has over 90% of the desktop market and they have been shipping garbage for the last decade.

[ADGrant]

So corporate is not forcing anyone to use a Blackberry. Decline it and not be connected or use your own device if allowed (and pay for it). Trust me - they'd love to save the monthly expense.

I swear most of RIM's issue has nothing to do with business usage and is an entitlement attitude I see in more employees every year.

Employees who chose a corporate Blackberry rather that pay for their own device and it usage may be voluntary RIM users but they are not customers nor are they loyal.

[sinsin07]

I've managed a BYOD over for a year now at a fortune 100 company and out of 8k employees to date we have 200 that have opted into the program. I'd say the bulk of them never had a corporate Blackberry. We still have well over 2,000 corporate Blackberry deployed.

BYOD has major hurdles for employees to understand and accept and the reality is most decide they are better with the corporate provided device.

Suggest you go back to putting your money under your mattress. Most major financial institutions are on BYOD.

Your 8000 employees is not a sufficient reference point, that's like two inner city high schools in NYC. Try 250,000 plus employees and over 50,000 BBs with 5213 BOYD's (and rising) and get back to me.

Unless your company is willing to stipend some of the expense or has very limited security (which we had a employee flip out due to the password requirement) I'd say no thanks. Our Blackberry deployement is 100% company paid (9900's), with any features added if needed (tethering, international etc) so why would anyone take that cost on all for the perk of paying for it themselves?

BYOD's big draw is freedom to do whatever you want on your device. Some employees find out there is cost to that if they want to replicate what their Blackberry did.

Your question makes sense, yet it's being done in NYC. Some people prefer their own device to a BB. What many fail to realize is that allot of the mover and shakers run multiple Macs at home. The iPhone is an extension of that. For the little people, a lot are not a allowed a Blackberry. However they are allowed Good on their personal device. Verizon has a deal that if you run Good, you get unlimited data.

My take is that a BB10 device with full touch screen can stem some of this turnover as the browsing experience should be so much better on a larger screen.

[leftypepper716]

Just playing the Devil's advocate here...But what? if by some terrible mis-marketing or consumers just not interrested in BBOS10 in favor of an Android, iOS or Windows 8...Where do these so called "'very loyal" Customers then go? If life of a consumer has taught us anything is, People may? be found of a brand name, and stay loyal until it becomes not worth being loyal. Remember, RIM is only a Company...Not! a Souverin Country