The "analysis" in that article isn't fleshed-out
QNX is an entirely new operating system. Yes, there are apps being written for the PlayBook that may or may not scale well to a handheld device, but here are a few of my points about why waiting for QNX makes no sense.
- If you want something other than BlackBerry OS, you don't have to wait. There are other popular successful solid alternatives available now. Android and iOS the front-runners, and there is WP7, and WebOS too if you really like sinking ships. So, waiting for QNX doesn't seem really logical unless you're convinced that QNX is going to ROCK on handhelds, moreso than BB7
- If you want an OS with an established ecosystem with lots of apps, QNX ain't it. BB7 has more apps than QNX. Sure, QNX is powerful, capable, secure etc., but we're STILL waiting for Angry Birds and Skype on the PlayBook, so I'm not going to count any more chickens (no pun intended) on what apps might be available on QNX: I like what I got on BB7 and might like QNX even more than I do, eventually, when the all the apps that everybody posted to that CB thread about "Top 20 non-PlayBook apps you want ported to the PlayBook" are ported, then I think QNX App World selections will rival everything on the other platforms... but that's not now.
- I'm not 100% convinced that QNX on the new BB7 devices will be out of the question: I mean, the PlayBook has a dual core 1GHz CPU with graphics chip... the new Torch 9850/9860 has a SINGLE core 1.2 GHz with a graphics chip. I don't know whether or not the GPUs are comparable, but I don't think it's that hard to imagine QNX being ported. I mean, QNX running in car dashboards isn't running on a 1 GHz dual core processor with GPU, so it may just be a matter of the "chrome" and possibly RIM will see the value in rolling out QNX onto the existing devices rather than asking that loyal RIM customers invest in BOTH an entirely new QNX-for-handhelds platform AND a new device
- My annual budget includes a new un-subsidized BlackBerry device. I know that most people's does not, but I'm willing to pay for a QNX upgrade, but maybe I'll get a few extra months out of my BB7 device after the launch of the QNX devices, given that I think the BB7 devices will be plenty fast for me.
So... if the appeal to you for a RIM device is the core competencies of the BlackBerry platform / hardware form factor, you'll have that in spades with BB7, and waiting for QNX will not do anything for you other than make you wait. If the time is right for you to buy now, buy and hold on to that device for 2 years and don't rush to QNX when it's launched on handhelds.
There are too damn many pundits needing to crank out "column inches" and they write too much stupid waste-of-time crap.