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| Image Source: Blackberry10News |
The biggest snag in Blackberry 10 launch is the brand loyalty bug.
In my conversations with my colleagues and practically everyone I meet, the general consensus is that the Blackberry 10 Devices launching at 10am EST, are definitely not better than the current pieces of glass they clutch. What is also common? They know nothing about the specs of the proposed Blackberry 10 nor how it compares to their current device. This is the brand loyalty bug. This is what keeps big producers like Apple, Samsung, Google ahead of the game. Creating a sense of entitlement in consumers to the brand they happened to chose in the beginning.
Brand Loyalty and Producers.
Smartphones these days are undoubtedly a very intimate part of many people's lives in this age. This is also part of the reason people form some sort of attachment to these chunks of glass. (Smartphones users reading this are probably even now cringing at my choice of words). For producers, it is therefore important that consumers feel the need to be loyal to whatever the company spits out. This buffers any possible drop in sales when they blunder (e.g Apple Maps). As long a consumers maintain an attitude of Whatever-You-Give-Me-is-Good-Enough-For-Me. The companies win. The brand loyalty bug is what causes debates such 'Android vs iOS', an argument over two very capable operating systems which meet the needs of different people, yet they feel the need to convince each other that their needs can only be met if they buy into a certain brand. This is a giant hurdle that RIM would have to overcome. No matter how great the specifications and features, The consumer would never be satisfied.
Brand Loyalty and Consumers.
The brand loyalty bug is something we should shake off. This places the control in the hands of the producers, which can only mean bad for us, the consumers. Being bitten by the bug, means regardless of price, features and shortcomings, we would sing a song of praise. Bitten consumers are not in a position to demand more of their product, nor switch to a device which better meets their needs, without a sense of guilt. Bitten consumers shun the notion of other brands trying to shake up the market, and are blind sighted to the fact that they are in control, and that competition or attempts at competition can only mean well. (Competition breeds lower prices, higher standards. Competing parties strive upwards and tend not to be complacent.)
What does Blackberry 10 offer?
Research in Motion promises a complete overhaul of its old operating system. Building off of its new base QNX platform; Blackberry 10 devices , here are the rumored specifications. (source Crackberry.com:)
- Processor: Dual Core 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4470・ Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 (US and Canada)
- Radio: Quad Band HSPA+ / UMTS (850/900/1700/1900/2100MHz) ・Quad Band GSM / GPRS (850/900/1800MHz) ・Quad Band LTE: Bands 2,4,5,13,17 (700, 850,1700, 1900MHz)
- Display: 4.2”, 4 point multi-touch LCD display, 1280 x 768 resolution at 356 DPI, Touch On Lens
- Camera: 8MP rear facing camera, Auto Focus, 5x digital zoom, 1080p HD video recording ・2MP front facing camera, 3x digital zoom, 720p HD video recording
- Memory: 2GB RAM ・16GB Internal Storage ・Hot Swappable microSD Slot
- WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n ・2.4/5GHz ・4G Mobile Hotspot
- GPS: Assisted, Autonomous, and Simultaneous GPS
- Battery: 1800mAh Removable ・Talk Time: up to 10 hours on 3G・Standby Time: up to 305 hours on 3G, up to 316 hours on 2G・Audio Playback: up to 60 hours・Video PlayBack: up to 11 hours
- Sensors: Accelerometer, Magnetometer, Proximity, Gyroscope, Ambient light sensor
- Connectivity: NFC ・microUSB ・microHDMI-Out ・Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy
- Size (LxWxD): 130mm x 65.6mm x 9mm
Tomorrow, 30th January, at 10am when Blackberry 10 is revealed via live broadcast. All the guesswork would be over, and the fate of RIM would be predetermined by press the world over.
Allow me to present an alternative viewpoint: I don't think that the reason so people are rejecting BB10 outright is because they're so infatuated with what they have; it's because RIM's track record is so *bad*. A modern, capable smartphone that isn't limited by its reliance on special services from your carrier? By RIM? (Remember, these are the same people who gave us the Storm).
ReplyDeleteYeah, people have a right to be skeptical. Such skepticism would probably lead to the outright dismissal that you refer to early on in the article. In my opinion, RIM spent too long dragging their feet to expect people to get excited over impending product launches; the way they have to build excitement now is through word of mouth, after people have tried, used and (hopefully) been amazed by their new product line. Otherwise they should just go home.
This is a very interesting and true paradigm, and also another big hurdle RIM (sorry, Blackberry) would have to overcome.
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