No AppleBerry? No surprise here…
So apparently a lot of people were disappointed to discover that Apple and Research in Motion were not cooperating together to build a device that merged the capabilities of an iPod with those of a BlackBerry (presumably a variation of the BlackBerry Pearl) to create the so-called “AppleBerry”. (Or maybe “CrackPod” would be a better name.)
It’s no surprise to me, though. Both companies are run by micro-managing co-founder billionaires, which probably makes any co-operation more difficult to achieve. (Not impossible, but difficult.) And while RIM is pushing into the consumer space with the Pearl and other planned devices, the enterprise/corporate market is still their bread and butter — they just don’t have the same experience with consumers that Apple does.
Apple’s new iPhone is certainly a worthy challenger to the Pearl in many ways. The fact that they’ve been able to combine Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities into a phone, something that BlackBerry users have wanted for a while now, is surely galling to RIM. As is the deal to do push mail with Yahoo!. Not to mention all the free press and publicity they’re getting from the launch.
RIM has some new devices in the pipeline, so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of counter-attack they’re able to launch. Right now the iPhone pricepoint is its biggest disadvantage, but that won’t last for long.
Unfortunately for developers, though, the iPhone is (yet again) a closed platform. That’s one area where the BlackBerry still shines in comparison. But with support for Google Widgets and possibly some other Apple-sanctioned applet-type mechanisms, will consumers care?
Technorati Tags: BlackBerry, Pearl, RIM, Apple, iPhone, iPod
