A Not So Perfect Storm

[Jeff Campbell]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/19889/' target='_blank'>http://macdailynews.com/index.php/w...comments/19889/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"The gales of the Blackberry Storm gales just weren't strong enough to wash away Apple's iPhone success... The Storm seems to have severely underperformed in customer satisfaction. And now, the latest figures from Blackberry maker Research In Motion (RIM) show that it has underperformed in sales, too," Daniel Ionescu reports for PC World.</em><em></em></p><p><em><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1233079934.usr105634.jpg" /></em></p><p>Another "iPhone Killer" under performs, and the unit sales really tell the story. The iPhone outsold the Storm 4:1, two million units versus one half million units during the same period from November 2008. The user experience with the Storm has been a big problem, the phone suffering from numerous glitches and bugs. It never works well when you rush a product to market, which is apparently what happened here. I don't have much experience with smartphones, since the iPhone is the first one I've owned (I've always been a flip-phone man), so I may be a little spoiled. Anyone out there have a horror story with an "iPhone killer?"</p>

[mwfielder]

I'm a total pdaphone guy, so I've owned many a "iPhone killer" while never owning an iPhone.....sort of. This latest iPhone killer (the Storm) was given to me to test by VzW (I'm in a little group that receives and tests phones--not prerelease, but at release, for real world feedback). I hated it, it was buggy, and just didn't work right. And I'm a pdaphone geek! So I gave it to my wife to use for a week. She hated it so much that she made me go out and get her an iPhone (while paying my ETF and switching her account to AT&T). She's never been happier. What does that say.....?

I use a HTC Touch Pro, and I really love it. As much as I love the iPhone (and it just flat out works), I am a power user, and there are things the iPhone just doesn't do (yet). I love to tweak and add programs and do all sorts of things, and for me the iPhone just isn't there......yet.

[Tim Williamson]

I am a power user, and there are things the iPhone just doesn't do (yet). I love to tweak and add programs and do all sorts of things, and for me the iPhone just isn't there......yet.

I've got one word for you...jailbreak. ;)

[Spooof]

Well we have two storms at work now and the reviews are opposite. One does not like it and the other says he likes it

I played with it and could not stand the click (ignoring the bugs that will be fixed eventually). As a iPhone user I had a lot of hope that the storm would be closer to the iPhone. Typing was really bad, the browser still sucks, previewing media was clunky, everything sucked other than the screen resolution.

Our field offices are out in the middle of nowhere and the only decent cell coverage is CDMA so in the back of my mind I know I should give up on my iPhone some day. I did sell my first iPhone and within days of using the BB I had to buy another iPhone.

Rim needs to come out with a CDMA version of the Bold or apple needs a CDMA version of the iPhone... the Storm is not going to do it

[Macguy59]

As much as I love the iPhone (and it just flat out works), I am a power user, and there are things the iPhone just doesn't do (yet). I love to tweak and add programs and do all sorts of things, and for me the iPhone just isn't there......yet.

Care to elaborate ?

[Jeff Campbell]

I'm just not enough of a gambler to try my hand at jailbreaking my iPhone, I use it too much to risk it I think :-)

[Pony99CA]

That's only one BlackBerry and on a different carrier. How did the Bold do, which is on AT&T? How about all BlackBerry models on the U.S. vs. the iPhone?

I've seen stories about the iPhone outselling Android and now the Storm, but none about Windows Mobile phones outselling the iPhone. Is that schadenfreude or biased journalism? ;)

Steve

[crimsonsky]

That's only one BlackBerry and on a different carrier. How did the Bold do, which is on AT&T? How about all BlackBerry models on the U.S. vs. the iPhone?

I've seen stories about the iPhone outselling Android and now the Storm, but none about Windows Mobile phones outselling the iPhone. Is that schadenfreude or biased journalism? ;)

Steve

Neither the Bold nor the newest Curve are in the same league as the iPhone - they are not full screen touch devices. In fact, the Storm is the only BB with a touch screen and it has a long ways to go.

I use a BB Curve (8320) and it's far and away the best communications device I've ever used. The keyboard is fantastic and I use it constantly for email and texting my son. As a PDA it's minimally acceptable, but that's okay, since I didn't buy it to replace a PDA (I still use my Wing in Flight Mode as a PDA).

I'm pretty sure I've seen stories that the iPhone is outselling WM devices. WM is creaky and not always the most user friendly OS out there. (And I say this as someone that been using WM devices since PocketPC 2002). There's a reason the iPhone is doing so well -- using it is so easy and simple, which is what the "average" consumer wants. WM is really a bit too geeky for most ordinary folks, I think.

Other than flip phones the devices I see in the "wild" are Blackberries and iPhones by a huge margin. I see very few smartphones other these these devices. Says a lot about what RIM and Apple are doing right (but note that I see way more flip phones than either BBs or iPhones).

I suspect the Storm is going to die an ignoble death over time. The new Curve 8900 is getting RAVE reviews and the Bold has its share of great reviews as well. Phones like the Curve and the Bold are what RIM does well, and according to me, they should stick to their area of expertise and leave the touch phone idea alone.

[WyattEarp]

That's only one BlackBerry and on a different carrier. How did the Bold do, which is on AT&T? How about all BlackBerry models on the U.S. vs. the iPhone?

I've seen stories about the iPhone outselling Android and now the Storm, but none about Windows Mobile phones outselling the iPhone. Is that schadenfreude or biased journalism? ;)

Steve

Let's be real you can't compare BB, WM or any other phone (smart or not) to the iPhone on the simple fact that the iPhone is one form factor only. I nor any one should expect the iPhone to out sell a slew of phone models released one after another all running the same OS. I find a lot of these comparisons ridiculous and nothing more than link bait. Comparing to a particular model of the same or similar design and function okay but not to another company who only sell licenses and counts that as sales versus direct models. And yes MS is good for that. Hands down the iPhone is one of the best selling single form factor devices ever created.

[Macguy59]

T] Is that schadenfreude or biased journalism? ;)


Controversy where there is none. Schadenfreude is comparing a software platform to a single hardware device

[Pony99CA]

Neither the Bold nor the newest Curve are in the same league as the iPhone - they are not full screen touch devices. In fact, the Storm is the only BB with a touch screen and it has a long ways to go.
Whether they're in the same league or not isn't really the issue. This article is about sales of devices, so why not compare various ones? I could probably pick features that the iPhone has and the Storm doesn't and vice versa and say that makes the comparison unfair, too. They're all smart phones, though, so it's not completely comparing Apples and Berries. ;)

I'm pretty sure I've seen stories that the iPhone is outselling WM devices. WM is creaky and not always the most user friendly OS out there. (And I say this as someone that been using WM devices since PocketPC 2002). There's a reason the iPhone is doing so well -- using it is so easy and simple, which is what the "average" consumer wants. WM is really a bit too geeky for most ordinary folks, I think.
No arguments. However, according to Microsoft, there were 20 million Windows Mobile devices sold (I think that's actual sales, not sales of licenses) and 11 devices sold over 1 million units each.

I'm not saying that makes one better than the other, but as I said, I think there's either bias in which sales figures get covered (only ones where the iPhone wins) or schadenfreude in seeing a competitor get beaten.

I suspect the Storm is going to die an ignoble death over time. The new Curve 8900 is getting RAVE reviews and the Bold has its share of great reviews as well. Phones like the Curve and the Bold are what RIM does well, and according to me, they should stick to their area of expertise and leave the touch phone idea alone.
Didn't one of the co-CEOs say BlackBerry wouldn't do a touchscreen phone? The Storm was obviously created in response to the success of the iPhone. However, I don't think a company should be afraid to take risks and expand their horizons.

Microsoft did it with the Smartphone (non-touchscreen) platform years ago, Google is venturing into the OS game which isn't really their strength, so why shouldn't RIM? Like most new things, it takes a while to work the bugs out and get the feature set right. Even the iPhone is evolved from the original to the 3G.

Steve

[Pony99CA]

Let's be real you can't compare BB, WM or any other phone (smart or not) to the iPhone on the simple fact that the iPhone is one form factor only. I nor any one should expect the iPhone to out sell a slew of phone models released one after another all running the same OS.
Actually, the iPhone supposedly surpassed BlackBerry's market share in one quarter (and Windows Mobile, too), so it's not out of the realm of possibility.

However, having one form factor is Apple's choice. Nobody is preventing them from creating other form factors except themselves. (I'm not saying there aren't good reasons to stick with one form factor, mind you, just that it's their call.)

Steve

[Pony99CA]

Controversy where there is none. Schadenfreude is comparing a software platform to a single hardware device
Wrong on three counts.

First, it's not schadenfreude on my part. I wouldn't have mentioned WM sales if there weren't these (almost gloating) comparisons with other phones (first the G1, now the Storm).

Second, as I was talking about annual sales, Apple had two hardware devices on sale in 2008 -- the original iPhone and the 3G.

Third, I'm asking to compare the sales of devices using the Windows Mobile software platform to the sales of devices using the mobile OS X software platform, so it's perfectly fair. The fact that Apple has chosen not to license their OS or release additional form factors isn't under my control, and therefore not my problem.

Steve

[Spooof]

Don't cross the streams boys...

In my opinion cell and smart phones are a very personal devices and many people are passionate about what they like. I personally have used quite a few phones and almost all models of blackberrys. We have had to support a number of WM devices and I have never cared much for them (personal opinion). When compared to the effort to support a blackberry on BES WM tends to be more effort.

While iPhones are easy to manage on Exchange they are not without their issues. Email and contacts seems bullet proof but Calendar syncing has issues. Especially on reoccuring meetings that have been updated. It is constantly screwing up my calendar with respect to timezones and reoccuring meetings.

In the end you can argue about what is out selling who or what is better; however it comes down to what you use it for and what you value more. It is hard to get an apples to apples comparison.

...my 2 cents