All eyes were on Research In Motion (RIM) yesterday, as the company took the wraps off its new mobile operating system and first BlackBerry 10 devices.
In a surprise move, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins also announced the company is consolidating its brand and will from now on be known only as "BlackBerry". "From this point forward, RIM becomes BlackBerry. It is one brand; it is one promise," said Heins at a launch event in New York, which was live streamed via Web cast.
Heins personally unveiled the first two BlackBerry 10 handsets, the Z10 flagship all-touch device and the smaller Q10, which features the traditional qwerty keyboard.
The Z10 features a 4.2-inch display, with 1 280x768 resolution at a density of 356ppi. BlackBerry promises up to 10 hours 3G talk time and 13 days standby. The handset will also be available in LTE-capable models. The device is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU and 2GB RAM. There is also 16GB storage on the Z10, and a microSD slot. It features an 8MP, 1080p rear-camera and a 2MP, 720p front-facing camera. The handset is also near-field communication-capable, and starts shipping to some markets today.
BlackBerry says all South African carriers have announced they will carry the BlackBerry 10 handsets, but local pricing and availability are yet to be confirmed. However, according to 8ta, the Z10 will be available from its stores from 1 March.
The Q10 also features a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 2GB RAM and 16GB storage. It also has an 8MP rear camera and 2MP front camera. The display comes in at 3.1-inches and features an Amoled touch-screen with 720x720 pixel resolution. The Q10 will only go to market globally in April.
BlackBerry has also confirmed that BlackBerry 7 and BlackBerry 10 will co-exist, and the BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) will continue to be offered to BlackBerry 7 devices, but will not be available for the Z10 or Q10.
'Extensive value proposition'
World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck says: "It has been a fairly open secret that BIS is not compatible with BB10 - the former premised on tight control of a data stream through a proprietary architecture and compression technology; the latter is an open data environment designed to optimise the data stream.
"The question has been how they will migrate to a BIS-less environment and still look after the massive business generated by BIS. Well, clearly they have been busy! The two environments will coexist, so that people who still find the BIS proposition essential and are happy with the existing BB7 phones - and there are many at the mid- and low-end of the market who are - will be able to stick with what has worked for them," says Goldstuck.
"BB10 devices will be sold with data plans, and those data plans will become more attractive as data costs come down. One intriguing aspect of this mix is that it appears that BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) - which will still run through BlackBerry architecture - will be uncapped as part of any data plan. That would be clever thinking on the part of both the networks and BlackBerry."
BlackBerry also announced new features for BBM in BlackBerry 10, including video calling and screen sharing. Goldstuck says: "The hardware in itself is not sexy, but the extent of the integration of BlackBerry 10, the high functionality of BlackBerry 10, and the power of the device suggest those looking for something less closed than iOS and less confusing than Android will find a happy home here."
According to Goldstuck, the Z10's thickness may be a deal-breaker for some consumers. "The one thing they won't get is a super-thin device," he says. "The truth is the phone is no thicker than the iPhone 4, which many still swear by as a very cool device. The screen size, on the other hand, is substantially better than any of the iPhones."
Goldstuck says the stand-out features of BlackBerry 10 and Z10 include true multitasking, the screen size, rich app environment, ease of moving between apps, the messaging Hub, video chat and conferencing in BBM, the audio and video quality, and the quality accessories, among others. "This is an extensive value proposition," he says, adding that BlackBerry 10 has the potential to succeed if BlackBerry marketing is "as sharp globally as it has been in SA over the last three years".
Referring to the lack of BIS services for BlackBerry 10, Goldstuck expects there will be disappointment among consumers. "But it will disappear fairly fast if BlackBerry moves fast on resolving this gap.
"There is one parallel with the popularity of the old BlackBerry in SA: it was always a combination of factors, rather than only BIS, or only BBM or only the low cost of a high-end entry-level device. Same with BlackBerry 10: its value proposition is extensive, and a combination of features and factors will be responsible for any success it achieves."
Wider appeal?
Following the launch, Ovum analyst Adam Leach said: "The BlackBerry 10 platform offers a differentiated user experience in today's crowded and homogenous smartphone market. The BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 will stand out from the Android masses and look distinct from Apple's iPhone."
Leach adds that while BlackBerry 10 introduces nice new features, it also builds on BlackBerry's UI heritage and will therefore appeal to existing BlackBerry users. Leach says the challenge remains for BlackBerry to attract new users to the platform and entice former BlackBerry users to return.
"However, Ovum believes that despite a well-designed BlackBerry 10 platform, that will certainly attract short-term interest from existing users, the company will struggle to appeal to a wider audience and in the long-term will become a niche player in the smartphone market," says Leach.
Generally speaking, the initial reaction to BlackBerry 10 from tech commentators has been fairly positive, with many acknowledging the great work BlackBerry has done on the new features and growth of the BlackBerry World platform with apps and other content. BlackBerry announced there are over 70 000 applications on the new platform at launch - more than any other new platform in history.
Major apps already included on the platform are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Whatsapp, Angry Birds, Amazon Kindle and Skype, among others. The company has also said it is in talks with Netflix and Instagram to bring the apps to the platform.
Despite the positive sentiment, it has also been noted that it will remain a difficult task for BlackBerry to regain serious traction in the smartphone market. Reuters quotes Forrester analyst Charles Golvin as saying: "I don't think that RIM will return to its glory days. Success for them looks like staunching the bleeding and clawing back a percentage or point or two of market share."
Social buzz
On the social networks, sentiment is split between those who still deem BlackBerry handsets as outdated, and those who are excited to get their hands on the new devices. These are some of the tweets about BlackBerry 10 doing the rounds on Twitter:
"I love my iPhone, but I'm VERY curious to see what these #BlackBerry10 phones are all about."
"I was thinking of changing my BB for an iPhone but now I'm not sure. I love the #BlackBerry10."
"BlackBerrys are one of the worst phones to get. Can't see why someone would want one. #BlackBerry10"
"Would have to say RIM's new BlackBerry 10 OS looks pretty damn good. Not gonna be a market topper but some really nice UI touches in there!"
"#BlackBerry10 reviews so far show cautious optimism & polite applause. I'm rather bummed BIS won't apply. That's half their edge."