[Ben]

This article is a little harsh, but alarmingly there have been several since BlackBerry unveiled its Torch touch-screen handset yesterday, so here it is! http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2010/08/underwhelming-blackberry-spells-doom-for-rim/

Is BlackBerry really set for a fall? A lot of the pieces I've read have been putting BlackBerry as a manufacturer in iOS and Android land, and, lets face it, that's not where it lives at all.

I've never thought of a BlackBerry as comparable to other types of smartphone. I've always thought of it as an enterprise device, that has also attracted a niche of end-user buyers, particularly women ;) Though that end-user segment has, in my own little cross-section of phone owners, taken a battering by iPhone 3GS and 4.

Yes, the Storm was a problem for BlackBerry. Such an ill-conceived touchscreen handset so obviously targeting growth in the consumer segment must have somewhat tarnished their slick image. Other than having a seriously lame name, the Torch doesn't look set to be a repeat of the Storm. In other words, it should be a good crossover device, appealing to both enterprise at the top and also the end-user.

What RIM needs to focus on is keeping enterprise happy. The consumer space is cutthroat, and I personally don't think it's one that RIM needs to tackle it. Just from being big in enterprise it'll pick up a niche, and yes, it should continue to have at least one handset in the range designed to appeal more to consumers than enterprise. But those big orders for handsets and its software aren't going to be coming from consumers, they're going to be coming from IT departments. Margins need to be kept high, and the device range needs to be such that, while catering for all budgets, it's easy enough to up-sell to the more expensive models.

It's almost never a good strategy to play defence. So, RIM, don't! There's tonnes of enterprise market share for you to soak up yet. Go even more aggressive on the business markets and make sure that you don't ruin everything trying to cram a consumer experience into the world's only true enterprise line of devices.

[Hands0n]

The BlackBerry is firmly entrenched in the Enterprise space and, unless they lose the plot completely, it is likely to remain so. Quite apart from all of the features that Enterprise likes the BlackBerry is a very cost effective device for business, and more so with each passing year. On top of all of that, Enterprise trusts BlackBerry completely - and for very good reason too.

Apple have tried to encroach into the Enterprise space and is doing so with some little success. But at the price that an iPhone shifts for it is simply too expensive. Typically, the iPhone in Enterprise is about three times as much as a BlackBerry to acquire. Then there are the running costs which can be higher than for a BlackBerry. And so the list goes on.

I think RIM may well be making a mistake by trying to enter into the the mainstream retail market, that occupied by the likes of you and I. There are, already, very much more capable and sophisticated devices. Users of iPhone or Android shifting to BlackBerry are likely to be in for some disappointment. I know this from personal experience where I ran a six week experiment of running a BB Bold 9700, the flagship model of the day. It was a good handset, and one that I would have enjoyed immensely if I had not previously used iPhone and Android handsets. For me, stepping across to the BB Bold 9700 was a backward step in very many ways.

So, turning to the BlackBerry Torch I observe a device that looks an awful lot like the Palm Pre in physical design, and with a disappointing spec particularly in the display screen that has very unkindly been called the Cataract display.

In my opinion the BB Bold 9700 is an excellent and well specified handset and their OS5 is fine for it. What they should have done is update the spec on the Bold 9700, introduce a higher resolution screen for example, and see about bringing the price down through mass production. With the Torch they have brought ridicule upon themselves and may find that it sticks for some time to come yet. For sure, it will not hurt Enterprise who will ignore the Torch completely.