Yup…I went there. I am going to talk a little bit about the biggest rivalry in the world of technology. RIM and Apple are the market leaders in the smartphone world! It is inevitable that my classmates have a Smartphone and the chances of it being a blackberry or Iphone is almost probable. About two years ago, marketing enthusiast, Duran, blooged: Iphone vs. Blackberry: Business for fun. He makes an interesting point in saying that “the blackberry is much more of a business phone and appeals to many people in high-end business, while IPhone appeals more to the entertainment side of costumers”. I believe that this point still holds true even 2 years later, although Blackberry is presently re-imaging themselves to appeal to IPhone’s target segment. With the new Android smartphones coming out, RIM and Apple are in for a treat. This second entrant has the technical ability to buckle into both innovators market segment (now that they have overseen the market and capitalized on BB & Iphones weaknesses); however, they will only prove stronger than the industry leaders if they can market themselves effectively (Google should’nt have a problem doing this). In my opinion, Blackberry and IPhone need to concentrate on their strengths. Blackberry is strong at providing for the upscale, high-income business man/woman that wants efficiency and security. Iphone can provide for the high-income person that is looking for convenience, is tech-savy and fun. With the Google Android peering around the corner, there could be another winning smartphone that puts a competitive twist in the marketplace.
