In late September, RIM announced their newest product, the PlayBook, hoping to gain market share in the tablet world. Along with the purchase of QNX, RIM’s future looks promising and many fear that it will gain an unfair competitive advantage. However, RIM is sticking its neck out into a market that has been dominated by the Apple iPad since its release in early 2010. Apple has set great “barriers of entry” by setting a very high standard and has an almost invincible reputation. In order for RIM to succeed, it must catch up with Apple’s technology and gain the consumers’ trust. Microsoft will soon hit the same wall with its ambition of targeting the Smartphone market.
Microsoft released its new mobile phone operating system called the Windows Phone 7 hoping to “recoup lost ground from Apple and Google” Microsoft unveils its Windows Phone 7. Although its new software received some strong early reviews, “It’s a gamble” said Al Hilwa, an analyst at IDC. It is shifting its focus away from corporate users to retail consumers, just as RIM is aiming its Playbook. Microsoft is dancing around in a market that is dominated by Blackberry and iPhone See Statistics. Will we see a third major competitor in that field? Perhaps not. In the short run, the company will face a tough obstacle trying to gain market share in the Smartphone market. Although the market will become more elastic as other companies and Microsoft catch up with the game, Apple and RIM are already ahead of everyone else. It would be smarter to target a whole new group of consumers or focus on what it does the best, computer software. Who knows if one day Apple OS will overtake Windows as Microsoft raises its sights.