Tag Archives: Apple

10/30/13

BlackBerry makes a comeback

As an android user for as long as I can remember, I had never gotten the chance to use the BBM service that only BlackBerry devices offered back when it was popular a few years ago. But when BBM was recently made available to Android and Apple users, I am finally able to use features such as chat service and barcode scanning — at zero cost.

After losing its ground in the international market awhile back, I think that the new-found popularity of BBM has definitely helped in bettering the market’s impression of BlackBerry as a whole. This can be evident by the fact that there has been an additional 20 million active BBM users after the free offering has been launched.

However popular BlackBerry has become once again, there are many uncertainties that still lie ahead. The main concern currently is how BlackBerry is able to grow in the market and sustain profits WHILE offering the free service. At the same time, BlackBerry also has to compete head-to-head with WhatsApp, a free and downloadable service that offers similar features as BBM, but has more than four times its active monthly users. To increase its revenues, I think that BlackBerry should invest on connecting its chat app service to social networks in order to keep the contents relevant to users. Similar to social networks, users may be much more interested in using BlackBerry’s service if there is a profile for each user to upload and share their photos and videos with all their contacts.

 

Sources:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/blackberry-boasts-of-smashing-success-with-20-million-new-bbm-users/article15134557/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/business-technology/incredible-demand-for-blackberrys-bbm-service/article15033416/

10/5/13

iPhone 5s/ 5c: is it worth the price to upgrade?

With the new release of the iPhone 5s merely two weeks ago, it has been reported by Canaccord that the iPhone 5C is already undergoing “very strong sales” and predicts that it will sell over 52 million iPhones internationally during the last quarter in 2013 . In addition to this, the new Apple product has already stepped over the Samsung Galaxy S4 and is on its way to becoming “the top-selling smartphone” among the four major carriers in the U.S. Not only do the new iPhones now have better colour options, but they also have advanced technological features such as touch ID and improved camera. Although this may all sound very appealing to the vast majority, many consumers have difficulties deciding whether it is worth the price (which ranges from $199 to $849, depending on whether it is on-contract or not) to upgrade, but only to find Apple launching a better version in the near-future; and as far as the trend has gone so far, that may potentially happen. However, it is almost without a doubt if that ever occurs, Apple will be able to achieve this as a result of its strong reputation and consumers’ loyalty, regardless of the price.

Apple iPhone 5S release