mobile
Survey: RIM Struggling Vs. Apple, Google
- by Aaron Baar , March 15, 2010
Apple and Google are gaining in
appeal among smartphone users, but RIM seems to be struggling with loyalty, concludes a brand loyalty survey conducted by Crowd Science. According to the online survey, 90% of iPhone and Android users said they planned to stick with their current phone brand and platform when buying their next phone. By contrast, 40% of BlackBerry users would prefer an iPhone as their next smartphone purchase, while a third of them said they would also switch to an Android-powered phone.
"[RIM]'s got a tough road ahead," John Martin, CEO of Crowd Science, tells Marketing Daily. "The BlackBerry as a brand just isn't garnering the loyalty seen with other mobile operating systems."
The opportunity for Android, however, seems to be with BlackBerry users rather than with iPhone users. Only 9% of iPhone users said they would switch to an Android-based Nexus One phone. (The number jumped to 60% for users of smartphones not made by RIM or Apple.) According to the survey, Android users tended to be younger and more affluent than iPhone and BlackBerry users. "Google has done a more than reasonable job in just getting awareness out there," Martin says. "The Android has made an impact."
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Despite the lack of brand loyalty, RIM remains the leader in smartphone market share, due mostly to its business-friendly platform. (IPhone and Android users were much more likely to use their phones for personal use over the BlackBerry users, many of whom may have their phones supplied by their workplace.) "That's the inertia; they are provided by business [clients]," Martin says. "There's so much upside for iPhone and Android to be introduced to businesses that aren't being tapped."
Both the iPhone and the Droid have to adapt new functionality to be suitable for business use, and the iPhone, at least, is proving resistant. They must be able to sync with Outlook easily. Without that, they might as well be paperweights. Also, multi-tasking and an integrated unified mailbox are minimum basic requirements.
I really want a Nexus One, but until it can address my daily needs, it will just be someone else's cool toy. In the meantime, I'm off to get a new Blackberry.
See Shelly Palmer's review of the HTC phone that comes with a virus.
An online survey? Sure, based on a "sample" of what? Online surveys are a dubious at best methodology to gauge customer loyalty. Who conducted the survey? How? Audience metrics? There is absolutely no way for you to conclude that BlackBerry users are "struggling" with loyalty. Anyone can game an online survey tool. When I look at research from trusted sources like Gartner, IDC, and Forrester; review financial results that contain actual subscriber data and market share numbers, your assertion doesn't hold any water.
I actually work in the wireless industry. Your assertion is dubious. You must be a closeted fanboi envy, perhaps?
If my experience with an HTC product is any indication, I wouldn't be dumping RIM shares just yet.
I purchased an HTC Dream (G1) for $550 from Rogers in Canada. Android OS 1.5
The phone is no longer supported by HTC so OS upgrades (1.6, 2.0) are unavailable. Rogers will not honor the product so I have a $550 brick that is not yet 1 year old.
The real kicker is that all the interesting apps and even the marketplace to purchase these apps require 1.6 or better.
So if Nexus One (HTC built) is to become the next big thing, there is a lot of housekeeping to consider IMO.
BTW - I have never owned a Blackberry or iPhone
Anybody remember the old ads featuring the guy with the eye patch and the tagline: "Who's that man in the Hathaway shirt?"
"Who's that man with the new Droid?" just doesn't have the same ring.