It's Official: Blackberry Storm Is No iPhone Killer
The Blackberry Storm gales just weren't strong enough to wash away Apple's iPhone success. Between its average reviews and customer complaints over bugs and OS stability, the Storm seems to have severely underperformed in customer satisfaction. And now, the latest figures from Blackberry maker Research In Motion (RIM) show that it has underperformed in sales, too.
Only half million Blackberry Storm devices were sold in the U.S. since November, according to the Wall Street Journal . During the same holiday period, Apple sold more than two million iPhones, totaling over a quarter of the North American smartphone market. RIM's shares have also dropped more than 5 percent since news broke that Storm users are still unhappy with their experience on the device.
Speculation from various sources blames Blackberry Storm's woes on the phone's software glitches, crashes, and bugs. Many of these these problems occurred because of Research In Motion's eagerness to make the Storm available in time for the 2008 holiday season, starting with Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year.
RIM tried to address users' complaints and released a software fix for the Blackberry Storm in December. Despite that fix, many users remained unsatisfied with the device's basic functionality, such as the lack of a conventional QWERTY keyboard when the phone is used in portrait mode-a feature that's available on the iPhone and other touch-screen smart phones. RIM officials acknowledged Storm's further software issues and promised another update that will solve many of the phone's problems.
But the Blackberry Storm will soon face even more competition. A new smartphone battle is coming up this year with the imminent launch of Palm's much-hyped Pre. Nokia is also joining the game with its N97, so RIM should address users' concern quickly.
PC World
Sign up for ITworld's Daily newsletter
Follow ITworld on Twitter @IT_world
On Twitter now
blackberry
Powered by Twitter
jfruh
Apple syncing patent can't come soon enough
pasmith
New Twitter features borrow from 3rd party clients
Esther Schindler
Open Source Changes the Software Acquisition Process
mikelgan
How to set up continuous podcast play on the new iTunes
David Strom
Five important Windows 7 mobility features
sjvn
Guard your Wi-Fi for your own sake
Sandra Henry-Stocker
Grepping on Whole Words
Sidekick: The Good News & the Bad News
Either way you look at it Microsoft Data Center management did not follow standards or best practices in this failure. In which case it makes me wonder more about the outsourcing of corporate data much less personal data.
- mburton325
Join the conversation here
Quick, practical advice for IT pros. Made fresh daily.
Want to cash in on your IT savvy? Send your tip to tips@itworld.com. If we post it, we'll send you a $25 Amazon e-gift card.
ummm
ok every iphone 1st gen owner could not deny tat it wasnt the greatest phone when it came out. the storm is still very new and come sometime this month there releasing there official OS which will soon be the iphone killer. in that update there will added: app world, faster touch response, better camera options, a fix for the keyboards to allow you to see what your pressing, longer battery life, update to sound and visual drivers, faster navigation through menus, and more. just wait...バッテリー
大阪でバッテリー販売。 セルモーターリビルト。 オルタネーターリビルト。リビルト在庫多数。大阪で電装品販売。リンク品在庫多数。大阪でウイング車モーター修理・販売・在庫多数。大阪でパワーゲート車モーター修理・販売・在庫多数。blackberry storm (crapberry)
everyone keeps talking about apps,updates etc. thats all good if your in the US but the apps only good in US,im in austaliahow long do we wait,i will never purchase another blackberry again,they are just not good enough.
by the time they get their act together they would have lost alot of customers.thats called K A R M A.