BlackBerry Users Fleeing, Says Gadget Buyer
BlackBerry Users Fleeing, Says Gadget Buyer
Posted 10/25/2011 at 2:44pm
| by Ryan Whitwam
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Gazelle is a service that buys old gadgets, and pays out cash and gift cards, but there’s one type of trade-in that’s been conspicuously up in recent days. According to the company, there has been an 80% jump in people selling their BlackBerry smartphones since last week. This smashes the already high record number of sales early in the month.
There are likely two reasons for the new exodus from BlackBerry. First, and most obviously, is last week's huge server outage at RIM that left users worldwide without service for several days. RIM has offered a $100 credit for app purchases, but users are apparently unimpressed. The other factor is the release of the iPhone 4S.
Gazelle also reports an uptick in Android trade-ins, but mostly from the Sprint network where there was probably a pent up demand for an iPhone. Do you think RIM can turn this around?
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Holly Golightly
October 26, 2011 at 7:37am
I love Blackberry, but they are making it hard to want them in the future. What they need to do is get serious with that Playbook. That thing has been incomplete for the longest. I should not have to bridge a tablet to a phone. As for the phones are concerned... All I have to say is "plastic." Cheap, non-biodegradeable plastic. All phones should be made out of some sort of metal. It can be any type metal. Does not have to be Aluminum per se. Design, it seems that they have not changed their design since 2008. Give me the Blackberry Bold 9980 R4 Knight, and we'll talk business! Lastly, apps. Gosh Blackberry App World is so gloomy. They all just need to run Android apps and call it a day.
schwit
October 26, 2011 at 7:34am
RIM is the modern version of Lotus.
- Take your existing customers for granted
- Assume new custmers will choose you because you are the market leader
- Don't innovate
- FailRIM should have moved away from the centralized server paradigm.
They should have moved to Android or Windows OS. The apps markets are compelling.
They should have developed business focused applications that mimic the best of a centralized server model relating to device management, security and control.
clark1566
October 26, 2011 at 3:49am
I just upgraded from my BB Bold 9700 to a Samsung Focus Windows Phone 7. It wasn't that anything was wrong with my BB and I was unaffected by the outage. BlackBerry's are very good at what they do. It's just that what they do is very limited. And my needs changed. I think if anything I lost faith in BB's management to create phones that keep up with the needs of today's users. I am very impressed with my new phone. The Mango update is fantastic. There is so much built in to the OS that I need very few apps! Maybe the new tag line for the WP7's should be "You don't need an app for that!".
Breakingcustom
October 25, 2011 at 7:32pm
I have to work on our BES server more than I have to touch Android phones. It's so much simpler to setup email on your phone and less issues with email syncing, calendars, etc. Like with any Hosted Email, especially Exchange, Blackberries don't play nice. We are trying to ban BB's completely and if you have one we won't support it.
Asterixx
October 25, 2011 at 5:46pm
I hated my Curve so much due to freezing (it would frequently freeze just when I was about to end a call, and would remain connected until I pulled the battery), slowness and the general lack of apps and updates from RIM, that I had it disconnected and instead activated a cheapy LG Rumour phone just to ride out my contract. After I had it disconnected I continued to use it as an MP3 player until even that stopped working. This past Saturday I took it to the rifle range and ventilated it with my .30-06. This isn't the first time I vented my spleen on an inanimate object at the range - last year it was a headlight assembly from a Mercedes C230 Kompressor that gave me a hard time replacing it. Don't piss me off when deer season is approaching. But I digress...
I'll be going Android when the contract has expired. I might even go *gasp* Apple, merely for the apps. One thing is certain - RIM will never see my money again.
Side note: I see that the word verification thingy that makes posting a pain for legit users is working wonderfully for the spammers. Just like DRM, it inconveniences normal people while at the same time not doing what it is intended to do...
ashinms
October 25, 2011 at 4:56pm
Why does maxpc hate on blackberry so much? I love my torch, and I know of a lot of other blackberry users out there who love their BBs...
techuman
October 26, 2011 at 6:56am
It’s not hate. You can love your phone. No one is saying anything about that. I have a Blackberry myself. They are indeed great and pretty much secure phones. But compared to other Mobile OSs (not only android), Blackberrys simply fall short. When it comes to messaging and communication they are great at what they do but other than that such as apps and other tools they don’t perform. I haven’t used any of the OS 7 devices so I won’t know how that works. The blackberry just seems plain and limited for users who want more from their phone. When my BB has reached its end I myself will be looking to a new platform.
kixofmyg0t
October 25, 2011 at 5:43pm
Because it's vastly inferior to any Android phone released in the last 3 years. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED my Blackberry's back in the day. I had a Storm2 up until March(didn't even last a full year).
Blackberry's ARE good phones in their own repsect....but you have to admit they ARE simply outclassed by Android.
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