Knowlton Knows

Battle of the high-tech fruits

The war between Apple and Blackberry wages on. Which should we bank on?

Knowlton Thomas

he iPhone was originally
released in late June of 2007.
Two years less ten days later,

the third version, the all-powerful
3GS, was released. By this time,

the iPhone had some serious chart-
climbing skills. It is now clamouring
for top spots in many aspects of
mobile market domination. But it
isn’t without its competition. Apple’s
smartphone must contend with a
long-standing powerhouse. The Bold.
The Storm. The BlackBerry.

While the grand success of
Research In Motion (RIM), the
company that makes BlackBerry,
came to fruition nearly a decade
ago, it still stands to lose the legacy
it worked so hard to build. Unlike
the BlackBerry’s tortoise-esque
approach, Apple’s iPhone has taken
off like a hare, exploding on to the
mobile scene with astounding success
straight from the gates. That being
said, slow and steady has always
been a formula for performance and
growth, as demonstrated to perfection
by RIM. Thus far. But unfortunately
for them, in today’s world of rapid
change, a tortoise pace could leave
them in the dust for good.

As opposed to Apple’s
“revolution” in smartphone
development, BlackBerry has
made a living off of “evolutions.”
Continually and consistently
implemented, these subtle, refining
evolutions have worked for RIM.
However, Apple’s entry into the
market has done more than merely
create fresh competition. It has
exposed BlackBerry’s flaws.

The web browser on the
BlackBerry is outdated and feeble
compared to its competitors. There
are many less third-party apps

 

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available—well over 100,000 for the
iPhone, compared to just over 4,000
for the BlackBerry. And, worst of all,
there is no plan for any significant
overhaul in the near future. Executive
vice-president of Veritas Investment
Research warns darkly, “There will
be a rude awakening soon.”

But perhaps what BlackBerry
needs as much as an edge ina
redefined, savvy market is local
support. Little known is the fact that
RIM is a Canadian company, born
in small-town Waterloo, Ontario.
This alone is a feat; Canadian
companies seldom see some
expansive and phenomenal success.
Co-CEO Jim Balsillie offers the
notion that at the helm of RIM, he
“changed the world.” And while
this is fascinatingly inarguable, the
BlackBerry remains abandoned by
Canada. We Canadians have leapt on
the iPhone bandwagon, throwing our
money at the American Apple.

The BlackBerry is available
in 170 countries, more than double
that of the iPhone, but remains
loyally dedicated delivering its finest
products and services to home-
country Canada—a favour that is not
returned by Canadian consumers.

And now, throwing a wicked
wrench into an already chaotic
competition is Google’s Nexus One.
Using Google’s patented Android
operating system, the Nexus One
hopes to be a top competitor as well.
However, it is currently irrelevant
because Canada isn’t in on the action.
Yet.

As we swell with the pride
knowing that Canada has now won
gold on home soil, let us remember
that patriotism is not a bandwagon.
Support Canada for the long term. As
any sustainability promoter would
advocate, eat the locally grown
produce. It’s better for us all around.

—

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