 |
of course they are more profitable. when every damn app in the market is a paid app (PlayBook Angrybirds for $5 vs. free on my SG2) they are destined to make money. Offer up a better selection of apps at a more affordable ...
Alec Saunders, VP of Developer Relations, took the stage at BlackBerry DevCon Europe this morning to declare some stats and set the record straight on some myths, kinda rubbing it in to the doubters:
Myth busted: BlackBerry App World has more paid downloads than the Android Market, 2nd most profitable app store after Apple, generates 40% more profit than the Android market apps, 13% of BlackBerry developers have make over $100,000 or more from BlackBerry App World apps.
In addition, it was also announced that the BlackBerry App World reached the 2 billion download mark in January 2012, currently has 60,000 available apps and available in over 26 countries.
The Android Market has about 400,000 available apps, over 11 billion app downloads. Apple’s App Store has over 15 billion app downloads with over 425,000 apps.
Here’s another cool stat that came out of the presentation today, especially since the PlayBook 2.0 is going to be available this month: 90% of BlackBerry PlayBook owners upgrade to the latest OS within one month of it being made available.
All of these are impressive, yet very shocking numbers above. Showing these stats will help RIM rebuilt their credibility in the market. Now we just need the PlayBook 2.0 OS and the new BlackBerry 10 devices to launch.
Too bad people who mostly buy Blackberry Apps (baby boomers) are “dying breed”. Younger generation has moved on to Android, IOS or Windows Phone 7 devices.
Posted by TomatoGuy | February 7, 2012, 8:25 am According to the second slide: there are 6 million apps downloaded per day; while the article claims 75 million. Syrup, please fix that. (that’s about 8%)
That says it all: RIM operations are still huge but at the end of the day they only bring $265 in profit. And that was in Q3! Q4 is going to be worse..
Posted by Spinners | February 7, 2012, 10:19 am Too bad developers do not want to wait 10-15 years to see those pre-teen kiddys ready to finally put down a buck or two to buy their app.
Posted by Hum? | February 7, 2012, 9:25 am That’s only because blackberries main audience consists of teenage girls and business men.
Anyone who basically wants to join a AWS carrier like WIND, wants a smartphone with basic features, and doesn’t want any Android or Symbian will choose a BlackBerry. This is a wise move for RIM, and is helping them stay alive and sell at least modestly, compared to just targeting Big 3. There are no AWS iOS devices. For Windows Phone 7, it’s possible to use the Nokia Lumia 710 on AWS, and there is the HTC Radar to be released on Vidéotron and hopefully WIND too!
So, the RIM demographic does include teens, not just girls, as well as many people who want a physical keyboard and good service prices.
Myth #4 busted: it may be okay for a regular price, especially for an enterprise, but for the regular customer who wants this in “a small purse, or a pocket” (TELUS), one can only hope it goes on sale, like those $350 Curve 9360. Let’s compare it to the HTC Panache, which itself is very similar hardware-wise to the Nexus S:
* The Panache and Bold have 8 GB of internal memory, whereas the Nexus S has 16 GB; the Panache apparently has only 1.2 GB free, which is really bizarre. But even if this is true, it includes a bonus 8 GB on a microSD. The other phones don’t include a card.
* Both have five-megapixel cameras, but whereas the Panache shoots in 720p (Nexus in wide VGA), the Bold only shoots in regular VGA.
* The Panache has an FM radio, but the Bold and Nexus S do not have this feature, which is great for saving on Internet costs and speeds.
* While this has little to do with the device itself, the BIS Internet plans for the Bold can offer better value than the pay-per-megabyte plans for the Panache and Nexus S.
* The Bold 9790 costs $400 at regular price, while the Nexus S and Panache were initially sold at $500 each, before being permanently lowered to $300 each.
RIM’s Bold 9790 was a good attempt to make a midrange device, but unfortunately, it lacks the FM radio and 720p camcorder that other phones in this price range have. Maybe if Mobilicity sold the 9790, it would be sold for less at their store.
Posted by WP74Life | February 7, 2012, 9:19 am 9790 its a good phone for $300-350 but you can’t update it and reselling value its only going to drop. Compare that to the Nexus S, a model from last year coming up at $300-350 upgradable to Adnroid 4 and usable for another year at least, with a very stable re-selling value. If you do a straight comparison Android will win. 9700 should be $250 and 9790 $300. One ob RIM’s biggest problem now is that “They think” they are STILL a desirable premium brand.
Posted by RichardR | February 7, 2012, 12:21 pm I’m always surprised by how many free apps there are on the Android Marketplace, mind you they usually have ads instead.
i personally find the HP TouchPad to be a better value, but for those who couldn’t get one, the BlackBerry Playbook is a good choice, too. It sure seems small, however. Does anyone else find this?
Posted by Alex Perrier | February 7, 2012, 8:39 am Sure… if it came from the mouth of an independent source (i.e. someone that doesn’t work at RIM).
Posted by Hum? | February 7, 2012, 9:28 am of course they are more profitable. when every damn app in the market is a paid app (PlayBook Angrybirds for $5 vs. free on my SG2) they are destined to make money. Offer up a better selection of apps at a more affordable rate and you might see these numbers skewed in Apple/Android direction.
Posted by Alex Perrier | February 7, 2012, 8:59 am PLaybook apps don’t have an Ad platform yet. So that’s why all the apps are paid. Until RIM releases official ad support, don’t expect developers to offer their apps for free. They have to make money.
Posted by Spinners | February 7, 2012, 10:28 am You guys do realize that BB is the most popular smartphone in MANY countries overseas, and is only gaining market share. Hopefully their market share will improve here in North America once the BB10 devices are released.
However, lots of this doesn’t have to do with market share, because of a smaller userbase and less apps, they’ll generally be priced higher.
Reply to this comment Where’s the proof? I highly doubt their market makes more money than Android. All blackberry owners I have known never purchased an app. I have seen them download a couple apps but nothing compared to Apple and Android users. And if your proof is that BB said so is BS. If Bill gates said Windows Phone has the most market share, then does it make it true? No! Everyone just wants to target Android and shoot it down because its growing faster than any other OS ever did and they’re all scared.
Ok both of you just take a pill. I love my Galaxy Nexus and my Playbooks (that’s plural – both the wife and I). You can enjoy both worlds without douchenozzling it up. That is all.
75million users (which is a number brom Q3 report, and probably lower than that now) and 6 million apps per day or 8%; that’s nothing to brag about!
A smartphone is just a tool. Each tool is good for some purposes. If you use your smartphone as a mp3 player, then iPhone can be one of your choices.
I do not listen to music on my phone. I do not play games. I mostly use it for e-mails, text messages, calendar and WEB. And I am sure that BlackBerry with keyboard is the BEST FOR ME. And BlackBerry has all apps that I need. I think it’
One of mine friends wanted to convince me that IPhone is the best because it has lots of software developed for it. What I understood, it was that he installed more than hundred apps but he does not know how they work because he played with them no more than 15 – 30min after installation and forgot about them after that.
Madonna was asked “Would you ever give up everything for love?” on Anderson Cooper’s talk show, she replied “Well, I mean, what is everything? I won’t give up my BlackBerry.”
Reply to this comment Why would I rejoice for RIM? Their crappy phone only lasted me 6 months and was the worst OS I have ever used. Plus their phones are ugly as hell. I want some evidence on these stats. The only thing RIM has going for them is that they’re Canadian but the people running the company don’t know what to do with it to gain their market share back. Their BBX devices when launched are going to outdated hardware wise. Why spend $600-700 on a BBX device when I can spend the same on a Samsung Galaxy SIII when its released?
Reply to this comment RIM is taking the Apple approach: making up lies, believing in their lies, and trying to convince the general public in their lies.
Actually if you look at the top grossing apps (top 20 or so) on the android market, they are mostly freemium. So they make all their money through micropayments.
Also, Rovio makes a lot of money but they aren’t even in the top 20. The top 20 is dominated by freemium apps which operate with a micro-payment system. This causes people to spend more money on the game than they would if they just made a single payment.
Posted by Thoughtful | February 7, 2012, 1:15 pm Too bad that Blackberry can’t figure out how to be fast and efficient like other technologies!! By the time it takes for Blackberry to open a link, someone just bought 5 Apple phones, dealt with the transaction and made it back to work ontime! Meanwhile, Blackberry is still LOADING! Argh LAME and Frustrating!