Blackberry Outperform iPhone in Features and Users - Research Paper Example

?Introduction The research analyzes how BlackBerry outperforms iphone on features and users. My research is a comparative analysis between BlackBerryand iphone based on features, usability, sales and customer satisfaction. The research would analyze various secondary sources to come to a conclusion of how BlackBerry is currently performing globally in comparison to iphone. Through literature regarding the markets of both brands globally would be studied to come to a conclusion, thereby researching with the help of secondary research methodology. The conclusion of this research would highlight whether the initial perception of the researcher regarding BlackBerry outperforming iphone holds true or not. Methodology This research employed the benefits of secondary research. The primary source of secondary data for this research was journals, periodicals, e-articles and annual reports of these companies. . Internet, printed articles, books, videos etc will be used for collecting secondary data about iphone and blackberry. The secondary data collected though the research was analyzed through qualitative analysis. This involves relying on various sources for collecting the data, analyzing it comparatively and then arriving to conclusions. The sales data of the two brands would be interpreted using graphical techniques. Analysis The primary strength of both Apple and RIMM is its strong presence in the market. It could be realized from the fact that it is the world’s number one brand in Asia, US and Europe. This gives both the companies, the opportunity to promote their brands and make distributions channels for them easily. The analysis part involves analysis of features and usability of iphones and BlackBerry to conclude a better proportion. The iPhone from Apple is a device combining a mobile phone, an iPod (a separate product from Apple) including touch controls, and a device enabled to communicate through internet (Apple Annual Report , 2010). The iPhone is based on Apple’s Multi-touch user interface giving facilities of fast email, web browsing and many other features at a world class format. The device is compatible with both windows based PCs as well as Macintosh PCs. It also has a searching and maps feature used to give directions by connecting through internet (Apple Annual Report , 2010). The series of iPhone was launched into the market by announcing iPhone one, which was continuously upgraded by the company. The company has till now launched iPhone 4 and is planning to launch iPhone 5 in the coming few months. The iPhone 4 has many new features such as video calling including face time, high display and resolution, 5MP camera as well as a front camera, HD video recording (Apple Annual Report , 2010). The processor used by the company for this series was A4 processer. The price of iPhone as consistent with all Apple products was on the premium pricing format wherein the company employed cost plus pricing strategy to price the product (BlackBerry Vs iPhone, 2010). BlackBerry on the other hand has more variety of smartphones compared to that of Apple under its brand name. Recently the company had launched a new operating system named BlackBerry 6 for smartphones which distinguishes it from the other brands in the same category along with giving a disntingushed yet powerful experience to its users. The brand is registered by the company named Research in Motion (Reserach In Motion Annual Report, 2010). Majority of the company’s phones that are launched or had been launched in the market are equipped with multimedia capabilities, having music, high resolution camera, HD playback, high resolution gaming and access to applications with the help of BlackBerry App world. The categories of smartphone under BlackBerry includes BlackBerry Bold series, The BlackBerry Torch, BlackBerry Curve series, BlackBerry style, BlackBerry storm series, The BlackBerry Tour and the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet (Reserach In Motion Annual Report, 2010). The range of smartphones by BlackBerry is certainly higher as compared to that of Apple’s iPhone. Also within every series of BlackBerry, there are 2-3 models for the customers to choose from. Strong distribution channel is also one of the characteristic features of the BlackBerry (BlackBerry vs. iPhone: Who wins?, 2008). One of the primary success factors of BlackBerry over iPhone is its reach in the emerging markets. The sales of BlackBerry are their distribution network within emerging countries of India and China is quite high as compared to that of Apple’s iPhone who is more prominent in its native markets of US. In emerging countries, the brand of BlackBerry has a strong influence on the purchase decision of the buyer (BlackBerry Vs iPhone, 2010)s. BlackBerry smartphones have many superior features like messaging features. “Auto-text, auto-correct, text prediction, support for many languages, keyboard shortcuts, push notifications for email etc are some of the messaging features which are superior to iphone” (BlackBerry vs. iPhone: Who wins?, 2008). Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc can be easily accessed through blackberries. BlackBerry Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, Windows Live Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger and Yahoo Messenger are the instant message services available in blackberries. Even though, iphone has some of these features, it cannot work as smoothly as blackberries. Blackberries have superior browsing speed and superior message handling facilities compared to iphones (BlackBerry is being squeezed from all sides, 2001). The synchronization of BlackBerry is considered to be far better than that of iPhone. The best example for this is calendar synchronization. The BlackBerry automatically adjusts any changes in time and date whenever such changes are made in the desktop that is connected to the phones whereas synchronizing contact and calendar information in iPhone is not an easy process. The primary feature that iPhone has a upper hand is its accessibility through the use of touch screen which gives the user a real time experience with the picture quality of more than 25K pixels per inch of the smarphone. This can be regarded as the best in the industry (BlackBerry vs. iPhone: Who wins?, 2008). However, BlackBerry with faster operating systems and innovative technologies is constantly trying to match with that. Conclusion As analyzed in the analysis part, it can be concluded that BlackBerry has an edge over iPhone when it comes to usability, features and distribution network of smartphones globally. Other than features, primary success factor of BlackBerry over iPhone is its reach in the emerging markets. Also, the range of smartphones by BlackBerry is certainly higher as compared to that of Apple’s iPhone. Recently the company had launched a new operating system named BlackBerry 6 for smartphones which distinguishes it from the other brands in the same category along with giving a distinguished yet powerful experience to its users. Also the synchronization of BlackBerry phones with users and desktops is certainly higher as compared to iPhones. References (2010). Apple Annual Report . Apple. Apple prepping Wi-Fi iPhone for China. (2010, Mar 8). Retrieved May 9, 2011, from www.tuaw.com: http://www.tuaw.com/2010/03/08/apple-prepping-wi-fi-iphone-for-china/ BlackBerry is being squeezed from all sides. (2001, Feb). Retrieved May 8, 2011, from articles.sfgate.com: http://articles.sfgate.com/2006-02-06/business/17282481_1_e-mail-market-wireless-e-mail-mobile-e-mail BlackBerry Vs iPhone. (2010). Retrieved May 9, 2011, from www.sify.com: http://www.sify.com/finance/Blackberry-vs-iPhone-imagegallery-technology-jbvkFaifjbb.html BlackBerry vs. iPhone: Who wins? (2008). Retrieved May 9, 2011, from articles.moneycentral.msn.com: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/BlackBerryVsiPhoneWhoWins.aspx (2010). Reserach In Motion Annual Report. RIM. Read More