Who will win the SmartPhone wars: BB, iPhone or Android and why?

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August 17, 2010 by Big Orange Slide

19 Comments

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19 Comments on "Who will win the SmartPhone wars: BB, iPhone or Android and why?"

Ian Mackenzie
August 17, 2010 @ 9:59 am

Consumers will win.
Wes Dean
August 17, 2010 @ 10:04 am

Ian very good point. This fierce competition is just going to make the phones get better and better to ‘one-up’ each other.

iPhone will win this battle.
Miranda Voth
August 17, 2010 @ 10:21 am

I’m looking for a new phone and at work, iPhone wins (I’m ostracized daily for considering buying the iPhone 3gs at this point).

But at home, BB wins (friends + family have blackberrys and value Canadian brands).

I’m not sure where I should try to fit in. I’m so confused.
Ron Wolf
August 17, 2010 @ 10:23 am

It depends how a winner is classified.

Android will be used by more people as it’ll be on nearly every device but iPhone will remain top of mind as the higher quality device.

I think BB has been out of the race for a while and will not stand a chance. Torch was a BIG disappointment.
Eric Floresca
August 17, 2010 @ 10:24 am

Yeah in this epic fight we all win, although I think Blackberry and Nokia need to step up their game a level so they can compete or they risk being stuck in the quicksand.

The best thing is that as we move from 3G to 4G over the next 5 years each manufacturer can reset the clock in a way and maybe someone else will be able to challenge the Apple kingdom. I love their products but I would still pay to see that fight and hope it comes so Apple doesn’t rest on its laurels. That is the risk when you get as successful as they are and you can see it slowly begin to creep in.
Jonathan Dunn
August 17, 2010 @ 10:43 am

Agree with Ian and Ron, but one thing that’s not been mentioned is the role of carriers. Consumers will continue to be only partial winners as long as extended contracts, carrier installed bloatware and high data roaming costs are the norm. All 3 are limiting factors in consumers being able to fully take advantage of their devices and evolve concurrently with the device market.. It’s an issue that’s only going to become more relevant as smartphone penetration and use rises.

P.S. Android cloud connected services are a big threat to iPhone in terms of capabilities. I expect iPhone to continue to lead the way in industrial design and sex appeal. BB disappointing but is well entrenched in enterprise space and gaining ground w. youth thanks to BBM. Teetering on a knife edge though…
Jakob
August 17, 2010 @ 10:44 am

Agreed with the above. iPhone will win hands down. Once people taste the Apple interface, they’ll never go back.
GentlemanNik
August 17, 2010 @ 11:01 am

iPhone will be the victorious winner I would imagine. and purely down to its marketing department.
Apple has from the start marketed itself as a small independent company (even though its more than twice the size of RIM), which creates this atmosphere around them that they are consumer friendly. They promote their product as if it was built for you. With one of the best user interfaces and operating systems, allowing even the most technophobe to be able to use it.
Blackberry also still suffers from the stigma of being the ’suits’ (Yuppie) communication tool (especially in Europe).
The only negative that Apple suffers from is its exclusivity to network carriers (AntennaGate pretty much effects most phones) Whereas RIM (the erly adapters) philosophy was to allow for all networks. Maybe in the days ahead, the two different philosophies will deliver some interesting results. RIM’s value proposition to carriers is well established where Apple’s is not.
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August 17, 2010 @ 11:03 am

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Eric Floresca and Grip Limited, miranda. miranda said: #BigOrangeSlide Q of the Day: Who will win the SmartPhone wars: BB, iPhone or Android and why? http://bit.ly/cuzQwq answer in the comments [...]
Warren Haas
August 17, 2010 @ 11:07 am

The Google Phone.

Oh, wait.
Brook Johnston
August 17, 2010 @ 12:13 pm

The iPhone will continue to win. Raw sex appeal and unrivaled in user interface and sophistication.

Like a Megan Fox/Stephen Hawking love child…if that child had built-in wifi and wonky antennas.
Dondy Razon
August 17, 2010 @ 12:44 pm

I’ll make some bold predictions!

1.) Windows Phone 7 will be a second or third place contender in 2 years time. MS has the money and time to back it up! MS will also have their own branded phones. 3 different types.

2.) It will become harder and harder for Google to make newer versions of Android that manufacturers will be willing to adapt.

3.) RIM will refocus its energy into creating devices and software for business users. They will create a spinoff brand for other consumers.

4.) Apple will fix the iPhone antenna and chalk it to design enhancement in about a year and a bit. Will also go back to defence campaign as Android and WP7 gains more ground.

I don’t personally think anyone will win! They will keep competing and consumers will keep spending and buying products they convinced themselves they need but really just want :)
nik / nQuo
August 17, 2010 @ 12:53 pm

Agreed with Ian – consumers will win.*

On the other end, it depends on what ‘winning’ is defined as. If it’s sales/popularity, it’s Android (the ‘Windows’ of mobile, but for free).

If it’s product quality/innovation/user experience, it’s iPhone.

BlackBerry is slipping – clumsy interface, boring hardware – the only strong suits it has is security and messaging/typing. And after the ban in Saudi Arabia, it’s debatable…

It will be interesting to see what HP can do with webOS, and whether Windows Phone 7 will be able to catch up.

*Unless Google gets the upperhand in wireless net neutrality by convincing carriers/government to give priority to Android devices. Then non-Android users would lose.
Mat
August 17, 2010 @ 1:19 pm

Android. Why?

1. iPhone is closed. It’s got a big hold right now, sure, but the race ain’t over yet and Android is still young. With Android, however, you’re free to find different kinds of phones with different features on different carriers. More freedom = more win.

2. BB is old hat. It’s browser is useless. I see them getting replaced by more modern smartphones, especially iPhones. Does it have an App store? Even if it did, I’m sure it sucks. As a developer, I don’t know anyone developing for BB. I see people developing for iPhone and Android. Lately, been seeing more Android development. The only people I know using BB are older folks who aren’t technically inclined, but need them for work. Not a growing segment, if you ask me.

3. Android is young and a little buggy, sure. I moved from an iPhone to Android and haven’t looked back since. The iPhone is a great mp3 player and a fun gadget, but totally useless as a phone. Got dropped calls all the time, even with full bars. My Nexus One hardly drops calls. You might say AT&T service blows, but try it on a Nexus One instead of an iPhone and you’ll notice big differences.

4. If you need to give away a special case just to make the reception on the phone actually work, then there’s some product design flaws there. My iPhone 3GS lasted six months before it got really scratched up and the back of the screen was full of dust and I was using a case. It’s been over six months and my Nexus One looks brand new. (HTC is one of the better hardware designers out there).

5. It took Android to finally make the iPhone OS have multi-tasking. Which means, some of the iPhone OS updates weren’t all that innovative, but a response to Android.

6. If you compare it to PC v.s. Mac, PCs are the lions share of the market because Windows is not tied directly into computer hardware. Android = PC, iPhone = Mac. It doesn’t seem that hard to figure out. Only time will tell!

7. Android is relatively new and iPhone has had a few years with no real competitors. Most professionals I know see Android slowly taking over the market in two years.
Vlad Dascalu
August 17, 2010 @ 5:36 pm

I believe each device will fill its purpose based on the user but I do believe one will come ontop in terms of overall world usage.

3rd Place: RIM’s Blackberry.
(second in overall device usage)

28% of SmartPhone Market.
It sucks for Web browsing although they just aquired two companies to deal with this matter. Mobile Web is the biggest factor pushing innovation forward. The big advantage that the avrg consumer does not know about is that BB has an entirely secure network where RIM itself can’t even decode the messages sent through their network when dealing with their corporate users; this consists of 10% of there market. RIM will continue to win the corporate market.

2nd Place: iPhone
(3rd in terms of actual devices, but Apple’s got way more than the iPhone going for them) iAD iAD iAD (10% of Apple’s revenue by 2012)

22% of the SmartPhone Market.
These guys are the INTEGRATION & SYNERGETIC masters. Everything you want or need in your multi-media life Apple can provide. TV shows, Movie, Music, Applications & now APPvertisements. They got it all in a one stop shop. Not too mention the hippest kids on the planet have an iPhone. The creator of Japan’s “i mode” from NTT Docomo (which is the platform for which they write all their codes for the mobile web) said that iPhone’s platform is the better of the two.

1st Place: Android

It already won with 33% of the SmartPhone market & with the most recent inception. This is NOT a device its an open source operating system. Google purchased this company when they decided they wanted to take over the world. The reason they already have such a high market is because the created an OPEN HANDSET ALLIANCE with 71 hardware, software & telecom companies dedicated to enhancing open standards for mobile devices (these companies are huge players and it is quite interesting to see their choices). Their OS runs not on just one handset but several throughout the world (e.g. Samsung, Motorolla, HTC, Sony Ericsson, LG and more).
One more reason why I think Google will win in this realm is that in a decade or so from now their will be no more “cellphone towers” just “data” all phone calls will be VoIP. Google is a HUGE internet player if not the biggest. They will take over this aspect due to their business foundations, infrastructure and technological visions. If anyone can provide “free” (or pretty much free) mobile internet to the world, its GOOGLE.

Thats my rant, but I’m just a simple intern.
Martin Cinzar
August 17, 2010 @ 9:48 pm

No one. Phone services are just going to be packaged into every device. Your car will have a built in phone. your mp3 player will have a built in phone. So will you TV and your computer. What we are calling a smartphone will become more like the iPad, A mobile personal computing device. You already probably use your iPhone for more computing applications that as an actual phone.

Smartphones are dead. Long live the handheld computer.
Nick
August 20, 2010 @ 9:34 am

Watch this… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL7yD-0pqZg

and then I need a valid argument from people wanting the iPhone.

I currently have a BB and the only think holding me back is that my total inner circle all have BB and we regularily use BBM. That’s all.

However, txt works just as well and I find it more fun because I am not always waiting for a response.

When this phone dies, I will move to an Android based phone. My life is fully integrated with Google and I just see it a logical step.
BigDoug
August 27, 2010 @ 1:37 pm

I find it interesting that Windows Phone 7 is not even a part of the conversation.
BigDoug
August 27, 2010 @ 1:39 pm

@nick tell your whole circle of BBM addicts to switch to http://www.kik.com/ – It’s basically BBM for Android, iPhone and Blackberry.