It’s one of the last great bastions of the BlackBerry smartphone empire – the enterprise community. Since the device was first launched by RIM, BlackBerry has consistently been the smartphone of choice for those in the business world. But as the iPhone and Android devices begin to look less and less like “toys,” the BlackBerry has lost considerable ground in the market it once wholly dominated.
The latest projections indicate that iPhone and Android devices will – before the end of 2012 – replace BlackBerry as the top smartphones for enterprise around the globe.
The projection in question comes from the IDC.
“BlackBerry continues to be the gold standard for security,” IDC said in the announcement, but noted that reduced consumer and developer interest “hinders its viability going forward.”
All told, the news comes as the most recent in a consistent wave of setbacks for the troubled smartphone.
Just last week, RIM lost the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as BlackBerry loyalists. It was the latest of an escalating number of government agencies that are going with the iPhone and Android instead of the seemingly outdated BlackBerry.
Is this news catastrophic for BlackBerry or are you holding out hope for a new beginning when RIM launches two new BlackBerry phones in January? Please weigh in with a thought or comment below.
