News lately seems to be revolving heavily around Apple and BlackBerry for different reasons. Between Apple’s patents and rumors and BlackBerry’s updated platform, we see that both companies have struggles that are trying to be addressed. While both companies seem to have different goals in mind for the time being (Apple trying to become number one again, and BlackBerry simply trying to get their name in the game again) if plans go accordingly, we may have a fruit war on our hands.
Fortunately this isn’t a real fruit war because if you were throw real apples at real blackberries I’m pretty sure the apples would win in terms of endurance and stability, but at least you’d have a nice blackberry jam as a result. This potential war revolving around these two companies might very well end up the same way – or it might not. Currently, from what I’m seeing, I find iOS and BlackBerry 10 comparable in terms of balancing out what they have to offer us as consumers.
Both operating systems are somewhat simplistic. Not a whole lot of customization going on in either device; even after you jailbreak an iPhone there’s only so many changes you can make. As of right now, an unrooted Android has more customization than a jailbroken iOS device does. Looking at BlackBerry, the interface seems to be nearly the same as an iOS – except you do have the added option of widgets, which is something I feel that iOS is lacking and could benefit from implementing. Both platforms have that “business casual” feel to it, with BlackBerry pulling ahead in terms of doing a better job of separating professional from personal lives.
What really separates the two right now is a couple of factors: the first one is the obvious, and that’s iOS’s selection of apps completely dominating the amount of apps found in the BlackBerry App World. Catching up to what iOS has to offer in terms of applications is definitely going to take time, but with enough dedication from developers we could see BlackBerry’s App World numbers quickly rise. The second biggest factor between the two is the navigation. It might look the same from a distance, but in reality they are completely different. The iPhone follows a more traditional smartphone format in that you have a physical button that you use to wake the phone up. ‘Slide to Unlock’ is not an unfamiliar phrase within the smartphone community as most smartphones use such a method to unlock the device; after you unlock you can then swipe left or right to navigate through your home screens or you slide down for notifications - simple as that. BlackBerry 10 on the other hand is almost completely gesture-based. You swipe up, down, left, and right to unlock, close apps, view apps, open apps, etc. It’s a completely different style of navigation through your phone that’s definitely going to take some getting used to for all of us.
As of right now, BlackBerry is taking the biggest leap of faith trying to land on their feet once again. Apple is slowly falling from the pedestal they once stood on, and if they don’t pick themselves up soon and BlackBerry really does end up making a comeback, it would certainly make for an interesting fruit war indeed. As an iOS user right now, I can honestly say that BlackBerry 10 looks interesting enough for me to give it a try. Only time will tell which one will truly dominate.
What say you, readers? Do you also think we’ve got a fruit war approaching, or do you think that Apple is too far ahead of the game and BlackBerry is too lackluster to even compete? It’s definitely open to interpretation, but it would make for something different besides “Apple vs. Android” all the time. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
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