RIM faces uphill battle with Windows Mobile in Asia
Published: 08 Aug 2008 08:21 BST
BlackBerry-maker RIM faces an uphill battle against competing platform Windows Mobile in the Asia-Pacific region.
RIM's dominant US market share hit 44.5 percent last quarter, according to analyst firm IDC.
In the Asia-Pacific region, however, Windows Mobile devices have stronger market penetration. An estimated six million Windows Mobile devices were shipped in the region last year, compared to RIM's one million, according to Springboard Research.
Bryan Wang, research director at Springboard, told ZDNet Asia that uptake of the BlackBerry in the region is slower than in the US partly because of Windows Mobile's dominance, and also due to the service costs associated with the BlackBerry's push-email function.
Besides the cost of the BlackBerry server, service costs are higher than Windows Mobile's push-email service, resulting in a higher total cost of ownership, Wang explained.
"BlackBerry's service price is considered high in the Asian business context, especially for the [SME] sector," said Wang.
RIM also faces competition from service providers in Asia offering push-email to users, he said.
China Mobile has a service charged at around £11 per month, while RIM's exceeds £22 each month — and the client does not have to pay for a server, either, Wang said.
But RIM hopes to change this, with the recent introduction of a software product.
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The software, BlackBerry Unite, is aimed at consumers and SMEs, allowing up to five users to connect to a push-email platform.
Gregory Wade, RIM Asia-Pacific regional vice president, said that the global economy is pushing SMEs to become more connected, as these organisations recognise the productivity gains afforded by mobile working.
According to Wade, this need has moved beyond the top layer in organisations: "The value proposition of the BlackBerry and smartphone reaches well beyond the traditional high-level corporate user."
Singapore launched the BlackBerry Unite service last month. The software is free to download, although users still bear mobile-data-traffic costs.
Credit: BlackBerry faces greater challenge in Asia from ZDNet Asia
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