iOS and Android both allow you to install a new version of the operating system onto devices that have been purchased from a store. These updates are often pushed out over the air when they’re available, so you don’t even need to hook up your device to a computer. This is not how things work with BlackBerry phones.
Once the hardware leaves RIM’s labs, it becomes the user’s property. There’s no way for an end-user to load an updated operating system on their smartphone unless they go through unofficial (and often difficult) third party methods like this. Owners of BlackBerry PlayBooks can look forward to getting their first major update sometime this year, but it’s still not evident if this will be an official update or if it will require some hacking.
People Don’t Love Their Blackberrys
One of the biggest reasons consumers switch away from BlackBerry isn’t because they hate email, BBM, or any other services RIM provides to its customers. It’s because when you leave your BlackBerry in a bar somewhere, it can go unclaimed for days before anyone finds out about it, and by then, it has either been turned into lost & found where someone can pick it up at their leisure or worse yet, stolen. A third party Android app like Prey is designed to help users track down lost devices, but Blackberry doesn’t offer any tracking tool at all. That leaves BlackBerry owners entirely out in the cold when it comes to getting their phone back if they happen to lose or have it stolen.
Warranties Are Expensive On Blackberry
There’s a bit of the elephant in the room with this one since some carriers will offer warranty extensions for BlackBerry devices while others won’t. Even among those companies that do offer extended warranties, there is no uniformity of coverage, so you may find yourself paying $99 for more than half of your smartphone’s lifespan or dealing with issues after the manufacturer warranty expires only to be told you’re outside of the terms of your agreement. If you want to stay using your BlackBerry past its initial date with destiny, then hunting down one of these hard-to-find insurance plans is worth looking into, especially if you’re the type to beat up your phone with regularity.
The good news is that BlackBerry devices are usually designed to last for at least two years of heavy usage (online sources put the total lifespan around 3-5 years), so it’s not like you’ll be shelling out money for replacements every week.
The Apple App Store has better quality apps than BlackBerry World
Many BlackBerry users will defend the Google Play-powered alternatives to Apple’s App Store. While there’s no doubt that there’s a certain amount of selection missing from BlackBerry World these days, the fact remains that both stores feature pretty much the same number of apps. The iPhone has been available since 2007, while Android powered devices were first seen in 2008, giving Apple a six year head start on its competitors. BlackBerry has continued to strengthen the native applications on its smartphones. Still, Apple and Google have been able to focus most of their energies on beefing up the software that you run on your mobile devices rather than having to maintain an entire operating system.