6 ms·

The Blackberry Shift: From the executive phone to the phone of the urban poor

56 points by rabble 15y ago

dadads 15y ago
I could attest to some of the stuff this guy says. In a certain southeast-asian country, everyone is using Blackberries not because they're cool but because unlimited text-messaging plans makes them really cheap.
- rednaught 15y ago
  If you travel in more than just...ahem...Indonesia(I'm presuming), you'll notice they are "everywhere" in multiple SE Asian countries. As Nokia reigned supreme from the 90's until just a few years ago, Blackberry has become the new dumb smartphone with their Edge(or equivalent) network support. It will be a long time before most of the world is on a 4G equivalent. RIM will do fine for quite some time.
- madh 15y ago
  Yup. It's all BBM.
electrichead 15y ago
This is a pretty poorly substantiated article with racist undertones. How is this on HN again?
- DavidAdams 15y ago
  I agree that it's short on hard data. But I'm not sure I'm getting "racist." Classist, maybe? But I guess you can't talk about class issues at all without someone getting their panties in a wad. It seems like there are some objective claims here that would be pretty easy to refute. Is it true that Blackberry handsets and plans have become inexpensive and are a good way for people without a lot of money to talk and message without the kind of big monthly bill that plagues more well-heeled people? Is it true that while richer people are not buying Blackberries anymore, poorer people are? Is it some kind of value judgement to point this out, as something that's interesting to people who are interested in the mobile computing market?
  - keithpeter 15y ago
    Some numbers for uk http://kijamedia.com/2011/08/uk-mobile-phone-ownership-by-brand/ http://kijamedia.com/2011/08/uk-mobile-phone-ownership-by-br... Anecdotal http://urbanmashup.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/the-london-riots-and-blackberrys-bbm-part-2/ http://urbanmashup.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/the-london-riots...
- benbscholz 15y ago
  I don't believe there are any "racist undertones" in the article. The article is observing a shift in the user demographics of blackberries from business executives to a lower economic class because the blackberry currently provides cheap messaging.
  - rabble 15y ago
    Yeah, i wanted to talk about race and class, looking at who uses them. I find it ironic that folks were calling me racist (i think they meant classist). I in fact chose the nick, rabble, in part because i identify with the unwashed masses. It's been all over the UK news that the rioters using their blackberries were the rabble. :-) Perhaps people are calling me racist because of the mad men clip. The biz execs in that clip are racist. That's not to imply that today the execs at RIM are racist. I don't know them, couldn't tell you either way. The whole transition for blackberries is about class, not race anyway.
- icarus_drowning 15y ago
  Because it isn't racist.
danilocampos 15y ago
Bluetooth cell phone headsets had a similar trajectory.
chuinard 15y ago
I've been using Google Voice for a year now. I haven't sent a text through ATT for a few months now.
d0ne 15y ago
I keep two Blackberries handy, different providers, for reliable email receipt and transmission as well as BBM as I'm frequently traveling between countries.
Duff 15y ago
Funny, because for a long time executives used BlackBerry devices to avoid litigation hold/e-discovery considerations. BBM's are popular with certain types of "entrepreneurs" for the same reason that Nextel/Boost direct connect was -- they are difficult/impossible to intercept.
- gaius 15y ago
  Not necessarily - so long as RIM are willing to get involved: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/08/blackberry_riots/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/08/blackberry_riots/
corin_ 15y ago
It happened so fast that it’s hardly been noticed in the media. RIM may not even know it themselves. The suggestion that RIM may not know about it shows complete lack of knowledge, it's obvious from the marketing over the past two years that not only do they know it, they made it happen. See for example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnysB4BC5Ng http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnysB4BC5Ng and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvYlENP50jA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvYlENP50jA and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvqlZzhZb4Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvqlZzhZb4Y and http://www.tracyandmatt.co.uk/blogs/media/tracyandmatts_blog/windowslivewriter/blackberrycurve3g9300review_107b6/bbm_2.jpg http://www.tracyandmatt.co.uk/blogs/media/tracyandmatts_blog... As to the media not noticing... well I've seen them notice it on numerous occasions. I don't recall if I've read an entire piece based around this one subject, but I've seen it mentioned many times as a note in a piece about RIM, or about a certain phone, or whatever. Edit: here's another example which answers both points, http://www.slate.com/id/2213555/ http://www.slate.com/id/2213555/ (Blackberry sponsoring U2 tour). Not only is that a demonstration of Blackberry targeting this new wider audience, in March 2009, it's also an example of the media noticing.
- rabble 15y ago
  So perhaps it was me, and other folks not noticing. It didn't hit the tech blogs much. The links are great, i added an update at the bottom with them.
- digamber_kamat 15y ago
  I dont think RIM has failed to notice it. In fact in countries like India RIM has launched phones that cost lowest in the smartphone segment just $200.

56 points by rabble 15y ago

I could attest to some of the stuff this guy says. In a certain southeast-asian country, everyone is using Blackberries not because they're cool but because unlimited text-messaging plans makes them really cheap.

rednaught 15y ago
If you travel in more than just...ahem...Indonesia(I'm presuming), you'll notice they are "everywhere" in multiple SE Asian countries. As Nokia reigned supreme from the 90's until just a few years ago, Blackberry has become the new dumb smartphone with their Edge(or equivalent) network support. It will be a long time before most of the world is on a 4G equivalent. RIM will do fine for quite some time.
madh 15y ago
Yup. It's all BBM.

electrichead 15y ago

This is a pretty poorly substantiated article with racist undertones. How is this on HN again?

DavidAdams 15y ago
I agree that it's short on hard data. But I'm not sure I'm getting "racist." Classist, maybe? But I guess you can't talk about class issues at all without someone getting their panties in a wad. It seems like there are some objective claims here that would be pretty easy to refute. Is it true that Blackberry handsets and plans have become inexpensive and are a good way for people without a lot of money to talk and message without the kind of big monthly bill that plagues more well-heeled people? Is it true that while richer people are not buying Blackberries anymore, poorer people are? Is it some kind of value judgement to point this out, as something that's interesting to people who are interested in the mobile computing market?
- keithpeter 15y ago
  Some numbers for uk http://kijamedia.com/2011/08/uk-mobile-phone-ownership-by-brand/ http://kijamedia.com/2011/08/uk-mobile-phone-ownership-by-br... Anecdotal http://urbanmashup.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/the-london-riots-and-blackberrys-bbm-part-2/ http://urbanmashup.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/the-london-riots...
benbscholz 15y ago
I don't believe there are any "racist undertones" in the article. The article is observing a shift in the user demographics of blackberries from business executives to a lower economic class because the blackberry currently provides cheap messaging.
- rabble 15y ago
  Yeah, i wanted to talk about race and class, looking at who uses them. I find it ironic that folks were calling me racist (i think they meant classist). I in fact chose the nick, rabble, in part because i identify with the unwashed masses. It's been all over the UK news that the rioters using their blackberries were the rabble. :-) Perhaps people are calling me racist because of the mad men clip. The biz execs in that clip are racist. That's not to imply that today the execs at RIM are racist. I don't know them, couldn't tell you either way. The whole transition for blackberries is about class, not race anyway.
icarus_drowning 15y ago
Because it isn't racist.

danilocampos 15y ago

Bluetooth cell phone headsets had a similar trajectory.

chuinard 15y ago

I've been using Google Voice for a year now. I haven't sent a text through ATT for a few months now.

d0ne 15y ago

I keep two Blackberries handy, different providers, for reliable email receipt and transmission as well as BBM as I'm frequently traveling between countries.

Duff 15y ago

Funny, because for a long time executives used BlackBerry devices to avoid litigation hold/e-discovery considerations. BBM's are popular with certain types of "entrepreneurs" for the same reason that Nextel/Boost direct connect was -- they are difficult/impossible to intercept.

gaius 15y ago
Not necessarily - so long as RIM are willing to get involved: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/08/blackberry_riots/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/08/blackberry_riots/

corin_ 15y ago

It happened so fast that it’s hardly been noticed in the media. RIM may not even know it themselves. The suggestion that RIM may not know about it shows complete lack of knowledge, it's obvious from the marketing over the past two years that not only do they know it, they made it happen. See for example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnysB4BC5Ng http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnysB4BC5Ng and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvYlENP50jA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvYlENP50jA and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvqlZzhZb4Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvqlZzhZb4Y and http://www.tracyandmatt.co.uk/blogs/media/tracyandmatts_blog/windowslivewriter/blackberrycurve3g9300review_107b6/bbm_2.jpg http://www.tracyandmatt.co.uk/blogs/media/tracyandmatts_blog... As to the media not noticing... well I've seen them notice it on numerous occasions. I don't recall if I've read an entire piece based around this one subject, but I've seen it mentioned many times as a note in a piece about RIM, or about a certain phone, or whatever. Edit: here's another example which answers both points, http://www.slate.com/id/2213555/ http://www.slate.com/id/2213555/ (Blackberry sponsoring U2 tour). Not only is that a demonstration of Blackberry targeting this new wider audience, in March 2009, it's also an example of the media noticing.

rabble 15y ago
So perhaps it was me, and other folks not noticing. It didn't hit the tech blogs much. The links are great, i added an update at the bottom with them.
digamber_kamat 15y ago
I dont think RIM has failed to notice it. In fact in countries like India RIM has launched phones that cost lowest in the smartphone segment just $200.