Research in Motion plans to counter Apple (and Google) by launching its own app store – dubbed BlackBerry Application Center. Judging from the early screenshots and feature list from Crackberry.com, the store will be a mix of free applications – like Facebook for BlackBerry – and paid applications – like Telenav, the GPS driving directions app long offered with supporting BlackBerry devices. Users will be able to buy apps via the device, which will in turn be charged to their phone bill.
First, the BlackBerry is not the iPhone. While the company is now releasing more consumer-friendly devices like the Bold and Thunder (which features a touch screen), BlackBerry’s image and user base is that of a business-focused PDA for corporate email addicts. Considering that the vast majority of top iPhone apps are either games or other forms of entertainment, it’s hard to see the typical BlackBerry user finding tremendous value in an application store like that offered by Apple. Not to mention, if you do happen to be a big mobile app user, it’s already fairly easy to find the Blackberry applications you want via RIM’s website, or via Web services you already use providing links to their respective BlackBerry apps.
Perhaps most importantly, BlackBerry does not have iTunes. The convenience and speed of browsing on your desktop – where you also already have a credit card on file – is certainly a big contributor to the app store’s success. Further, when the app store debuted, it was launching to an entrenched base of tens of millions of users who already had iTunes because they already owned iPods. RIM has neither of these advantages in launching its own app store.