With the launch of the new low priced “flag-raft” Z3 in India just round the corner, its time to look back how blackberry has fared in India over these last couple of years.
Half a decade ago, BlackBerry’s market share in India was reaching a strong 20% figure, but sadly now it has dwindled into single digits. Keeping the dismal numbers to a minimum, let us take a trip down my memory lane.
High School
Even though BlackBerry had been launched in India as a pager way back in 1999, it was only by the 2004 that I began noticing its presence. I still remember the TV commercials showing off a father managing his office work and meetings quite dextrously on his BB, while enjoying a vacation on a beach with his son. At this time BlackBerry was more focussed on catering to the enterprise niche of executives who preferred to have their mails delivered instantly 24x7.
My dad was the first to buy a BlackBerry in our family. He enjoyed the instant email deliveries a lot. The only downside was that even though the GPS worked, BlackBerry Maps didn’t support India (still no love). So after getting awed by that trackballed gizmo, I decided to get one for myself. And have been a loyal BB user since then.
I was still in school when BBM was launched in 2006, but I don’t remember seeing any student using a blackberry then. But by 2008, students rolling their trackballs were a common sight. BBM was THE craze. Flocks of friends bought the cheaper BBs just to keep in touch. It was the first mobile IM client we had ever used and it blew our minds. Publishing our BB PIN on our Facebook profile became quite a fad. I believe this was the golden age for BB in India, as I have never seen more people using them since.
This was the time when BlackBerry boasted a ~10 % market share in the country. It was popular among both the young and the working. Some even projected the shares to rise as high as 20% but that never happened. Cheaper Nokia touchscreens and keypad wannabes had started infiltrating the market.
College Times
By 2010 BB had revised its strategy; it started focusing on the youth again. TV commercials began showcasing BBM being used by college students. Cheaper handsets like Curve were launched and advertised extensively. This was the time when the trackball was replaced by the trackpad. I can’t say for the sales, but I did find myself surrounded by more Curves than ever before.
In beginning of 2011, we saw the rise of Android OS. Even though the early builds of Android and Symbian were crippled, they offered a good 5000 Rs entry level touchscreen handset to the general population. And to top it all, the rise of free IMs like WhatsApp, free Social connect and free mail access that these phones were offering drove the final nail. Even those who did not want to be seen with a cheap Android handset preferred to buy an iphone for Rs52000. Only the Enterprise and Executive class still bought their BlackBerries.
I began to feel the lack of BBs in my circle as almost everyone had moved to Android or Symbian. By the end of 2011, I was left with only a handful of BBM contacts.
The release of new OSs (6 and 7) and launching of new touchscreen models like Torch did not garner much interest either as the models were always quite high priced. The working class preferred the keypads while the students went with cheaper Samsung options.
The PlayBook was never advertised here properly. But as it was always present in showrooms alongside other Acer, Samsung and Apple tabs, I presume I was not the only one who had bought it.
BB10 Era
The launch of BB10 in Mumbai last year was quite a successful media event with good press coverage. Actor Ranbir Kapoor was the Indian Brand Ambassador. But at price of nearly half a lakh I had my doubts if the downtown would have bought it.
Even though the stocks of BB10 phones have run out dry a few times in India now and the sales have definitely exceeded expectations, I am not surprised that I only get to see another Z10 only once or twice a week even while living in the country’s capital. But lets hope Z3 will change that. At my workplace, a US-India collaboration company, there are quite a few people using legacy BB devices, but big screen Samsungs dominate the scene. I have met 3 persons using a Z10 here, which is quite a sad number.
BBM Launch
The multi platform launch of BBM was a VERY well managed affair. The media attention it got was really amazing. Many of my friends, who are using Android, and even iphone downloaded it, even before I could have forced them to. But the only flaw in the launch was that it was not supporting Windows OS at that time. This was a huge drawback as Windows phones by Nokia are quite popular here. So I was unable to convert my WhatsApp Group to a BBM Group as one of my friends was using a Nokia Windows mobile.
I believe that the simplicity of the BB10 OS is unparalleled and using a BB10 OS themed BBM app on an Android makes people realize how fluid BB10 actually is.
Developer’s perspective
As a developer, surprisingly, quite a lot of my sales are from India. Here is a pie chart to prove that. And my apps are not even localized for India or India centric. Can any other developer back me up on that ? India is really big market for BB, but the current sales figures have a quite a scope for improvement.
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My app sales per country
Z3 Price
Lets come to the nearing launch event. Z3 has been priced at ~12000Rs. You can buy an Android 4.x with a better camera at almost half that price. So whats the verdict ?
For one, I haven’t met a single BB10 owner who has converted back to android. Android can never offer what we have.
Secondly, this price might even be a quite on the mark. It stands right on the line separating the affordable and the expensive. Z3 offers enough juice and class to satisfy everyone’s needs. The High School students usually do shell out 10k for a new phone. And the college people can easily afford it. The working class will definitely love this price range, if they don’t prefer upgrading to a Z10 in just an additional 5k. Lets hope this makes Z3 is a success like it was in Vietnam (Or was it ?).
Company’s image
To begin with, the company’s image was quite stellar a few years back. People here used to view Apple and Blackberry at par. The run-ins of the Indian Government with BlackBerry over the encryption security were widely printed by the press. BlackBerry was a synonym for security and privacy for us.
But with the Company’s near bankruptcy last year, almost everyone still thinks that BB is dying. And frankly what has the company done to instill confidence and get good press in India ? Except for 2-3 localized events over past 2 years, nothing ! And the recent price drop for Z10 – from 43k to 17k didn’t help the image either. People thought that the company is shutting down and selling off stocked units. So they assumed that the service support will also cease. Such ignorance must be remedied. And for that, BB needs to formulate a good media plan.
With the emergence of many indigenous companies like Micromax and Karbonn, who along with Samsung are currently lording over more than half of the India market, there are still some professionals who prefer being productive on their Berries. And as you, being the loyal CrackBerrian you are, already know: Its not only its brand value, but the utility it offers that makes our trusted BB outshine.
(The author is the owner of a trackballed Curve, a trackpad Curve, a Storm, a PlayBook and a Z10.
Disclaimer: The sales data used was taken off the net. The article represents my personal views and was not meant to be derogatory towards any company.)
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