BlackBerry CEO Says Despite a 'Fantastic Job' With iOS Design, Apple Now Lacks Innovation

[Amazing Iceman]

If I'm looking for innovation, I would never look at BlackBerry.

Also, if what people refer to when talking about innovation is adding a Thermometer and a bunch of useless crap to a phone, then I'm not interested.

 

[viewfly]

This is like Phil Schiller dissing Android.

Just wishes to plant seeds of doubt to boost BB chances

 

[wrldwzrd89]

There seems to be a lot of confusion here about exactly what was said and why, as well as widely differing opinions on how Apple should react. While wildly differing opinions are perfectly normal on a forum like this - they're what keeps me coming here, in fact - the confusion is, at least to me, a source of concern. While I'm sure that plenty of people, members and guests alike, read this stuff, what I do not want to see is the current smartphone market ceasing to exist because the consumers chose to support features / innovations that do not make them more productive. After all, isn't a smartphone called "smart" because it acts as an enabler - we can do so much more wherever we happen to be, right? This is what I think all the competitors in this market should focus on: improving our mobile productivity, because there's an increasingly large portion of the market that will find these devices so enabling that they'll have no reason to use a desktop or laptop. Tablets obviously serve a different market niche, but should be subject to the same guidelines as smartphones, IMO.

 

[bbeagle]

Also, if what people refer to when talking about innovation is adding a Thermometer and a bunch of useless crap to a phone, then I'm not interested.

'Innovation' is an ambiguous term and it's just the latest buzz-word to attack Apple.

I guess if Apple increased their screen size, and updated their screen with icons of various sizes and that can change their look, Apple would be 'innovative'.

 

[Adam22]

I miss Steve Jobs . He was still so young ,and could have b*tch slapped these jabronies!

 

[derek4484]

when iOS 7 hits it will be more of the same and people will be saying wait for iOS 8 that is when Ives will have more influence but really I think Apple is trying to keep it simple and I think they are having trouble combining simplicity with advanced functions, the jailbreak community seems to be doing things that Apple should have been able to do but didn't. I think it has to do with Legacy device support at some point iphone 4 will have to be dropped from support but the issue is its still for sale!

I hope you're wrong. If iOS7 doesnt dazzle and isn't a huge leap forward from iOS6, Apple will get hammered in the media and all the tech blogs. A lot is riding on this and their future for Apple. Hardware-wise Apple's phones are really good. They're at or very near the top in performance. Software is where they're getting hammered right now.

 

[Powerbooky]

What's really pathetic about this is that Blackberry's CEO is proudly showing the interface on his product and it's essentially the SAME as Apple's!

Yeah... the guy doesn't even know what the word "innovation" actually means (like most managers don't). He says: "the rate of innovation is so high in our industry"... pure BS! The only really high rate in their business is the amount they can copy-paste from others and patent infringement cases in court.

 

[Adam22]

This is hilarious. If you actually read the entire article, this headline is WAYYYY overly sensational and not what the CEO was saying AT ALL. If anything, he was very complimentary of Apple and was pointing towards how the industry as a whole requires constant innovation. He's right too, the basic UI is 5 years old now and has remained unchanged, and if they aren't careful it will bite them. Blackberry should know, they have went through that sting first hand.

Sensational headline just to get the fanboys up in a flame, which has succeeded. In fact, I'll dare say this is just an additional marketing move by the Blackberry CEO, and it is succeeding because it is now a headline all over the news

What can you do on a BB or android u can't do on an iphone? What ? Have a larger screen? Take a picture when you smile automatically ? Lol iOS will update as of now there's nothing I'm missing that a galaxy phone has! They all copied iphone n iOS ! They just keep adding a lot of cool for show or useless time consuming apps every year ! Iphone is still at the top

 

[viewfly]

What's really pathetic about this is that Blackberry's CEO is proudly showing the interface on his product and it's essentially the SAME as Apple's!

Icons lined up in rows, etc. Apple created this model with the object oriented HyperCard decades ago. I built many apps with icons just like this back in the 80s.

All these companies, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Blackberry COPY Apple's original innovations, then the copycats claim that Apple is not innovating.

Apple currently has the best products hands down. Sure you read forums like this and find all kinds of bellyaching. But this is usually from non-creative people who habitually find fault.

When Apple screws up (in my opinion) I will definitely point that out. But to claim that Apple isn't innovating??? Utterly ridiculous.

+1 on this. People don't remember, or are too young to even know history.

If all the critics have innovative ideas, bring them forth...right now the entire industry is on a plateau...beefing cameras, changing screen sizes or processors is not innovations.

But in the meantime, there are lots of non obvious things going on inside that are significant and being done by Apple..really low screen reflectivity, better color saturation, efficient use of battery power, etc.

 

[urbanlung]

I Agree.
Apple needs to invent a whole new interface paradigm. Pointing at what you want is so passé, stretching and squeezing with your fingers so obvious, pushing out of the way boring. Apple need to come up with lots more eye candy and interface effects, inovative and complex gestures and something that needs an instruction manual so that you know they are serious.

 

[cube]

It is really annoying that iOS has no true multitasking.

 

[Jetson]

What annoys me about this comment is that whilst it's true Apple hasn't majorly innovated the smartphone market in the last few years, neither have ANY of the other manufacturers. Apple came along and created the iPhone, now it's the archetype and every other manufacturer more or less is just producing clones or slight evolutions, and now they are whining because Uncle Apple is taking too long to come out with something new for them to steal.

Until very recently, sales figures gave Apple no reason to make any drastic changes and it's always been Apple's philosophy to wait until real innovation can be made before implementing it, because an oversized screen and this or that esoteric feature with a flashy trademark that only survives one generation is NOT innovation.

Well said. I love it!

 

[Oletros]

What can you do on a BB or android u can't do on an iphone?

Intents and broadcast receivers, a very powerful and unknown feature.

By the way, if you want can you list what have they copied from iOS?

 

[yakapo]

This is coming from an android user - I'm not biased towards apple.

I have never heard of a Z10. Everyone the world knows what an iphone is. It is still by far the most coveted phone - hands down. Has apple innovated a whole lot lately - no. But how much does an Accord or Camry change every year. I'd bet 10x more money and research goes into those cars than a Ferrari or any other supercar for that matter.

 

[b166er]

this guy sounds like he probably posts on macrumors...

 

[flashframe]

Innovation

I am wondering if people think that innovation is merely creating a successful product. Innovation involves ushering society/humanity into a new expanded, unharvested field of play. The next level of innovation already exists. It isn't a human creation in itself. We don't create innovation. It's not like you can move to the next level of innovation before it is time, and be effective. Karl Benz patented the car, but we didn't connect to innovative travel until Ford gave us the apparatus to take advantage in the field. We need the proper apparatus to apply to the new field of innovation. In fairness I would say that Apple has been more visionary than innovative. Lately (the past decade or so) they have managed to give us the proper apparatus to connect to the next level of innovation more often than not.

 

[techsmith]

iOS may be a little stale but it just isn't Android and that's all I need to know.

I switched for a month and must have spent at least $20 just buying interface and keyboard plugins just to get the damn thing useable. Even then I didn't like it and every time I installed something free I was panicking that all of my user data was going to be stolen.

Lastly every time a pop up would open in a browser my phone would try to download an .apk or whatever they're called.

So you can take your shiny new S4 with all of its amazing specs and features, unless Samsung ditches Android and makes a completely proprietary OS I won't be going anywhere near it.

Mirrors my thoughts on Android completely! They are nice phones admittedly, but the security aspect and the amount that you have to tweak them to get them right are serious enough issues to keep me away from them.

Actually I picked up a Blackberry Z10 recently (gave the iPhone to my wife), and it's a very nice phone. Best keyboard of any hands down, and the OS is optimized for messaging (email, text, Facebook, whatever) without interrupting what you are working on (unlike the frequent press home and touch app icon you always have to do with iOS), and still manages to be competitive on most other things (multimedia, camera, etc). Maps are a little weak although it does have turn-by-turn. My wife is very happy with the iPhone.

 

[Zeldain]

Maybe, maybe not.

But BlackBerry seems to not be able to show any of theirs.

When you can't talk positive about your own company, talk negative about the competition.

 

[Megakazbek]

What I hate the most is that since 2007 there is still no easy and simple way of moving documents to and from iOS devices.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

'Innovation' is an ambiguous term and it's just the latest buzz-word to attack Apple.

I guess if Apple increased their screen size, and updated their screen with icons of various sizes and that can change their look, Apple would be 'innovative'.

Agree. I think the correct term would be: 'more functional', don't you think?

 

[SAD*FACED*CLOWN]

I guess you really don't see how much your comment reinforces his point. And if you really believe Blackberry was not in Apple's position, then maybe you just weren't paying attention at the time. They very much were. Maybe not in terms of cash, but in terms of cutting edge communication devices that the entire world vainly attempted to copy and had an unprecedented and feverish fan-base (just like people here with apple)...

RIM was once one of the most valuable companies in the world? Didn't think so...."a catapillar can't even fathom what an eagle envisions" Rim ain't the eagle by the way

 

[flottenheimer]

... And most of all Maps is completely useless outside of major markets like the USA. I spoke to an IT Manager at a public Japanese firm and he said his entire org is still on ios 5 because of the maps issue. They are now looking to get away from ios because of maps, it's useless and they are unable to upgrade their fleet. Maps has totally destroyed my ios experience as I am traveling globally 95% of the year..

Just install the Google Maps app. The iOS version is even better than the Android version.

Enjoy.

 

[cube]

What can you do on a BB or android u can't do on an iphone?

BB10 was supposed to have POSIX, HTML5, and Java APIs for programming.

I am still waiting for real Java. What it has is an Android runtime.

It also has Adobe AIR and Qt.

It is also a realtime OS.

It is THE platform for developers.

 

[SAD*FACED*CLOWN]

Well from Android some recent innovations were their notifications, larger/better screens, NFC functionality, as well as others.
WebOS introduced a phone with inductive charging and a great multitasking solution.
Windows Phone 8 has a completely restyled home screen that works completely differently than anything else out there.

Those are just a couple of examples, there are many more.

none of that was innovation per se...just design differences

 

[rmwebs]

I can remember Mr. Jobs saying the iphone was five years ahead of the next competitor five years ago....

Yup and if you look at the iPhone 5 years ago, and look at it now, its hardly changed. Sure, its had a very minute UI tweak, and the hardware has changed, but no killer features have actually been added to the OS.

Thinking about it, its a bit like OS X in that respect. It's been stale for a long time, with Apple just replacing the wallpaper and scrollbars and other really minor UI stuff. Sure there are performance enhancements going on in the background, but again, no killer features have been added in a long time.