
What won’t you find? A secret weapon that surprise attacks Apple or Android device makers. For that reason, these devices will please existing Blackberry users but won’t win over new recruits, in Nelson's opinion.
So where will RIM grow its empire next?
Monday, RIM aimed its attention at the SMB market, with a new cloud-based management. BlackBerry Management Center lets companies with up to 100 BlackBerry handsets manage consumer-grade accounts in a central interface with remote administration, backup, and security features, as InformationWeek.com's Robert Strohmeyer reported. Mobile management can become an incredible time-suck at SMB's. This service addresses that worry as well as the prime security worry--lost and stolen devices.
But you have to wonder, if enterprise users keep walking their iPhones and Androids through the front door, whether enterprise IT likes it or not, how will SMBs convince users that they must use BlackBerry models?
SMB users have had to make their own technology choices and solve their own problems for years--so they have plenty of opinions. And I'm sure plenty of them already own an iPhone or an Android phone.
On the other hand, Apple doesn’t have a direct competitor to BlackBerry Management Center--yet.
Laurianne McLaughlin is editor-in-chief for InformationWeek.com. Follow her on Twitter at @lmclaughlin.
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