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Microsoft to Replace Blackberry?
nmccart writes "According to Wired Magazine, Microsoft, along with Cingluar and Vodaphone, is planning to introduce the next generation of Windows Mobile phones that can receive e-mails "pushed" directly from servers that handle a company's messaging. This will allow companies to skip over the cost of installing a Blackberry server, and instead just use the Exchange servers that they are already using. The question becomes, now that this technology is cheaper, will my VP be buying new Windows Mobile enabled cell phones for his entire department just so we can put in more hours?"
will my VP be buying new Windows Mobile enabled cell phones for his entire department just so we can put in more hours?
Only if you let him. I am on salary and work 40 hours. The first year +, I worked 60 hours plus. Then, as I automated and gaine control over recurring issues, I got more done in 40 than when I was working 60.
I was under pressure to keep working more than 40... I just said 'no'. Simple as that. And I have received a promotion since then, so no "black list" occurred.
If you aren't in a position to say 'no', get there. No job is worth working more than half of your waking hours.
See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
The deal is that blackberry really nailed outlook integration (meaning, synchronization of all the data you access with outlook), but the blackberry does not do many other things well. Basically, the worldwide number of blackberries is in the 7 digit range, and the number of cell phones is in the 9 digit range, and Microsoft thinks they can go after that. Microsoft has made it easier for windows mobile and palm* (they are a licensee) devices to work with Exchange.
This is in corporations interest to be able to play the device makers against each other, instead of being tied to Blackberry. Basically, a big company with Exchange probably has a Blackberry ent. server working with exchange, and views installing Good (to support Palm devices) as a pain, so they are stuck buying blackberries. This will allow people to become more hardware agnostic, but most places will still stick with a few supported models due to support costs.
All similar to pc software market - MS benefits as the hardware gets cheaper because it does so as it gets more pervasive - bigger market means more possible licenses for Exchange seats.
Anybody want to bet how long RIM's going to last? Two years? Three?
Microsoft is not a juggernaut that rolls over everything that it touches. They have failed *many* times in becoming even a viable competitor in certain marketplaces, let alone a dominant force that squashes everyone. Examples of where they have not wiped out an established competitor include home finances software (vs Quicken), PDA platforms (vs Palm), game consoles (vs Sony), search engines (vs Google), web portals (vs Yahoo), DRM'ed music files (vs Apple), etc, etc, etc.
RIM is no pushover. They've been building Blackberries for almost 10 years now, and have a lot of technology experience (and a lot of patents) in their pocket. They also have a fanatical following in the corporate world, not unlike iPods in the consumer world. Sure, MS might compete, but put RIM out of business in 2-3 years. *NOT* going to happen!
Look at the tomato! Isn't it sad? He can't dance! Poor tomato!
Blackberry does not have a vertical leverage like Apple has with iPod where the content and the device is controlled by a same company.
In fact, many, many, corporations use Exchange and the value proposition (not having to buy an extra wireless email service) is going to be something that is going to be very difficult for Blackberry to compete against.
Add the fact that most power-types that own Blackberries tend to upgrade their device almost every year, there is really nothing holding people back from switching their wireless e-mail service.