Over the last few weeks, we've seen several analyst reports saying RIM's upcoming mobile operating system, BlackBerry 10, has a slight chance at being successful enough to turn the company around.
As a result, the company's stock is skyrocketing.
But based on what we've seen, there's no way those predictions can come true.
RIM has been showing off BB10 to the public in bits and pieces for several months, and so far we haven't seen anything in the new OS that convinces us it can be the hit some analysts and BlackBerry fans believe it can be.
Yes, there are a smattering of nifty features like a predictive text keyboard that lets you "flick" completed words into the empty field or a multitasking feature that lets you "peek" behind an app to check updates from others.
But one or two or three clever features aren't enough, even when you consider them as an entire package. RIM is at least two years behind Apple and Google, and BB10 feels like a catch-up operating system that finally brings BlackBerrys up to speed with iPhone and Android. Where's the incentive to switch?
Then there's the app problem. Today, most big-name developers consider BlackBerry an afterthought, assuming they consider it at all. Others like Google and The New York Times have abandoned the platform. The only way to guarantee you get the latest and greatest apps is to pick iPhone or Android. That will continue even after BB10 launches.
It seems like the excitement around RIM is simply due to the fact that BB10 will actually ship after nearly two years of delays. (RIM will formally announce the BB10 launch on Jan. 30.)
That's not good enough to make it a winner.
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