Been wondering about BlackBerry's app strategy? Never have I been so infuriated with a phone than when I look at their undernourished App World. According to RIM however, they "aren't focusing on, say, hitting the 50,000 app mark."
Their VP of platform product management, Alan Panezic, spoke at the Developers' Conference in San Francisco about the obvious lack of apps available. Apple may have over 250,000 apps in their App Store, but according to Panezic, RIM doesn't "need 200 fart apps in App World. Those are apps you'll use three or four times then never open again. You're not looking at ads, clicking on ads or buying premium upgrades, and the app isn't adding any value to your device."
Ah, value. When I can't even upload a photo to my Flickr account on my Bold, and struggle to perform a basic task such as sending a direct message on the official Twitter for BlackBerry app, I understand the need for value alright. I just want apps that work, and don't require me to have to uninstall and reinstall it to work properly.
RIM now has 10,000 apps available in App World, but many cost a ridiculous amount. I understand that RIM has, in the past, appealed to a more mature, wealthy business-user segment of the market, but you can't doubt they've been trying to get away from that with recent handset launches (the more consumer-friendly Torch and budget Curve models) and marketing (their sponsorship of the Black Eyed Peas' world tour and even that dancing OS 6.0 video).
Maybe we want a few novelty apps, RIM. If you want to use word-of-mouth as effectively as Android and iPhone users have been, then we'll need the odd bubble wrap-popping app or even a fart app to entertain friends with. [Recombu]