RIM will be launching BlackBerry 10 to the public later this week. It could very well succeed, but it must become more than an enterprise device if it’s going to do so. RIM’s latest move may very well just make it an attractive consumer device as well.
The BlackBerry World for BlackBerry 10 will feature a large selection of media when it launches later this week. RIM announced that the store will feature the latest movies, TV shows and music for consumers who want to check out their media on the go.
To make things even sweeter, RIM announced that it would be getting films same day as the DVD release, and TV shows the day after broadcast. The move helps BlackBerry 10 be more attractive to the regular consumer that may have moved away from BlackBerry after it fell behind Android and iOS in media content availability.
“Music and video content is an integral part of a rich mobile experience. People want easy and convenient access to their favorite music, movies and TV shows wherever they are,” said Frank Boulben, Chief Marketing Officer at Research In Motion. “RIM is committed to working with content providers to bring the best, most up-to-date content to our customers with BlackBerry 10, and to make it easy for them to get what they want.”
Video downloads and rentals will initially be available only to customers in the U.S., UK and Canada. Films and TV shows from pretty much every distributor will be available, including independent labels.
As for music, there will be plenty of content from all the major and independent labels. Unlike visual media, music on BlackBerry 10 will be available in 18 countries at launch. These include Canada, U.S., UK, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, South Africa, Spin, Australia, India, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore.
I was a little worried at first as RIM was only showing off enterprise features with BlackBerry 10. Granted, the company’s most important customers come from the enterprise market, but it needs to appeal to consumers to really get a foothold in the mobile industry again. This latest move is a big step in appealing to those who want more than just enhanced security and job contacts on their mobile devices.