Android vs. Apple in new cars - not a good idea.

Android versus Apple. Do you really want the manufacturer of your next new car to force your hand on the choice?

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/google-apple-forge-auto-ties-225800493.html?bcmt_s=m#ugccmt-container

Regardless of which OS you prefer, most of us have fallen into a comfort zone with the one we currently use on our smart phones and tablets. If we want to change, it costs (at most) a few hundred dollars to switch out our hardware from Android to Apple (or vice versa) if you figure in the trade-in value of the devices being replaced.

Consider the consequences of car manufacturers requiring us to have a choice of only one OS:

* "Uh, Officer. I ran into the other driver because I was trying to use (OS name) to turn on the GPS and I have no idea how to use it."

* Sick of your OS? Get ready to eat thousands in deprecation trading in your car.

* Not being able to use your current devices and apps.

* The issue of having to figure the OS into which car to drop $25-$30K (or more) on. As an example, I've owned Hondas for 20 years. Being forced to adapt to Apple's OS on a new one would be enough of a buzz kill for me to choose another auto manufacturer with similar price and quality that offered other OS choices.

Frankly, the in-dash systems on most new cars are glorified tablet PCs. As such, car manufacturers should hedge their bets by offering a choice of Android, Apple or Windows on new cars. If they do it right, changing out the unit should be no more complex than reinstalling a car stereo.

This is not a debate on which OS is best - it's a debate on buyer choices. When I buy my next new car in a year or two, it should be like Burger King: I get it my way or I don't buy the son of a b:***h.

 

Exactly. While Bluetooth works with any OS, the article implies future in-dash technology will be skewed or tied to a specific OS.

 

Mercedes uses QNX (Owned by BlackBerry). It's the only OS that I would even agree to having in my car dash.

 

I don't see Apple filling up any dashboards. Automakers typically like more control over the stuff in their cars than Apple is willing to concede.

This might be their chance to pull out of their downward spiral. They still have their reputation in business circles and their ability to run Android apps means consumers won't be moved into an entirely new and unfamiliar experience.

 

The only reason people think they are in a downward spiral is because people think they are in a downward spiral. Not that that isn't dangerous in and of itself... but they are quite literally very safe from a financial stand point.

 

The billion dollar in one quarter loss, the utter failure of the BB10 line and it's last minute reprieve by Fairfax Financial must have mislead me.

 

Their constant losses don't speak of triumph. A company can only sustain consistent losses for so long.

 

Oh Jeremy.. if only you knew what you were talking about. Citing "losses" from the bibles of finance sites is only assuring me that you don't know that they actually are in the net positive financials with the ability write down assets. It's the ASSETS that are the losses those sites are talking about and since they aren't really "losses" as much as they are expenditures.. they are still assets and still have value, albeit not liquid.

They just got a cash INFUSION. Try their new Smart phones.. then comment

 

No one is claiming the phones are no good. As a result of the Fairfax Financial acquisition, BB is pulling out of the consumer market. Like HP and the Touchpad, they're going in a different direction.

 

Kodo, I thought we were friends?

Insulting me by basically calling me an idiot isn't very friend-like...


Investors Dump RIM Shares
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323873904578573162575346532


http://us.blackberry.com/content/da...rs/Documents/2013/Q3_FY2014_Press_Release.pdf

Q3 Results 2013

Revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2014 was approximately $1.2 billion, down $380 million or 24%
from approximately $1.6 billion in the previous quarter and down 56% from $2.7 billion in the same
quarter of fiscal 2013. The revenue breakdown for the quarter was approximately 40% for hardware, 53%
for services and 7% for software and other revenue. During the third quarter, the Company recognized
hardware revenue on approximately 1.9 million BlackBerry smartphones compared to approximately 3.7
million BlackBerry smartphones in the previous quarter. Most of the units recognized were BlackBerry 7
devices. During the quarter, approximately 4.3 million BlackBerry smartphones were sold through to end
customers, which included shipments made and recognized prior to the third quarter and which reduced
the Company’s inventory in channel. Of the BlackBerry smartphones sold through to end customers in
the third quarter, approximately 3.2 million were BlackBerry 7 devices.


You disappoint me, sir. You are so busy telling me I don't know what I am talking about that you didn't even look at Blackberry's own press release. This was Q3, there are more of these floating around from earlier this year and the year prior. Put a positive spin on it if you like, but hits on revenue like those are not a good thing.

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/12/23/with-new-outsourcing-deal-blackberry-cancels-two-phones/
http://www.thestar.com/business/2013/09/20/blackberry_shares_halted_pending_news.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/rim-layoffs

Laying off a bunch of people, taking on losses, canceling Blackberry Live 2014, as well as additional 2014 handsets, is not a sign of a company doing well. So while I may not know anything in your eyes, I think I know this much that this is not a sign of a prosperous company.


I'm not a cheerleader for the death of RIM. In fact, its in my own best interest they succeed. But let's not lie to ourselves about their current financial situation.

 

People that run into other drivers, or drive down closed roads, or even into bodies of water, should not be behind the wheel to begin with.

I remember twenty years back, we had an elderly couple, that both had signs of Dementia, that came into the restaurant I worked at. They actually thought that they were in Springfield, Missouri, but had driven to Springfield, IL.

This was before the days of GPS systems for cars, and you still had these things called paper maps and Road Atlas's.

I still review the route I am taking, before I commit to what I plug into the mobile map app on my phone. I have GPS Drive, that I use most of the time, but use Google Maps, if looking up stuff nearby, while on the road, or Dexknows app.

As for handfree, I put in the Belkin Car Audio Connect in both our Van & Trailblazer. My son already had a Kenwood head unit with Blue Tooth.

I did have to take apart the Trailblazer dash, so that I could install a relay to shut off the Accessory outlet when you shut off the vehicle. The Belkin is always plugged into the outlet all of the time, so I did not want to unplug it all of the time.

http://www.belkin.com/us/F4U037-Belkin/p/P-F4U037/

 

Assets.. assets.. you're not looking at the cash on hand and you insist that the loss is a net loss. It's a cash expenditure or conversion to assets. The 940 million (an increase of about 300MM) was SOLELY due to inventory, PERIOD. BB also increased its cash and investment balance from $2.1B to $2.9B. Another item that the financial, bobble heads forget to mention.

You are also not looking at the changes the new CEO is making. You also conveniently disregard QNX as completely in play in the automobile sector (Mercedes).

Further more, the whole RSA debacle? I know you've heard of it.. well, ECC is THE next security algo and guess who owns that? That's right.. BB.

I'm not calling you an idiot. I'm asserting that your information is not complete and so I feel the need to prevent incomplete information from turning people away from a technology that, in my opinion, is far superior. This is where I put my Tin Hat on: It has been my observation that the bobble heads are actually gunning for people to believe the none-sense that they are pushing and are actually TRYING to kill BB. The most likely reason is their own investment portfolio. When you hit their wallet, they will what they will to prevent that loss.

You're an intelligent guy. I can remember chats we've had where I was on the receiving end of this type of conversation. You were right back then and I was wrong.. but I am not wrong now. Neither are you.. you're just mis-informed.

Other details that get omitted: http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/05/29/blackberry-q10-outselling-iphone-and-galaxy-s4/

510k DL's from GPS: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bbm
and that's just from Google play

There were over 6MM activation's in one day one the day of launch. It's now at an estimated 20MM+

While BB may not have a large MK share in the USA..it DOES have a larger MK share in the eastern world.

Please forgive me for any indiscretion.. insulting you was not my intention. Got some bad news today in NYS and my attitude is not well adjusted.

 

Fair enough