Apple's Advantage over the Blackberry: Way More Memory

With the Blackberry app store launching by the end of March 2009, a dramatic new problem will emerge with full force: Where is the application memory to run these new applications? In order to understand the magnitude of this problem, we have to look at the mother of all app store pioneers: Apple (AAPL) and the iPhone.

Ask almost any iPhone user what excites them about the iPhone, and almost all of them answer immediately that it's the app store, with many thousands of apps available. Many iPhone users have page after page after page worth of applications that they have downloaded. It seems like iPhone users install dozens and dozens of applications, and I don't see any signs of abatement. We may be entering a situation where most iPhone users love their platform so much because they have hundreds of applications running.

The Blackberry app store is being launched for the obvious reason that it's becoming the critical tool in the competitive tool kit. Without a vibrant developer community, it's very difficult to compete. The analogy with the PC world is pretty strong, and possibly even stronger given that location-based services generate so many more application possibilities that aren't as meaningful in the PC world. Here is the problem: An iPhone has 8 gig or 16 gig worth of memory, compared to a Blackberry, which has 64, 96, 128 or 256 meg worth of app memory, depending on the model. Yes, I know these numbers are not perfectly "apples to blackberries" (no pun intended), because Blackberry has an expansion card slot and the iPhone doesn't, and so forth. But keep in mind that the Blackberry's expansion memory is for multimedia (pictures, music, etc) storage, not for running apps or even containing things such as the address book that synchronizes with Outlook. One can also argue that an iPhone typically contains a lot more multimedia than most Blackberries, but Blackberries also synch with iTunes for DRM-free content, so that gap should narrow as awareness of this ability grows.

Those caveats aside, the SMALLEST iPhone (8 gig) has 32x the application memory of the LARGEST Blackberry (256 meg for the 8900 model). The manner in which most users will feel this dramatic 32x difference is in the ability to install new apps. Clearly, while some Blackberry apps have tended to carry a small memory footprint, one of the attractions of the iPhone is that those apps are very rich in their appearance and functionality, so in order to compete, Blackberry apps may have to become larger in order to be competitive.

What does this mean? It looks like this clash of Blackberry's app store vs the very small app memory will mean many unsatisfied users who will be lighting up the customer service switchboards like a Christmas Tree. Many people aren't likely to understand why they can't download/install/run all of these new apps, and their devices could start to freeze up, and their old emails and instant messaging conversation could be wiped to free up memory.

This is both a challenge and an opportunity for RIM (RIMM). The challenge will be all the unhappy customers calling to complain about the lack of ability of their current devices. The opportunity will be to start selling new Blackberries with an app footprint equal to, or greater than, the iPhone. Such a "forced upgrade cycle" is not free, and it is unclear how consumers will react to this. Either way, for Blackberry to go from 256 meg or less worth of app memory in its devices, to 16 gig and more – a 64x increase – will mark Blackberry's most important generational shift in the company's history.

The installed Blackberry base is now approximately 20 million. Ask yourself: How many of these will use the Blackberry app store as the excuse to go to another platform such as iPhone, Android and Palm, versus how many will upgrade to another Blackberry containing some 64x more memory than your current Blackberry?

Disclosure: no positions

Comments

[LongAAPL:]

Good point. However, hardware limitations are somewhat simple to overcome with new models. What RIMM really is going to have trouble competing against is the current culture of iPhone app developers. Apple has done a fantastic job creating the opportunity for development, advertising and distribution of iPhone applications. With only a very few complaints it appears that the qpp store is by far the greatest feature of the iPhone platform. Let's put it this way, could a room full of microsoft or rimm software engineers ever conceive of an application that would find the nearest public restroom and rate it for you? (Sit or Squat) If they did, would they ever think to bring it up at a business meeting and dare suggest it could make money? This is a whole new paradigm (to use a board-room cliche') in software development that will be very very hard to beat.

Jan 28 11:44 AM

[Cheat Sheet:]

I agree overcoming the hardware limitations will not be hard for RIMM. They may even limit their app store to the level of the Storm. Also, a firmware update could allow app storage to external memory cards. But the chief problem I see is whether their SDK, user experience, sw title fragmentation (due to various models) and different carriers will let their app store work well like Apple's. Granted even Apple's AppStore has its problems and can improve. But given more existing variables on the BlackBerry platform, will the user experience ultimately drive significant sales? It may sound intangible but this is an area Apple has mastered beyond its competitors for years. Some calls it dumbing down or reducin choices for the user, but in the end it's what makes them successful in the consumer space - best user experience. What will the verdict be on RIMM?

Jan 28 12:35 PM

[Cheat Sheet:]

Also,most BlackBerry models does not have 3G or Wi-Fi. Would this likely impact using the AppStore?

Jan 28 12:37 PM

[GSlusher:]

The hardware issue may not be the main problem. Sure, RIM could install more memory, but can the CPU and OS actually use it? The amount of RAM that can be addressed is limited by the number of bits in the address. For quite a while, the Mac OS was limited to no more than 2 GB RAM, for example.

Jan 28 12:50 PM

[jenny:]

I see you're point and this is something that I'm curious to see how RIMM overcomes. I don't doubt they will tackle this problem head on, but I have a feeling it will most likely be expensive for the consumer. Also, I think BB users may be looking for different types of apps than say someone who uses an iPhone. The majority of BB holding business professionals probably wouldn't want the Sit or Squat app...

Jan 28 12:58 PM

[jmmx:]

@ jenny
You do make some good points. In particular: "The majority of BB holding business professionals probably wouldn't want the Sit or Squat app."

But therein lies the problem! Because the busy pro is not interested in "crazy" or "creative" apps, these do not get built. This lowers the overall interest in the platform both to developers, and to consumers who may be professionals, but still like their fun apps.

---
Another issue will be power. I am sure that when the next iPhone is announced, the computing power will probably be 4x what it is now. It may even have Apple's Mini-DisplayPort to connect a monitor or TV.

Apple leads - everyone else plays catch-up.

Jan 28 01:44 PM

[Sandip:]

Not sure if the article is entirely correct on the memory issue. Can you just stick a microSD card (up to 32GB) into a blackberry? That would give it 2x the memory of an iphone and allow you to swap them to add even more. I love my iphone wouldn't think of trading it for the storm yet, but the blackberry beats it in the storage dept because of the microSD slot.

Jan 28 02:04 PM

[LongAAPL:]

I don't own one, but the author says that you can't install apps on the memory card and run them. We need a knowledgeable storm owner to verify this.


On Jan 28 02:04 PM Sandip wrote:

> Not sure if the article is entirely correct on the memory issue.
> Can you just stick a microSD card (up to 32GB) into a blackberry?
> That would give it 2x the memory of an iphone and allow you to swap
> them to add even more. I love my iphone wouldn't think of trading
> it for the storm yet, but the blackberry beats it in the storage
> dept because of the microSD slot.

Jan 28 04:17 PM

[.crazylegs..:]

The Storm has 1 GB internal memory!

With declining pricing of memory, it is not inconceivable that all future BBs will have at least this much.

Also, the average app for the BB is perhaps 150kb-500kb. this means that 200 apps would only require 100 mb of space. Even if the apps got much more extensive and took up 2 mb, that would still mean 50 apps would only eat up 10% of the Storm's memory...hence, this article is pointless!

Jan 28 04:50 PM

[Maggard:]

1. The company is Research In Motion, their acronym is RIM, the stock symbol is RIMM.

2. For the past several years the majority of RIM's customers have come from the consumer side, I believe about 70/30 these days.

3. These consumers are purchasing Blackberries for a number of reasons. Chief amongst these are ease of use, battery life, phone quality, and value for money spent.

4. BlackBerrys come in a wider range of devices then the 2 iPhone models. Configurations include CDMA/GSM/iDEN services with varying WiFi, GPS, UMA, still camera, autofocus camera, video camera, no camera, internal or externally accessible microSD cards, Qwerty, Dual-Tap or touchscreen keyboards, wheels (now superseded), trackballs, or touchscreen, etc.

5. BlackBerries have two memory pools - the built-in one used for the OS, applications, logs & caches and a secondary pool for music, movies, and photos that can be relocated to a microSD card.

6. The BlackBerry OS takes up about 32MB, about half of the built-in memory found on older model BBs. Newer BB models have increasingly larger built-in memory and all current BB models support 16GB or greater microSD cards.

7. Some things BBs do the iPhone doesn't (natively)? Meet US Gov't security criteria. Have working push email. Support up to 10 (11 including carrier-affiliated BB email) email account via push. Comprehensive remote management. Most models can last all day under medium to heavy use. Copy & paste. Send photos via MMS. Stereo Bluetooth. Built in speaker-independent voice dialing. Cost less then an iPhone. Not require a data plan. Data plans are cheaper the iPhone plans. Keyboards that are considered best of breed.

Personally I carry both an iPhone and one of several BlackBerries. Why? Because while my iPhone is a great iPod as a phone it doesn't compare to the BlackBerry. iPhone's address book is bizarrely limited, they suffer from poor reception, unremarkable voice quality, crippled Bluetooth, limited & unreliable push email, and doesn't have the chops to hold up to heavy usage (tho' some of the newest BBs don't either.)

On the other hand the iPhone has a far better browser, more fun apps, and an interface that is a delight to use beyond being just very efficient.

Jan 28 04:52 PM

[Bastion:]

Ahh, that's the average size today - with applications that do not utilize advanced features. You have to beware predictions based only on today's realities.

If such predictions could be trusted, then we'd never have needed more than 640K of RAM - as was infamously predicted by Bill Gates in 1981 (of course, if the urban legends have any merit).

You put out 2MB for an app as an upper limit, but I can tell you from experience on my iPod touch that 2MB is about average for most applications. A professional game like SimCity comes in at 30MB, and many other apps that have a lot of features or data exceed 2MB (e.g. Google Earth at nearly 10MB).

And don't sell short the idea that "business" people don't want these kinds of apps. "Business" people are still people, and "people" are the ones buying iPhone apps in droves.

This is the promise of convergence - why would anyone want to spend the extra money on (and carry the extra weight of) another mobile device to do these things (i.e. a BB + iPod touch / PSP / or that Nokia thing).

If they don't defect to iPhone straightaway, then they will eventually want the same kind of user experience and options, and that could put some pressure on the BB platform and upgrade cycle.


On Jan 28 04:50 PM .crazylegs.. wrote:

> The Storm has 1 GB internal memory!
>
> With declining pricing of memory, it is not inconceivable that all
> future BBs will have at least this much.
>
> Also, the average app for the BB is perhaps 150kb-500kb. this means
> that 200 apps would only require 100 mb of space. Even if the apps
> got much more extensive and took up 2 mb, that would still mean 50
> apps would only eat up 10% of the Storm's memory...hence, this article
> is pointless!

Jan 28 07:39 PM

[KenC:]

My iPhone has 1.2GB in 70 apps. While there are fun apps, most of the apps are informational. Every business user needs information. If I'm in a foreign country and I need a toilet, well, maybe that toilet finder app can help, because when you travel, whether it's business or pleasure, it's the simple things like finding a public toilet that often make a difference!

My iPhone can run my Keynote presentation with a spotlight on my slides. It's far better than any presentation controller I've used. Honestly, every device has compromises. I am willing to live with the ones the iPhone has, because the benefits far outweigh any weaknesses, for me.

Jan 28 08:25 PM

[Frank Castle:]

I love the Apple ad they run in papers showing the apps on the device:

90% of them are already on Blackberry or were FIRST on Blackberry. You think any mobile developer looking to make money is going to be exclusive to Apple? By year end every single major app will be cross platform so it comes down to what type of device do you want? What carrier do you want?

Apple has to disadvantage of being:

1. at&t only for the next 2-3 years
2. great at apps, media and such but not so great as a phone / PIM workhorse
3. battery life compared to bold is pathetic I still don't last a whole day while Bold I'm almost getting 2 full.

I will give iPhone will always have a better game presence as Blackberry is not designed for that. Now RIM has been exploring the new nVidia chipset so who knows in the next year or so what will be possible.

My storm has a good 20+ apps on it and they are just as nice as iPhone ones (and often the same) - which BTW I can run some in the background (AOL, facebook etc) so let's not get all excited about how much you can store if you can only run one thing at a time.

BTW been using sit or squat (with GPS) on Blackberry for almost 4 months and I AM a business professional.

Jan 28 10:47 PM

[Frank Castle:]

Almost every major iPhone app is either already on Blackberry or will be cross platform - mobile developers are not going to limit themselves to one platform. (more users = more visibility = more sales) Apple has no exclusive arrangements other then their locked to at&t for 2-3 more years.

Apple has some serious DISadvantages in the memory department. What good is pages of apps when you can only run ONE at a time. Yeah real powerful. I love the fact that I can have AIM, Facebook, Twitter all running on Blackberry AND be sit getting email.

FYI Sit or Squat has been on Blackberry for months and it fully supports GPS and I am a business professional imagine that!

The majority of mobile apps are very small by nature and I admit you will likely not see a huge game presence on Blackberry - not something I'm overly concerned with as I have a Xbox360, Wii and DS to fit that need. I'd much rather be more productive throughout the day and not have to constantly open and close apps.

If RIM can centralize all the apps they currently have and make it easier for users to find and explore it would be a huge milestone as there are some really great Blackberry apps. I don't need 100 tip calculators and light saber apps. I have a good 20 on my Storm that I use daily - alot more then I can say with my iPhone that I constantly just delete and add to check things out.

Mobile applications have just begun and as they mature so will the hardware to push the capabilities. If you think RIM isn't aware of that you have missed their ongoing discussions with intel and nVidia to use their new chipsets.

Don't get lost in Apple propaganda.

Jan 28 10:59 PM

[raymondu999:]

Hi. In all due respect, I believe you are slightly mistaken. The iPhone has 8GB or 16GB of STORAGE. It has similar amounts of MEMORY. MEMORY is RAM. BlackBerries have up to 1GB(I think) of STORAGE, such as on the Bold, and expandable by external storage. "app memory" the one which you say goes up to 256MB, isn't for "storing" apps. It's for "running" them. The iPhone only has similar amounts of "app memory."

Don't mean to shoot you down or anything, just sorting out some technical misunderstandings ;)

Jan 28 11:40 PM

[Predrag:]

None of the comments has attempted to correct a serious misconception of the original article. The ability to run larger applications (or several of them at the same time) depends on the amount of RAM memory; NOT the amount of storage.

Virtually ALL smartphones out there, including the Storm, have 64MB of RAM. However, iPhone has 128MB of RAM. As for storage, the article is correct, and iPhone has much more built-in storage than Blackerries or any other phone for that matter.

As for the processors, iPhone and Storm run at approximately same clock speeds (around 520 MHz).

Jan 29 12:00 AM

[maniac:]

The Blackberry Storm simply cannot compete against the iPhone on another front. Apple virtual keyboard can input a variety of special characters (such as à, é è,û, ô which is used in a variety of European languages) just by shifting your fingertip touch after selecting the relevent character and reliably delivers
handwriting recognition in Chinese characters input (great news for the Chinese and even Japanese population). The international allure of iPhone simply cannot be ignored because the competition between these two companies will ultimately be determined by its usefulness in the global market.

Jan 29 12:11 AM

[RUSERIOUS?:]

Hey Man--You need to upload a new picture. You look like you're the aging hall monitor at a high school prom.

Jan 29 12:29 AM

[RUSERIOUS?:]

LMFAO!


On Jan 29 12:29 AM RUSERIOUS? wrote:

> Hey Man--You need to upload a new picture. You look like you're the
> aging hall monitor at a high school prom.

Jan 29 12:30 AM

[peter02l:]

"The installed Blackberry base is now approximately 20 million. Ask yourself: How many of these will use the Blackberry app store as the excuse to go to another platform such as iPhone, Android and Palm, versus how many will upgrade to another Blackberry containing some 64x more memory than your current Blackberry?"

The answer is none. Otherwise they would already be using iPhones on account of there being no Blackberry app store now.

Jan 29 02:55 AM

[mollytjm:]

It's the screen! the full display on all the iPhones is amazing. i play scrabble on it and have no problems seeing everything. the person saying they can't imagine anyone needing the 'sit/squat' app must have amazing internal plumbing, if they travel at all!

there's obviously room for iPhones and Blackberries, but the Blackberry is trying hard to catch up to the iPhone in touch screen and other apps.

But the question is... what does Apple already have in the pipeline? They will innovate to stay in front and that will continue. There are security apps now for it and updates will have more security options. They have so much $$$ and such a brilliant staff that it's inconceivable that they won't surge ahead with even more amazing stuff.

And Asia! That's an incredible market and the iPhone is very appealing to people in Japan and China, already, and Apple is expanding its stores all over the world. There aren't many companies that can say they are doing that, in this economy, and still making record profits.

with the price of Apple stock right now, it's such a high value buy. This is a very sound company, innovative like no other, with so many exceptional people running it that it will not only survive, but 'live long and prosper'.

as to Gate's comment about not needing more than 64k... well, maybe that's what's wrong with Microsoft... they don't look beyond the ordinary.
long APPL

Jan 29 10:30 AM

[Balin:]

You - Ipod users are idiots. My BB Bold has 17 Gb of flash memory and over 200Mb RAM for applications. KГ/AM

Jan 29 01:44 PM

[Sir Jim:]

I find it hard to consider the point the author of this article is trying to make when he's already demonstrated he's not techworthy enough to use terms properly. "Memory" is used by a CPU to run programs, "Storage" is not memory. Don't get the two confused and you'll sound a lot more intelligent.

Why do I put it this way? Because in actual system ram, what would be properly referred to as memory, the iPhone has 128MB. However, the iPhone is capable of storing 4, 8 or 16GB worth of data. The distinction being that storage does not wipe clean or disappear when you reboot or power off the unit. Memory does.

The Blackberry Storm will be my example, but this unit also has 128MB memory. It, however, has 1GB of internal storage.

But let's consider another comparison point: The CPU.

The iPhone uses an ARM CPU underclocked to 412Mhz.
The Blackberry Storm uses a Qualcomm processor clocked to 642Mhz.

Oh. And the Blackberry batteries... are user replaceable.

Want to pick at little points, focusing on one small detail in order to make sure it looks like the featureset scale tips overwhelmingly into the favor of the product you like better? Well, that can be used against you. It's a double edged sword...

And when it's put that way, you already cut yourself once by not knowing the difference between system ram (memory) and storage.

Jan 30 11:47 PM

[PacketRt:]

There is a software out there called Aerize Card loader that lets you load applications onto your SD memory card to free up your application memory on your blackberry. I think both devices have their uses. I don't think the "Way More Memory" is a valid point anymore.

Apr 20 01:57 PM

[BB_Storm_User:]

You know the problem with the memory on the blackberries is not the amount of storage but the ram the temporary memory used for running the apps. yes the I phone has 8 or 16 GB of storage but thats not whats impressive what makes the I phone run faster without bogging down is the 256MB of ram or application memory. I am a Blackberry Storm User and I feel that as far as the phones features side by side with the I phone the storm wins hands down but where I lose it is the skimpy 64 MB of ram that the Blackberry offers I can store just as much content as the I Phone because the standard 8 GB sd card is upgradeable to 16GB but I just cant run all the apps I want to because of the memory limitation. The sad part of it all is that this could all be fixed with a software update like the one they did about a month ago as it stands I have 9 GB 1 internal and 8 external all they have to do to compete is to allocate some more of the phones internal memory to ram there is no reason they can't upgrade it to 512MB and crush every other platform. I think the only thing stopping them is the fact that they want to keep their TOOL FOR BUSINESS Attitude and dont get me wrong its still the best business tool I've ever owned and I wouldn't trade it for an I phone but I am a Businesman who also likes to have fun

Jul 13 01:43 AM

[komrad:]

I'm using Aerize Card loader to load applications onto your SD memory card to free up the application memory on my blackberry. Great post.

Oct 24 01:30 AM

[jefefe:]

wrong wrong wrong!! wrong concept, iphone 16gig or 32gig is ROM (on board persistent memory just like your PC hardisk!!) . the 8900 256 mb is refering the run time memory RAM!! (Just like your PC 2/4 gig RAM). RAM data is volatile and will not sustain through power cycle.

Anyone can answer me what is the RAM size of iphone? RAM, not ROM

Nov 10 01:31 AM