Blackberry trumps contenders

The recent releases of the new Palm Pre and Apple’s iPhone 3GS offered a chance to speculate on what role, if any, these smartphones may come to play in the increasingly mobile healthcare industry. But if anyone was thinking these slick new devices could dethrone Research In Motion’s Blackberry, think again. The numbers tell a different story.

Yes, the iPhone enjoyed a spike in market share following the release of the second generation version last July, but that share has been nearly cut in half, according to a CNN report. In the first quarter 2009, IDC shows BlackBerry had a 55.3 percent share, compared to 19.5 percent for iPhones. When you consider that in the third quarter of 2008, BlackBerry devices controlled 40.4 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, compared with 30.1 percent for Apple, the advantage clearly belongs to RIM.

With financial results expected to post after the closing bell tomorrow, analysts expect RIM to report a solid fiscal first quarter. Revenue is forecasted to rise 53 percent, with earnings expected to jump 12 percent for the quarter ended May 31.

Numbers are nice, but what keeps the Blackberry on top is RIM’s ability to grab market share, even as its competitors roll out flashy new products. As the CNN report points out: “RIM may not offer the interactive operating system experience that the iPhone, Pre or Google’s G1 phone offer, but RIM offers BlackBerrys that beat them in end user cost.”

More importantly for healthcare, Blackberry continues to rule the enterprise, thanks to its focus on security and ease of configuration. While this may change going forward—Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney says Blackberry’s user interface doesn't match up to its competitors and IT departments are beginning to support any device with basic security features; plus, RIM is facing an uphill battle with Nokia for global dominance—it’s still the preferred device among healthcare professionals, even though many doctors love the iPhone. And that’s not likely to change in the short term.