BlackBerry's time may be over

When was the last time when there was any excitement about a BlackBerry device? Can you remember? I can't either. Falling market share and a lack of excitement may spell serious trouble for R.I.M.

An article published in the New York Times today from Reuters BreakingViews warns that the BlackBerry is in danger of losing its hold on corporate America, where it has traditionally been strongest.

The article notes that Apple claims that more than 80 percent of Fortune 100 firms were either testing or already using iPhones. And it points out that Android devices are becoming increasingly accepted in corporate America as well.

The BlackBerry gained its foothold in enterprises because of its ability to deliver and sync email. But iPhones and Android phones both do that --- and do plenty more as well, notably with their tens of thousands of available apps. They have far more than BlackBerry, and those apps are often productivity-related. People are shifting toward app-happy devices.

Because of this, BlackBerry's market share has been plummeting. The Times article notes:

R.I.M.'s share of the American smartphone market reflects this shift. It fell to 41 percent in the first quarter from 55 percent in the previous year, according to Gartner. The combined share held by iPhones and Android handsets rose to 49 percent, from 23 percent over the same period.

BlackBerry plans to release a new operating system this fall, and it clearly is pinning its hopes that will stem the market share loss. But it's going to be tough to do. Not long after the BlackBerry launch, Windows Phone 7 will be released, and Microsoft clearly will target the enterprise market, not just consumers.

With Windows Phone 7, iPhone and Android eating into the corporate market, and iPhone and Android so strong in the consumer market, BlackBerry may be caught in a squeeze. If the new BlackBerry operating system isn't a knockout, one day R.I.M. may find itself R.I.P.