The appearance of the original iPhone shook the mobile world up big-time. The new interface by Apple brought the sophisticated smartphone to the regular crowd. Android appeared shortly after and kept the excitement going in mobile. Consumers had a choice in smartphones like never before and it was good.
Then Apple and Android stopped implementing major innovation. Both iOS and Android kept getting better but without raising the bar to get consumers excited again. The innovation kept comint on the hardware side but the software just improved incrementally.
Windows Phone appeared and while the software was new and fresh it didn’t seem to capture the attention of the mass market. Some folks got excited by the new platform but it didn’t seem to capture the imagination of the masses.
That may soon change with the imminent release of BlackBerry 10. Early leaks of the OS show that RIM is definitely bringing the BlackBerry into the modern age. The UI looks fresh and smartly designed, and this may get the BlackBerry enthusiasts of old excited once again.