Why Microsoft and Research In Motion Are New BFFs

An unlikely speaker took the stage May 3 at Research In Motion’sBlackBerry World event in the form of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

Following news and demonstrations of the latest BlackBerry Bold handsets, Ballmer was introduced and shared details on a new partnership between Microsoft and RIM. Bing will now be integrated into the BlackBerry operating system as the default engine for maps and search. Can you say BingBerry? This strategy illustrates that the mobile market is entering a bit of a new phase that focuses on feature consolidation and “co-opetition.” From 2007 until recently, smartphone maturity centered around new platforms, user interfaces and the emergence of the mobile app economy. Apps will continue to see growth as 44 billion mobile app downloads are expected by 2016, and that economy is helping to drive which smartphones consumers are choosing. Hardware specifications and features are still important, but so too are platform usability and what apps are available. Both Microsoft and RIM are making strides in this area, but they’re still taking a back seat to the app stores for iOS and Android devices. Because of Apple’s and Google’s first mover advantage , I think we'll see more loose alliances between the rest of the pack. After all, the concept that “the enemy of my enemy can be my friend” is a powerful tool when you’re outnumbered and running low on ammo.