RIM's culture is not to cater to the everyday user. AAMOF, I think part of the reason they don't is that they can save a tiny bit of face by pretending all that they WANT is the corporate people.
I seriously doubt RIM is going to be anything but a niche player from now on...until someone swallows them up. They have nothing compelling to offer, to cause people to switch from Apple or Android. To think otherwise is just fanboyism at it's most optimistic.
Seeing as I have never used a BB in my life...and I like what I see from BB10 and the Z10.....its not all fanboyism. Some ppl just like what they see. So far 1 person at work, another I used to work with are planning to get a BB10 device.
One is an iPhone user....one a BB user. The iPhone user said his first love of smartphones was a BB. And he finally sees something that has his attention.
They might be niche. It hasnt really hurt Apple in the desktop world. BB still have the security and IT features. The Z10 is like a good mix of work n play. The qwerty phone would be all work. Screen too small for anything else.....IMO.
I do agree tho that just like with WP...BB users that left for the iPhone or Android....they are gonna be cautious about going back to BB. So far it hasnt worked out for WP. WP has been on the market going on 3 years. We will see how BB does. Right now I would pick the Z10 and BB10 over WP if I ever left Android. The Live Tiles and the UI of WP just seem too locked in.
I think thats a key thing many ppl overlook with WP and BB. Those users left....for a reason. And are for the most part happy. Whether they went to Android or the iPhone. New customers, new smartphone users....thats whatever. The key is the users that left.