Death of BlackBerry, RIM (RIMM)?

After years of making a strong name for themselves in the smart phone market, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) now can turn their attention to an apparently envious hoard of BlackBerry users that are itching for a smarter phone.

Gone are the days of the smart phone simply being for business junkies that need constant attachment to their job. Now the smart phone craze has reached the masses, and Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) has seemingly lost its stranglehold as the sector grows beyond its once loyal demographic.

According to recent study from Crowd Science, BlackBerry users are losing faith in RIM and are far more likely to ditch their smart phones for an iPhone or Android based device.

When BlackBerry users were asked about the likelihood that they would ditch their smart phone for an iPhone, 39 percent of the respondents said that they would "definitely or probably would" make the switch.

Google seems to garnering attention among RIM users, as nearly one third of Blackberry respondents said they would make the move to an Android based smart phone.

While BlackBerry users seem to be fleeing to competitors, Apple and Google received a vote of confidence from the Crowd Science survey.

For Apple, 92 percent said they would likely stay loyal to the iPhone, while 87 percent of Android users are sticking by Google. Among the two smart phone goliaths, 45 percent of Android users said they will not under any circumstance leave their Google phone behind for an iPhone, while only 15 percent of iPhone users could say for certain that they would not make the switch to Android.

"These results show that the restlessness of BlackBerry users with their current brand hasn’t just been driven by the allure of the iPhone," Crowd Science CEO John Martin said in a posting on the company’s blog. "Rather, BlackBerry as a brand just isn’t garnering the loyalty seen with other mobile operating systems."

While the iPhone is undoubtedly the most popular smart phone on the market, Android based phones are offered by more wireless carriers. This all may become an irrelevant point in the near future, as Apple is rumored to be developing a CDMA capable phone that could be brought to Verizon Communications Inc.’s (NYSE: VZ) Verizon Wireless service and/or Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S).

Apple's exclusive deal for the iPhone on the AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) wireless network is seemingly drawing to a conclusion.

BlackBerry does still hold a massive lead in the industry's market share over Apple -- 42 percent to 25 percent -- however RIM lost a percentage point in the market during the fourth quarter of 2009, while Apple’s share rose 1.2 percent, according to comScore. The research agency added that Apple could pass RIM in the smart phone market by February 2012 if current trends continue.

The market for smart phones is growing beyond business applications, so the physical keyboard appeal of the BlackBerry is all but obsolete making the iPhone and a variety of devices for Google all the more appealing with massive application choices and seamless interconnectivity.

RIM will need to change with the times or simply become an afterthought to the mounting demands of its current users, while not being an option for those just entering the next stage of content on the go.

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