There was a time when RIM ruled the smart mobile market. But Apple and Android have cornered a major part of the market, and there is not much left for BlackBerry or Windows. A few years ago, the question, “Why develop BlackBerry applications?” would not have appeared rhetorical. Today, most developers wonder why anyone would develop apps for BB when Android and Apple are dominating the smartphone market.

Over the last five years, we have seen BlackBerry fall every year, sliding fast toward the bottom from the top. While RIM still remains one of the most well-known and iconic smart mobile brands, not many people are buying BlackBerry phones. The delay in launch of BlackBerry 10 series has crippled the company further and exacerbated the situation. On top of it, it turns out that one out of every four apps on BlackBerry has been built by a single company, which would naturally skew the filed a little in the favor on the giant developer. At a time like this, why would anyone bother to build apps for BlackBerry? Well, here are five reasons that may inspire mobile app developer to build apps for BlackBerry.

While Android and Apple make efforts to help their developer community make more money on the app stores, BlackBerry is the one that needs the developers the most. And this means that it is creating situations wherein the developers can earn more. In addition to offering $10,000 to any developers who build high-end apps for BB 10 (the program is now over), BlackBerry also charges only 20% commission, compared to Apple’s 30%.

As an objection, one can point out the low number of people who are buying BB Z10 or Q10 compared to the iPhone and devices that run on Android. While theoretically BlackBerry development can be lucrative, the reality seems different. But we know that there is still a large demographic that still prefers BlackBerry. As a developer, you can take advantage of the low competition the BlackBerry App World and rise to the top of the charts in your category. If you have the skills and the ideas, it may be a good idea to build an app that can dominate a specific category on the BB app store.

Another key point that makes BlackBerry development a good idea is the quality of the devices. Both Z10 and Q10 are quality devices loaded with several awesome features. While it was not an easy to task to develop innovative apps for BlackBerry 7, with the new operating system and devise, there is a lot more scope for the developers to create app that offer performance comparable to the latest iPhone and Android apps. Although these devices have not been as big a hit in the market as Blackberry would have liked, they are doing quite well.

Apart from these, the fact that you can easily get support and ideas from a BlackBerry development group near you makes it easy for you to plunge into the world of BlackBerry app development. Another small but noteworthy fact is the developers do not need to shell out a good sum of money to start developing apps for the BlackBerry – you get the BlackBerry World Vendor account for free.

Sure, these are just a few itsy-bitsy benefits of developing apps for BlackBerry. The reasons for not building BlackBerry apps can fill pages. But, the fact remains that under certain conditions, it is can be a good idea to plunge into BB app development.

Do you develop apps for BlackBerry? Is it working out well for you? Please share your experiences in the comments!

About Author:

Nilesh Talaviya is tech-savvy working with premier blackberry application development India based company. Get in touch for mobile apps development tasks.