The U.S. smartphone market has changed so dramatically over the five years. There is no doubt about that. Motions have shifted and the current reigning kings in the industry are iOS, Android, and BlackBerry. There are also the obvious runners up such as WebOS and the upcoming Windows Phone 7 (yes, a runner up because it has built enough hype to get it there but doesn’t have the chance to earn top status until release).
TD Bank, the bank known very well for its convenient hours and exceptional customer service, has finally released a much anticipated mobile application for customers on the go. Immediately after seeing the advertisement online, I downloaded it onto my Nexus One. It works great. But then I noticed the available device list and saw that it is only available for iOS and Android. So where’s the BlackBerry love?
Before anyone says “they do have a BlackBerry app!” and refers to this app, let me point out that it does not work for TD Bank customers here in the states (I know, I’ve tried). It is specifically for TD Canada Trust, TD Waterhouse, and TD Insurance. So why would TD Bank not release an app for the platform known notoriously for being the supreme being of mobile security? I wish I had an answer.
There could be many reasons behind it. One, a lack of quality BlackBerry developers on the TD Bank employment team. I doubt this is the case because I doubt a company such as theirs would have any issues finding someone looking to take on the job. Two, no interest. I doubt that as well because I can’t fathom the possibility that a company so big on customer service would not have any interest in catering to a huge chunk of their business clientele. Three, it’s on its way. Maybe it just wasn’t ready for release right away and this whole post is unnecessary. Four, TD Bank is seeing the huge uprising in the touch-based app-centric platforms that are causing iOS and Android usage to spike higher and higher by the day and made a business decision to put their primary focus into that market.
I don’t have an answer. I’m just a customer, not an employee. And I am more than likely just over thinking this whole thing. But it got me wondering. As more and more customers hop on the iOS/Android bandwagon, are corporations hot on their tail?
