The BlackBerry Z10, quite possibly the company's last chance to pull ahead of Apple, is slated to debut in the U.S. in the coming weeks. How will it compare to Apple's iPhone 5? Which one should you buy? This guide will help you make an informed decision.
OS
Apple's iOS needs little introduction. The venerable operating system that powers iPhone and iPad has had the benefit of years to work out its kinks and ingratiate itself into the psyche of every self-respecting tech consumer. We all know: when in doubt, "there's an app for that."
Early reviews of BlackBerry's new operating system, BB10 have alternated between beaming and scolding, with few analysts interested in pursuing the middle ground.
The Verge writes, "The end result is a feeling of unpredictability. Not only can you not control which apps remain open or where they're located, you also don't have a consistent sense of where to find certain pieces of information. If you're like me, you like to be able to glance at things like the weather quickly and conveniently - even Apple gets this one kind of right in iOS' Notification Center - but BlackBerry 10 provides no such option."
Eek.
Chipset
It's hard to do an apples-to-apples comparison here because Apple designs and fabricates its own proprietary chips. Few developers seem to grasp, however, that the Cupertino outfit isn't just doing it for kicks.
Alan Kay once said, "People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware." The truth in that is reflected in Apple's market capitalization.
iPhone is built for iOS. iOS is built for iPhone. The "magic" Apple never shuts up about is the synergy between the two.
The BlackBerry Z10 will run 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor - more or less akin to your Galaxy S3 or what have you.
We'll have to wait to see how it stacks up against Apple's A6 processor, but no one's really expecting much of a showdown in this arena.
Handset Build
It's hard to beat a company that claims to design everything through the lens of Dieter Rams' 10 Principles for Good Design.
The iPhone is refined, minimalist and most importantly, no frills.
BlackBerry's Z10 does an okay job emulating it. Some reviews have said the back cover appears to be somewhat flimsy, but it's difficult to say anything definitively without a hands-on.
Production
Wanting to differentiate itself against Apple and its Chinese-sweatshop production pipeline, BlackBerry decided to build the Z10 in a country known for it's sterling record on workers' rights: Mexico.
They'll also produce a few in China.
