BlackBerry has been counting on its software and services business to reverse its fortunes over the last few years, provided the sheer decrease of its as soon as dominant smartphone business. While the company’s BlackBerry Messenger and enterprise software businesses are viewed as essential prospects for driving a turnaround, there has actually been a lot of buzz around the company’s often ignored QNX embedded systems business, which has actually made considerable progress in the growing connected cars space.
What Is QNX?
BlackBerry got QNX Software Systems from Harman International back in 2010 for around $200 million. While BlackBerry has actually utilized QNX to power its Playbook line of tablets and build its BB10 running system, the software’s main application depends on embedded systems. The os is microkernel-based, and its essential qualities of stability and security, works in objective vital applications such as medical equipment, air traffic control and control systems. However, QNX’s versatility and reasonably low hardware demands have actually allowed it to discover a significant market in the auto market, where it has been seeing a substantial uptake for automobile infotainment systems. Infotainment systems generally control the information, communication and entertainment systems in a car. BlackBerry’s QNX software generally provides the operating system and middleware, with OEMs (initial equipment makers) managing the total user interface and experience of the infotainment product.
Leader In Automotive Infotainment Space
BlackBerry says that its QNX technology is presently deployed by over 40 OEMs in 10s of millions of cars throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Sales of vehicle infotainment systems stood at near 40 million units, according to price quotes from IHS Automotive, and the marketplace is anticipated to grow to about 130 million devices by 2020. QNX had a market share of around 53 % in 2013, while Microsoft, the second biggest gamer, had a market share of almost 27 %. Among QNX’s most notable customers are General Motors, which utilizes the software in its OnStar vehicle communication systems, and Apple, which uses the software for its CarPlay utility that connects iPhones to infotainment systems.
Playing To Its Strengths
BlackBerry has been playing to QNX’s strengths in order to drive growth. The company recently introduced a new new operating system that is directed at automobile security, dubbed QNX OS for Automotive Security 1.0, banking on the stability and security that the QNX platform provides. This operating system will supply back-end software that drives automobile security functions consisting of a heads-up display screen, advanced motorist support systems and digital instrument clusters. The growing interest in the “Internet of Things” could prove to be a considerable chance for QNX, considering that its software has reasonably modest hardware requirements, making it suitable for low powered devices. QNX could have an early mover advantage in this space considering that it currently has a big network of third-party developers on its platform.
35 ways Blackberry QNX platform touches our daily lives
BlackBerry’s QNX platform is all over, with more applications established with it than you can possibly count. You probably understood that QNX underpins our contemporary BlackBerry 10 operating system, now on version 10.3.1, which you likely have in your pocket on your BlackBerry Passport or BlackBerry Classic. And perhaps you knew that QNX is the leader in the car computing/infotainment space, having actually been made use of in 50 million vehicles to date, and holding more than 50 % of the marketplace. However, QNX touches our lives in lots of other ways.
The infographic below covers much more ways QNX converges with our everyday lives. You’re most likely to be amazed by some– if not most– of the applications. When you think about QNX, you will “believe left and think best and think low and think high.” There are a lot of things you can do with QNX, if you just try.
