It is not often that you have a day on which so many announcements are made in the world of technology. Putting aside the launch of the Surface 2, Nokia unveiled some new devices and apps yesterday, BlackBerry completed its launch of BBM for iOS and Android, and Apple held a highly anticipated iPad event… Was a busy day.

Something about all the announcements made me want to examine them from a bird’s-eye view and compare the three to see where the companies are headed and where the industry is going.

Let’s start with the most obvious one, BlackBerry, poor old BlackBerry.

Wait, BlackBerry Did What?!

So let’s just put this out there, BlackBerry has had better times. In fact, it is always very important to remember what BlackBerry, then RIM, was just a few years ago. A giant. An industry-leader. An innovator. Now, the company is confused and losing the battle fast.

But all is not over for the Canadian company because, at least they have a unique asset to offer their loyal user-base that no one else has. BBM. The wildly popular messaging app built into the BlackBerry OS. People seem to love it and only BlackBerry users have it, right? Oh wait…

Why, someone please tell me, would BlackBerry take what is pretty much their last differentiating factor (by the way, I never got the BBM attraction and why so many people love it, but that is a topic for another time.) and give it away to the competition?

I mean, I get it, they want to spread their wings and let others use BBM, and I have even heard the rumors of BBM becoming its own independent identity, but still, why would anyone, in their right mind, buy a BlackBerry now? If BlackBerry wants to sell phones, this was pretty much the dumbest thing they could have done. Well, until they start licensing out their keyboards, but at this rate, that is not far off…

BlackBerry, it seems is confused and that is a clear indication of where the company is headed. Sad, but true. If other companies and people learn the lesson that you can be a leader one day, but if you stop adopting and innovating, that edge you had can disappear overnight, then BlackBerry will not have died in vain.

Nokia, on the Other Hand…

You see, Nokia is also struggling in the mobile space. Putting aside the Microsoft acquisition, Nokia needs to prove that it is still relevant. How is it hoping to accomplish that? Well, by doing exactly what BlackBerry is not doing. Innovating. You can read reviews across the web about the new Lumia 1520, 2520, and 1320, but let me save you the time. People are excited about them.

Journalists are into these devices and anyone who has had a second with them is extremely impressed. I am not going to go into the specs or advantages of these devices, but I will say that Nokia has not stopped innovating for a second. “Oh, the market likes insanely large and high-resolution phones? On it!” “iPad is dominating the market because there is no other decent tablet to compete? On it!” “The market is split with people who will pay a premium price for an extremely high-end device and those who want a great phone for a lower price? On it!”

Nokia is adopting, Nokia is innovating both on the devices themselves, and specifically on the photography side.  This is the way to go and this is what will keep Nokia in the game.

Oh, and did I mention that Nokia began to address their main problem in mobile? Yes, Nokia announced that over 20 of the hottest apps out there are jumping on board the Windows Phone bandwagon. Instagram, Vine, Flipboard, Temple Run 2, and others. Of course, Nokia has more work to do on this front, but you can’t deny that they are taking the right steps!

Apple is Somewhere in the Middle

So Apple’s announcements yesterday fall right in the middle between the stale BlackBerry and the exciting Nokia announcements. What do I mean? Well to say that Apple disappointed would just be ridiculous. I mean, that insanely slim iPad Air and Retina iPad Mini can make any geek drool.

Having said that, if you take an objective look at the Apple announcements, there is a whole lot of marketing talk, and a bit less actual innovation. Yes, the Mac Pro is wow, I agree, but when was the last time Apple had a 2007 iPhone moment or even a 2010 iPad moment? Not yesterday, that’s for sure.

The only thing I can say was a wow moment about yesterday’s Apple event was the shift to free. Apple iWork and iLife free. Mac OS free. That is a pretty impressive step forward and it does prove what many people refuse to believe, that Apple is paying attention to the market.

Free apps is where the market is going and it is getting there fast. Free OS upgrades are the next step and if Apple has made that shift, I think we can all agree that the days of selling software, at least to consumers, are pretty much done. Good luck navigating this transition, Microsoft…

Like I said, yesterday was a good day!