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SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - To accept what ails BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd in the U.S. market, just ask eBay Inc Arch Executive John Donahoe.

The world's bigger online bargain website had about a hundred engineers developing new iterations of eBay's arcade app for Apple Inc's iPhone a few months ago, and addition hundred engineers alive on Google Inc's Android adaptable platform.

EBay even had 50 humans developing apps for Microsoft's Windows phones, but the e-commerce behemothic alone had "one or two" alive on RIM's BlackBerry, according to Donahoe.

"I still use the BlackBerry, but it's not the a lot of developer-friendly platform," he told a accumulation of arch technology admiral at an accident at Stanford University in June, if the accountable of RIM came up.

By aboriginal November, it seemed Donahoe wasn't even application his BlackBerry abundant any more. If he met with reporters to allocution about affairs for the anniversary arcade season, the CEO aerated out his iPhone to appearance how eBay's apps ran on the device. If Reuters asked Donahue about his BlackBerry, he said he still had it but didn't bother to accompany it into the room.

Such belief are frequently begin a part of RIM's once-loyal accumulated and customer customers, who are deserting the Canadian aggregation afterwards it has struggled to accumulate up with competitors' innovations.

RIM on Thursday acquaint a acutely lower annual profit, offered a afflictive anticipation for BlackBerry shipments this anniversary season, and delayed the accession of new phones application a make-or-break operating arrangement in development, QNX.

"It's arresting because I haven't heard annihilation acceptable from them in a continued time," said adept BlackBerry user Kevin Nichols, the arch of KLN Consulting Group, who was searching at Android and Windows phones at a Sprint Nextel Corp abundance in city San Francisco on Friday.

"They charge to appear out with new articles soon, contrarily it looks like RIM may become the next Palm," he said, in advertence to the collapse of the smartphone avant-garde Palm Inc. Nichols abandoned the latest BlackBerry Torch in a affectation case nearby, adage the accessory wasn't "new enough" for him to upgrade.

Even on Wall Street, area users already joked about their addiction to their "crackberries," adherence is waning.

"The QNX adjournment is a concern," said Rob Romero, arch of barrier armamentarium close Connective Capital. "Consumers like new articles and vendors wish something new to advertise in their stores."

The arch technology administrator of a Connecticut-based barrier armamentarium said that if a top barrier armamentarium administrator wants to use an iPhone instead of a BlackBerry they can now switch, even admitting he prefers RIM security. "When they say I wish an iPhone or an iPad configured, they get it," said the CTO, who beneath to be identified.

RIM shares fell 11 percent on Nasdaq on Friday and hit their everyman akin in about eight years.

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Research close Strategy Analytics anticipation RIM's allotment of the U.S. smartphone bazaar to abatement to 12 percent this year, a aciculate bead from 2007, if RIM had a 44 percent share. By comparison, Apple, which just started affairs smartphones in 2007, is accepted to grab a 24 percent U.S. bazaar allotment this year.

To be sure, BlackBerry still has its defenders. Robert Laikin, CEO of cellphone benefactor Brightpoint, said that RIM represents amid 5 percent to 10 percent of the 110 actor phones his aggregation handles globally every year.

"I still accept a BlackBerry. If I allocution to my accompany who are business professionals, a lot of of them still accept a BlackBerry. Some of them accept bought an added accessory too," he told Reuters.

"All manufacturers I've formed with in the endure 25 years accept artefact delays. What RIM is traveling through isn't different," he said. "I accept RIM will survive because their artefact is actual sticky."

There are still abounding companies who adopt their advisers use BlackBerrys because they feel that RIM offers the best aegis appearance to assure accumulated data. But these action barter are shrinking, analysts said.

Gary Curtis, arch technology architect at all-around technology consulting behemothic Accenture, acicular to improvements in aegis from Apple and Google adaptable software in contempo years.

"Choice and leveling of the arena acreage is the axiological enabling agency for companies getting able to say to employees, use the accessory you like," he said. "It's not a abrupt blitz ... but they're aperture the aperture to added accessories and humans accomplish their own choices."

Interviews with added consumers at buzz food on Friday illustrated why the above breastwork of accumulated acute phones faces boxy competition.

"I'm a BlackBerry user but my aggregation makes me use it," said a client alleged John who was arena with a BlackBerry Torch at an AT&T abundance in San Francisco. He beneath to accord his endure name.

"Anyone who is anyone at my aggregation has an iPhone, but they accomplish us use BlackBerry still," he added. "I anticipate I ability breach abundance and buy an iPhone. The blow awning on this Torch works appealing well, but the iPhone is just easier to use."

A Sprint abundance administrator said BlackBerry phones would advertise bigger if they had added apps. But some app developers aren't absorbed in the BlackBerry platform, partly because the technology is difficult to plan with.

"Of the companies that angle to us, I can't anticipate of any that are starting out by developing an app for the BlackBerry," said Theresia Gouw Ranzetta of adventure basic close Accel Partners, which invests in adaptable app developers.

Hotel Tonight, a start-up backed by Accel's Ranzetta, has developed apps for the iPhone, Android phones and an HTML5 adaptation for its last-minute auberge booking service.

"Will they accomplish a committed BlackBerry app? Not on the roadmap," she said.

(Reporting by Alistair Barr in San Francisco and Sinead Carew in New York; Editing by Tiffany Wu, Gary Hill)