BlackBerry 10 (and even BlackBerry 7) has a much steeper learning curve. Unless you use the tutorials, you'll have a tricky time. Especially trying to work out all the cool quirks the Hub provides. (Priority Hub, colour labelling, etc).
This is purely assumed and has no factual basis. You assume people will have a tricky time because they won't understand it easily...but what if the features hold little or no value to them? Rendering it essentially pointless instead of too difficult to understand.
BlackBerry 10 also provides side loading. I can side load any application from Android that I want straight onto my BlackBerry. Hypothetically, BlackBerry provides all BlackBerry 10 apps, and Android apps, BUT only if you see tech savvy enough to side load. This is more apps u than iOS and Windows Phone put together, but only available for tech savvy people.
This has no relevance to tech savviness man. You are implying that an extra step in having apps some how makes a person more tech savvy...that is asinine. iPhone users have apps directly available to them...it's less work, not less understanding.
BlackBerry 10 has when ability to play the application in a virtual sandbox, and thus avoiding an viruses and such as much as possible.
Apple designed a product and OS to minimize this for the consumer...so again, it's a matter of having the same function with less work...not less understanding.
The Q10 also provides shortcuts, and learning all of them off by heart is no simple task. Saying this, once learned, you can fly through the OS even faster. A unique feature only BlackBerry can provide. Will non-tech savvy people figure them out? *giggle*
Only the Blackberry can provide? What kinds of shortcuts are you talking about that only the Blackberry can provide? There are plenty of ways to setup short cuts, gesture controls and reassignments on the iPhone within the settings...
BlackBerry 10 and Android (sometimes) also provide DLNA and Miracast. Non-tech savvy people, like my mother and father just go 'lolwut' when they hear that, and my mother still has issues connecting to Miracast when my mates and I find it not too hard. Then again, we all delve into tech, whereas she doesn't, and asked to be taught over and over again how to use the benefits of BlackBerry 10. Now I have to teach her 10.2!! Shell even state 'I'm not tech savvy enough to learn it on my lonesome.'
I don't know if this asserts your question, but I gave it a shot.
Again (for like the 5th time), I'm not seeing the relevance to the discussion here. So your mom has an issue with BB10 and the learning curve, how is that relevant to anyone else and their abilities?
That being said, is ease of use sacrificing the amount of features and non-proprietary connectivity?
iPhone already cannot use NFC; USBOTG/Host; DLNA; Miracast. Perhaps using these go against the design language that Apple uses, which is ease of use.
iPhone doesn't have NFC tech, so saying it "cannot" use it is obvious...it's not included because it's still a niche technology (and a world from the polished status Apple strives for on their devices, which is honestly the ONLY reasons why it's not included).
Apple has several proprietary approaches to DLNA, most of which have already been perfected amongst Apple's spectrum of devices (ecosystem as people call it). Apple, as a business, would be doing itself a disservice offering DLNA when their own system of media sharing works best amongst it's own products, and instills an idea in the consumers to buy more Apple devices (which makes more business sense).
Miracast is the same deal. iMessage and FaceTime combined with Airplay are within the Apple ecosystem...this is Apple's focus, because they know the devices using these features are using them in the quality Apple expects of their own devices.
...my question is what is the problem with proprietary connectivity if the company offers everything a consumer needs to fully experience said features within that polished ecosystem? You're trying to argue that Apple has a "fault" of some sort by doing this, but they are a business, and because consumers are buying this stuff and making use of it, obviously they are doing SOMETHING right.