Senor RIM exec begs CEOs to shape up...has it fallen on deaf ears?

[lestatar]

Originally Posted by RockdaMan

So here is what the corporate world says about RIM:



http://blogs.forbes.com/richardlevic...-apple-moment/




http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-...16-714130.html

Indeed, all good points and stuff I personally have seen and am aware of.

RIM ain't perfect. The Forbes article you cite specifically confirms what I mentioned re: corporate world concerns in this area. And indeed, if RIM continues to operate in the same manner as they have been, without making some significant changes, sure, things could go very very badly for them.

Which is one reason why I agreed with the sentiments of the open-letter originally posted in thread 1.

This is like the old "ohhh, the sky is falling" parable because again, I do not see any mass corporate defections away from RIM going on at the moment.

Do you?

Sure, if things don't change at RIM, and if other companies can indeed offer more compelling, secure, cost-effective and viable platforms and devices, then of course, anything can happen.

But that day ain't today and prolly won't come for years, if ever.

Because this type of sea change presupposes that:
- RIM does absolutely nothing in the interim;
- other companies indeed come up with corporate solutions that beat RIM on every single level and actually can convince conservative IT heads to take a shot at something totally new.

And of course, I agree totally with the conclusion from the Forbes article cited:

"RIM has its own well-defined and sufficiently sizable customer base. If it focuses on appealing to those customers now for all the reasons they became customers in the first place, RIM can have its own Apple moment, reasserting dominance in a very significant market sector."

Bottom line: 7billion people on planet earth...bound to be differences of opinion. Even here on MR

cheers and I am outta this thread...
-les

[karunaji]

I am not impressed with iPhone/iPad. Swype might be good for a general person but what is good for everyone is not good for pros. For those who are used to fast touch-typing on real keyboards the lack of tactile feedback is a disadvantage.

There is no doubt that BlackBerry keyboards are much better. But is this superior feature alone enough to succeed or even remain in the market?

BlackBerry needs to add something innovative to their devices. For example, it could be security. Nowadays we need hundreds of access codes and passwords etc. to log in websites. It leads to vulnerable password reuse. For online banking Europeans often use a special hardware device called a code calculator that is used to generate an access code (electronic signature) for each transaction. If BB could implement something similar in their phones for general purpose use, it would make internet much safer. It would require a hardware chip that is not hackable and is protected even in case of a stolen device. It would not be cheap but for BB it would be doable considering their corporate position and ever increasing need for better security. If they can do this then they have no need to copy i-anything.

[DMB]

I suppose I'm very fuddy-duddy but I am reasonably happy with my Blackberry. I received a new one last week when I made an insurance claim on my old, lost one. Other members of my family have iPhones and Android phones, but I see no need to change at present. I don't feel the need for lots of apps on a phone. (I'm still wonderstruck at the whole convenience of having a phone you can carry around with you from country to country. )

My very first mobile phone was a large brick that just made phone calls. At that time I carried around another large brick that was a PDA (a Psion, for the record). So it was a noticeable improvement when I got my first phone that also had PDA features (only one brick to carry instead of two). I got my first Blackberry some years ago and was pleased to have something from which I could access and send emails and also use the navigation function to get around.

I'm open to persuasion that I need iPhone-type apps. Any suggestions?

[caleb72]

I got a Blackberry when I started my new job. Out of all platforms I probably wanted Blackberry the least, but as the phone is free and all the usage is free I'm not going to complain about it.

I don't mind it now that I've used it a bit and I do find it fairly useful, but its inability to work as a wifi hotspot pisses me off to no end. Also, the Kindle app for Blackberry outside of US does not allow for purchasing and doesn't even have a search function. Grrr!

But I make do and am dealing with it.

Sorry - nothing to actually contribute to the discussion.

[Penforhire]

My anecdotal evidence is iPhones are taking over in the corporate world a LOT faster than some of you think. Not only are we 90% converted but so are the customers and vendors who I see. Apparently RIM thought the same and they are sinking in quicksand.

That thing they do well, corporate communications? So does the iPhone, now after a few OS revisions. Technically I had a better MS Exchange connection than my BB brothers for a while there (views into folders and such).

They reacted far too slowly to the obvious shift in the market. They are not alone. Look at Nokia, arguably a mightier company worldwide. Microsoft failed but not because they were late. They were early and not only was the hardware weak but they did not understand the value of a smart phone's eco-system (App store) as differentiated from regular PC's (shrinkwrap software). Remember Ballmer laughing at Jobs when he announced the iPhone? One of those classic moments in history now.

I myself lost a little money on RIMM stock because I had more confidence they would react to the market (back when they WERE the dominant corporate communications device). I was sure disappointed but I could see their ship sinking and got out way before the latest drops in share price.

They are dog meat now. They might as well start producing Android phones.