So, it’s true that RIM is basically on life support as a company. Denial is not just a river in Egypt.
It doesn’t matter what Blackberry dedicated faithful promise or believe. It’s a safe bet that by 2014 the company will either serve as just a third-party software entity (building on the strength of it’s security superiority), or will be meddling slower in the smartphone race than a Tumblr.com account.
For the Blackberry faithful, the most disappointing aspect of RIM’s fall from technology grace isn’t the loss of a dominant phone that felt like royalty, it’s the abysmal and desperate 11th-hour attempts by the Waterloo warriors to persuade the consumer to buy the same exact “stuff” that it’s been putting out for roughly 4 years now (with really no major changes, even in the hardware department).
In the case of Blackberry phones, it’s not about sexy hardware, top-notch security or the one-stop shop style of operations. It’s about OS (operating system) functionality and style and how many apps and features can be provided for that phone upon taking it out of the purchase box. Blackberry’s hard-edged email servers complements the corporate world’s “now now now” desire, but it was always viewed by the tech industry as an albatross aging twice as fast as it’s actual lifespan.
Emotionally, the loss of the Blackberry brand is no great shakes. The casual consumer never embraced the device that has produced an extraordinary amount of clout, even with our current sitting US President.
But RIM executives long ago needed to give their consumer spenders reasons to stay instead of reasons to leave. They just struck out with Blackberry, and they’re facing an 0-2 count in their efforts to keep the company afloat.
Does this mean you could possibly be sitting with a bricklayer for a device by the time next Easter rolls around? Of course not. RIM will always remain in the market, even if just via third-party development for other devices, and it’s security servers are viewed as the crown jewel within the company portfolio.
But with users fleeing the device for other options at an alarming rate, that once-bragging Blackberry Messenger list has all of a sudden turned into a shopping district on a Sunday night at 1am.
Will some company like Microsoft or Facebook just buy RIM out and fold it into it’s own objectives/software/intentions? In the case of the former, not likely, since it requires regulation approval that would probably not get the okay — similar to AT&T’s recent attempt to buy out T-Mobile USA — stiffs competition and competitive balance. In the case of the latter, it’s possible, but not an attractive purchase outside of it’s patents (and even those wouldn’t justify a potential 11-digit price tag).
For now, it should be business as usual for Blackberry users despite the sloppy mess going on in Waterloo.
But business as usual is also without it’s usual crowd, as they have all moved onto more ‘touchy’ pastures.
RIM has strange culture and self distruct political environment.
In RIM if a new hired person figure out major problem and introduce efficient approach, both manager and his buddy group member will proof their wrong approach works. just like someone point out driving a car is right way, pushing a car is wrong way, then both manager and his buddy group member will hate you, and proof that 3 person can also move the car by pushing it. cheating email will be sent to some vice president, saying like: see, the car moving, pushing a car is a natural part of the process, in order to deny new hired contribution of introducing skill of drive a car, they have to deny merit of driving a car.
It is very strange company culture and strange company political environment, it promote stealing and cheating skill. RIM's management may be a typical instance in MBA course.
This culture deny or steal hardworking team members' contribution/innovation, generate strange political environment, destroy RIM.
I keep reading all these polepe talking about infringements’n'what-not, but seriously? RIM did not create the idea of realtime notification delivery (RND). They did not invent nor create the cell phone, touch screens, concepts of mobile apps, cellular signal, the words black or berry .nor blackberry, instant msging, qwerty keyboards, and just about everything else that makes up RIM except the way their phones are made. So what if he didn’t work for RIM in the first place? Could they pull this stunt? I obviously didn’t look at the coding, but is it an exact match? I don’t get it at all! The coding obviously isn’t the same because if it were Kik wouldn’t work on iPhone nor Android, only BB! Are you selling the app for your profits or is the app FREE? I don’t remember having to pay Kik a single dime for the service. So what is this suit really about? Don’t get me started! My company, OBIPIX GTAC, has some technology that’s hasn’t hit the public yet, but soon will. Am I worried about anyone stealing my idea? Nope, not really because no one can do what I can. And I must except the fact that once I put this tech out there, others will follow suit and make similar technology because it’s the way of the world and the way of COMPETITION! I’d be honored if someone copied what I made and made their own. It’s how we all work together to make the world better. We don’t get better by hiding all the secrets. That’s greed, power seeking, and just plain dumb.Perfect example . Sony and the 1980 s Beta Max Hifi System. They hid and wouldn’t share the technology and the other big companies came together to shut down a superior technology with a inferior technology. Even though the technology was superior, Philips, Magnavox, and other companies gave it a bad name and claimed that whoever owned the technology (I had one and no VCR or VTR could EVER top the technology) had a piece of junk that everyone made fun of. The public didn’t know about the specs behind the technology, they just went along with the flow. I never got rid of mine because I’m no dummy! Sony learned their lesson about monopolizing on a hot technology and later designed laser disc and CD technology and SHARED their technology with the other companies for fear of repeating the Beta Max incident. Now Sony gets $0.01 for every CD ever made on the planet and they still have the superior home entertainment systems and gaming systems. They are the pioneers of most of the current home entertainment technology out there, but now they share in order to gain a larger share. It’s a shame because RIM are not pioneers in this mobile world, but you wanna get all pissy over something so minute? Don’t worry, history has a way of repeating itself and lessons are as infinant as there are jackasses on this planet. For every jackass of an uncontinplated decision, there is a lesson to be learned. That rule applies to everyone, but the harder lesson fall on the greedy!Sincerely,Teon G. Anderson, MsD./Architectural CEOOBIPIX Gaming Tech & Advanced Concepts LLCTwin Cities, Minnesota
RIP
Meh…people still use BB’s? Hmm…where did I put my pager?
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Outside the U.S. it is gaining, but to some people that doesn’t matter. Having no debt and making money doesn’t seem to matter to some investors either.
Blackberry has always been a strictly Biz phone and not too bad at it when it works but for entertainment give me android or Apple they got more game simply put
The writer of this article is biased and highly opinionated. BlackBerry is not spiralling downward into irrelevancy. They had a challenging year in a very competitive smartphone market. A challenging year is one in which they still sold about 55 million phones. They are the #3/#4 platform globally, #1 or #2 in some markets and the second most purchased phone in the US last year behind the iPhone was a BlackBerry. That’s right, it beat out Android. The American media has taken their hit job on BlackBerry to ridiculous heights.
Welcome to the bleeding edge in crapware.
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So…hmmm…i thought RIM was in its death throes…perhaps spending a lot of money on a designer Blackberry would put me in the ‘i’m too dumb to live’ category….
Well, i might risk 200 bucks on a cool Blackberry, i certainly wouldn’t buy stock in them. I’m the proud owner of multiple portable internet devices and think it’s time for a move back to the good old flip phone and it’s three day battery life, its simple functionality, and it’s 40 dollar a month bill.
Am I going retro? or am I finally regaining my senses? It sure seems to make damned fine sense to me!!
If they release a BBX device before Christmas, then they will be ahead of schedule.
All hail the CRACKBERRY!!!!!
I have not switched to an iPhone or other touch only device, because I love my physical keyboard. That’s why I have a Torch 9810.
Just ask Windows Phone how it’s doing. It’s not doing great.” Yes, still taking iOS and Android customers.