

The Death Of RIM - mikecane
http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2010/11/27/the-death-of-rim/

======
blhack
Rim is doomed because they've fogotten who their core customers were:
businesspeople.

Compare what I think is the greatest phone every made:
[http://r.phonedog.com/shared/images/items/1464-main-
medium-b...](http://r.phonedog.com/shared/images/items/1464-main-medium-
blackberry-7520.jpg)

To what it was replaced by:
[http://www.dplwholesale.com/buy2buygg/2010101415181049514.jp...](http://www.dplwholesale.com/buy2buygg/2010101415181049514.jpg)

The old one was tough as freaking _nails_. It didn't do much, but it did those
things really, _really_ well. It had a scroll wheel on the side, and you
clicked and right clicked on things just by either pressing with the tip or
the knuckle of your thumb.

It never, ever broke. I still have my original 7520 sittin gin a drawer in my
house (unused because I don't have a nextel account anymore). The thing had
fallen out of my jeep while it was moving, had been left sitting in a puddle
for an hour and it just never, ever stopped ticking. (For reference, here is
what happened to my iphone when it fell off the top of my dresser and landed
on my wood floor: [http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-
snc4/hs980.snc4/75359...](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-
snc4/hs980.snc4/75359_10100155746988681_10044806_56544454_5672155_n.jpg))

People were absolutely _addicted_ to their blackberries. The interface was
flawless, it synced your mail every 30 seconds, never complained, the battery
never died. It was exactly the type of thing that every person working on
every product being worked on should _strive_ to replicate. It was a business
staple.

 _Was_ a business staple. Somewhere along the line, RIM decided to turn their
back on the people who had given them so much success and, instead, try to
duplicate the success of the razr (remember when that was the _hottest_ phone
around?). They ditched the bulletproof plastic cases and battery doors that
never came off for shiny, cheap plastic because it was prettier. They ditched
the functional, I would say _perfect_ interface of the scroll wheel and thumb-
knuckle button for some horrible, horrible trackball that has to be replaced
every few months when it either gets too smooth to work, or gets some get
stuck inside of it because it was _cool_.

They made the phone smaller, and lighter. It didn't go in a dorky hip-clip
anymore, it went in a pocket or a purse.

RIM, at least in my opinion, stopped making hammers and started making
accessories. Unfortunately for them, their accessories aren't even in the same
_realm_ as apple's. As much as I don't really like the iphone, I like it a
_lot_ better than any or RIM's current offerings.

~~~
corin_
I agree that they've tried too hard, for my taste anyway, to attract non-
business customers. However, from RIM's point of view, I'm not convinced they
made a bad decision. I now have friends who don't need a phone for business
reasons, yet they chose Blackberries. In addition, you see people like Justin
Bieber using blackberries - while I haven't seen anything on this subject, I'm
confident that there are thousands of teenagers out there who'd happilly chose
a phone based on what he uses.

As to it no longer being a business staple, I disagree. Personally I think the
Bold was their best phone ever, and the Bold 2 repeated that feat. It could
and should be better, and there are many improvements I would make, but mostly
in areas that the older models (such as the 7520) hadn't even imagined
offering.

~~~
blhack
In my opinion, though, the market of people who would buy a phone just based
on what Justin Bieber has are _extremely_ volatile. Unlike businesspeople,
they'll switch to whatever the newest, hippest thing to come out is.

Honestly, look at a blackberry bold (which is a $500 phone, wtf?) then look at
an HTC evo (the same price). You would have to be absolutely out of your mind
to get a blackberry unless you were using BES. I doubt that the justin bieber
crowd is using BES.

~~~
meursault
Sure, it's volatile. But do you think Justin Bieber chose BlackBerry because
he wants one, or because he got a huge paycheck to use it? Product placement
does not end at television and movies.

~~~
chunkbot
You might be right about the product placement, but a BlackBerry is still a
sensible choice for Mr. Bieber's line of work: touring the world, constantly
meeting with people, etc.

------
corin_
Badly written article making a single point that has been debated to death
many times.

As far as I'm concerned, I won't be leaving RIM for as long as they keep
making phones like the Bold 9700, and I know many colleagues and friends who
feel the same. I also know a handful who moved from Blackberry to iPhone and
regret it, they are all either planning to move back, or they already have.
(Don't think I know a single person who moved away from Blackberry and doesn't
regret it.)

I love what Google are doing with Android and I love Apple products (I
currently own two generations of iPod Touch and two generators if iPod Nano -
side note, the newest Nano is perfection.) But RIM's products aren't an older
version of what Apple and other companies are creating, it's just a different
product, and for people like me, it's still the best product.

~~~
rapind
Agreed. Terriible article.

What sums it up for me is RIM email and keyboard owns. iPhone browsing owns.
Wish I could have both. I personally could care less about the apps although
I'm sure many do.

Writing this on my iPhone was painful.

------
pedalpete
Why does the author think that RIM can't innovate like other companies have?

In the past ten years, people have said that Apple was over, Nintendo had lost
their market to Sony and Microsoft, GM and Ford were finished.

All because these companies didn't innovate to maintain market share.

Now if RIM was just kicking back with blinders on like the auto industry did,
maybe I would agree.

But RIM, understanding that it doesn't have much of the capabilities it needs
to compete in today market, has been making acquisitions to beef up the areas
they are weak.

Let's not forget that the reason BlackBerry was able to get such huge market
traction was because they were so innovative early on with their messaging
systems.

I wouldn't be so sure that RIM is a one trick pony.

~~~
ergo98
_Why does the author think that RIM can't innovate like other companies have?_

Indeed. This industry is overrun by people making bold predictions of what has
already happened.

Despite being Canadian, I've never owned a Blackberry. I have moved more than
one organizations _away_ from Blackberry, because their existing model was
archaic.

I applied to the company once many years back _and they never even called_
(clearly the root of their problems today).

Yet of course they can (and are) change. The PlayBook looks like a very
interesting product, and QNX is bloody _beautiful_. I keep my mind open to the
prospect that RIM is going to come out with a superstar.

------
sfphotoarts
A tiresome, poorly written thrashed to death blog post. iPhone's haven't
displayed iPods and Blackberry may have introduced some new models that appeal
to a different user than the businessperson, but the Bold is as solid,
reliable and indestructible as any previous model. I've owned many
blackberries over the years and am more than happy with it. My friends are
pretty evenly divided between blackberry and iPhone. Those I know that tried
Android sold them and went with the iPhone.

I'm not parting with mine anytime soon. I don't need any of the apps. That
said, I have an iPad, so maybe I get my app fix with that.

------
albemuth
I just wonder why his blog would change my mouse cursor

~~~
jlgosse
He lost all credibility with me at the exact moment I noticed my pointer
change.

~~~
mikecane
I don't know why he does that. I've pointed to other posts of his in the past
and this is a complaint that others here have lodged too. Maybe someone should
drop him an email about that. Maybe if enough did, he'd have that changed.

------
kin
I've been immensely disappointed with RIM lately. I don't really get app envy
since I have both an iPod Touch (with Facetime!) and a Blackberry 9700. It's
not my first Blackberry and hopefully not my last.

The reason why I love BB so much is because of BBM (instant contact with
anyone, cross-carrier), the tactile feedback of the keyboard, and email
processing. These features can EASILY be copied by a Droid or Windows Phone
(doubt Apple will release a keyboard phone).

Where RIM failed is by being clueless. They charged $200 per 10 apps and
forbid prices less than $2.99 that weren't free. I mean, what kind of business
decision is that? What kind of company disallows $0.99 apps on claims that
they don't want trivial apps? Who would pay $200 without the guarantee of a
return? Sure, now they support new prices but only after a year of realizing
it wasn't working.

Next, WHY would the CEO even think that the Torch could achieve iPhone-like
sales opening weekend when it has to compete with the iPhone 4 and Android
phones on a single carrier, AT&T?

I feel like the company is just naive now. OS6 has been great. But, the bugs
that it has are just embarrassing. Memory leaks, battery jumps from 40% to 5%,
browser crashes, 3rd party app crashes, etc. So disappointing.

~~~
cosbynator
Some things are improving: They've waived all app store distribution fees (see
[http://us.blackberry.com/developers/appworld/distribution.js...](http://us.blackberry.com/developers/appworld/distribution.jsp)).
It is a "limited time offer" but RIM is dead if they ever reinstate those
insane fees (those 10 apps included updates!). I'm cautiously optimistic about
a QNX-based OS too.

------
tomlin
Being a bunch of PC users for the existence of our company, it was somewhat
uplifting to finally get a few Macs and experience what everyone is so joyous
about. On the sidelines is seems foolish. But once immersed in the Mac world,
it seems foolhardy to "deal with" Windows or Ubuntu (although I definitely
appreciate what Canonical is doing).

The same is to be said for RIM. They definitely broke the ice for smartphones,
but failed to lead the pact. As a Canadian, I do wish different results. But
as a logistical, Apple picked up the reigns and jockeyed to the finish line.

Android, Windows Phone and RIM won't turn heads or wallets by saying, "me
too". They have to define an experience, not copy it somewhat.

~~~
jawee
You make these assumptions with that one mode is _definitely_ superior to the
other. I know several teenagers who have willingly traded iPhones for
Blackberries because they didn't like the platform. I tried the Mac
experience, but ended up needing to install Linux on my Mac Mini (after
failing with KDE) because I couldn't stand the interface, package management,
and so on. I used an iPod Touch for over a year and found it _far_ less
productive than Palm OS and Maemo devices I'd used for its purpose before.

~~~
tomlin
Apple took what they learned from iPod, created a business logic tied to their
counter-culture. Generated and harvested it into loyalty.

RIM all but abandoned their core audience (business folk) to find the mass
market and got lost in the middle doing poorly for both.

When RIM releases a new feature (app store, touch screen, etc) it is to mirror
what is already being provided. "Me too!" isn't an encouraging sign for a
market investment.

------
nchlswu
> RIM is a one hit wonder. That is now chasing trends, poorly.

That's about it. The problem is, RIM's lost track of what they're doing.

If trying to beat the best, you have to play catch up to keep yourselves at a
particular threshold of relevance. Unfortunately RIM's doing that poorly with
some poor strategies (how many devices do they have right now?) At the same
time, it looks like they're losing site of their core market, big business.

Big efforts from RIM have suffered from RIM rushing products out the door.
Look at the Storm, arguably OS6 and the PlayBook. RIM's running themselves
thin. If they can learn from this rough patch, I think they can make a case to
lead again. But that's a big IF

------
westajay
My primary phone is a Torch 9800. I wanted an e-mail processing device with a
real keyboard and decent browser. This is my third blackberry and I wonder why
I persist with the bugs.

In Canada the phone cost about the same as an iPhone. The build quality is
dreadful.. silver plastic bezel is peeling. The software is buggy and glitchy
(I get a dialog with a java.lang.NullPointerException sometimes when I receive
an SMS.. wtf!?).

My last blackberry also had a ton of bugs and glitchy UI behaviour.

I think the problem with RIM is when it comes to software implementation, they
just aren't as good as their competitors.

------
pwpwp
Things I like about my Blackberry:

\- I haven't had to reboot it since I bought it months ago. I have yet to
experience an application, let alone OS, crash.

\- There wasn't _one_ instance where any of the applications were sluggish,
even a little bit.

\- It's actually a phone, and a good one at that.

\- The battery lasts for a week, easily.

I don't use email on the BB, and I agree that the browser could be better, but
I think RIM-doomsayers should use a BB for a week.

It would then be obvious to them that a company producing such a top-notch
product won't be going out business in a long time.

~~~
wot
Which blackberry do you have?

~~~
pwpwp
8500 series

------
jsz0
The assumption here is that _everyone_ wants a SmartPhone. I don't think
that's true. A telephone that also does e-mail (and IM, BBM) while offering
great battery life is a totally different class of device.

~~~
Yeroc
Sure, but if you're a personal user using BIS the email experience on the BB
is pretty poor compared to the other phones out there today. With BIS
connecting to IMAP it doesn't actually do a two-way sync so if I read and
delete an email on my BB it isn't reflected when I get home and check my mail
on my laptop. Total fail. All because they're trying to push BES server
licenses onto people. I think it's actually this pig-headedness that will kill
them in the end. In fact, they're too focused on extracting BES money out of
businesses to properly address personal IMAP/POP mail properly.

~~~
sp4rki
Wrong, I can read and delete emails on my Blackberry and it gets read and
deleted on both a Googleapps account and a regular Imap account. I use BIS.

------
stevenj
Things can change pretty quickly in the tech industry. Sometimes for the
worse, but other times for the better.

If RIM is struggling, I wouldn't count them out. I wouldn't count anyone out.

------
rospaya
As I reviewed the Blackberry Torch one thing was obvious: RIM wants an iPhone
like device for the average customer, but still holds the e-mail/business
market and doesn't want to lose it.

I wonder what would happen if RIM bought Palm back in the day and had two
series of devices, one for business with QWERTY keyboards and great e-mail,
and another one to compete with Apple.

------
winternett
All it takes is a new OS by RIM. I am so tired of mac addicts trying to
convince themselves in public that their phones are the best in the world. If
you want to spend more on your phone, fine. If you want a touch screen, fine.
That technology has been around since Ms Pac Man, so stop acting like its
cutting edge... You, as a iPhone user owe a lot to RIM because your phone
would not be as secure, as talented, and as inexpensive as it is now if it
wasn't for Blackberries. Stop being a tech elitist and allow technology to
coexist, and to share space so that ALL phones get better. RIM is far from
dying, your proclamation is sensationalist, and your writing is misguided and
marred in a biased mentality that one too many apple product users commonly
hold.

------
maxklein
RIM and blackberry are totally dominating in many countries, for example
Thailand. It's not dead.

~~~
donaq
Indeed. In Bangkok, every other person on the street is using a Blackberry.
The OP is just linkbait with zero research.

------
Cyndre
I think everyone is missing the one main reason blackberrys wont be replaced.
The blackberry enterprise server that allows buisness's to control everything.
I may be wrong in assuming the iphone/android dont have the same, but as far
as I know they don't.

Having that control is very important to most companys.

Just my two cents.

~~~
cubicle67
my ancient iPhone hooks happily into our much more ancient Exchange Server, if
that's what you mean

~~~
Cyndre
No, the software does far more then that. <http://us.blackberry.com/apps-
software/server/5/>

And a better flash demo -
[http://www.blackberry.com/select/server/autodemo/1551_RIM_BE...](http://www.blackberry.com/select/server/autodemo/1551_RIM_BES_5.html)

~~~
cubicle67
I had no idea...

That was really interesting, thanks. And yes, as far as I know Apple offer
nothing like this

------
raganwald
Is it fair to say that RIM is dead in the same sense that Paul claimed that
Microsoft was dead, namely that nobody fears RIM and that their influence over
the tech landscape is minimal?

~~~
corin_
People who define "dead" in that way need to buy themselves a new dictionary.

Regardless, Kinect is a recent example that Microsoft aren't even dead using
that definition, and I don't think RIM are, either.

------
muffinman2010
RIM has been increasing its market share, just because RIM isn't the only
smart mobile on the market, doesn't mean it's going to turn into the next
palm. RIM has been doing a good job differentiating itself as a business
solution. I don't they are going to die anytime soon, but they're slow pace of
innovation, software updates are hurting their consumer market....but then
again apple can come out with a phone with a broken antenna and expect to sell
millions, RIM has a far more corporate audience, so they need to be careful
how they expand. All in all, it may seem like rim is dying for a consumer
perspective, but I think they may still have a chance, although with a smaller
market share.

~~~
RockyMcNuts
RIM has not been increasing market share very recently, they have been passed
by Apple and Android - see slide 8 here -
[http://www.scribd.com/doc/42793400/Internet-Trends-
Presentat...](http://www.scribd.com/doc/42793400/Internet-Trends-Presentation)

Blackberries do email very well, they are very bandwidth efficient (but the
compression may be why the browsing experience is so slow), their BBM avoids
insane SMS charges, they have slick hardware like Bold and Flip, they are
designed from the ground up for enterprise security and manageability.

But the world is going to touch and mobile Web/apps, and RIM is keyboard
centric and hard to develop for, with multiple form factors, OS versions and
even the pitiful touch Storm.

Businesses are starting to adopt iPhones and iPads - RIM is going to have to
reinvent themselves fast or face irrelevance.

------
GrandMasterBirt
I think everyone is wrong. RIM is losing for quite a simple reason. The reason
is so hard to see when you are in their "winning streak" but the reason is
simple...

They did not give their customers what the customers wanted.

Basically at first rim was the only game in town. Its BB or Palm. BB did it
better, cooler, CHEAPER (ish). It was perfect. Everyone who was anyone had a
BB.

Now a smart company would continue the trend: Keep innovating. Look at YOUR
CUSTOMERS. Where do they suffer? How to make everything better? 83XX series is
a perfect example. They made a major upgrade to their os and put it on the
shittiest hardware (see the $99 android tablet, thats basically the 83xx, ok
the 83xx was usable). That phone was shit at best.

As a company realizing that they WILL be dethroned unless they innovate, they
would have put better hardware, worked more on their platform, attracted
developers, etc. App store shmapp store they coulda done SOMETHING. The
blackberry world store came out AFTER the apple app store and it was a lot
worse, and didn't even come pre-installed. Basically version 1 did not
asynchronously fetch images, making browsing anything other than top 10 list
impossible. Not to mention that what was on top 10 2 yrs ago is still there,
nothing comes out for BB.

RIM is a nothing company who had a good idea. They are losing steam. They have
no good hardware. They have no good software. In fact name me 1 application
for the BB that is in any way exclusive to BB and is useful.

Long story short. RIM stagnated and by the time they opened their eyes, it was
too late.

