41–48 of 48 posts
Never confuse the boxes being moved with your business.
Either they embrace BYOD and convert themselves into mostly a software/services company (maybe with a full-stack hardware/sopftware option), or they risk becoming a cautionary tale.
Why not number one?
RIM is spending a lot of time designing an OS that will appeal to everyone. I think they are going to find its going to be used by no one. Even here in Canada they are losing core enterprise customers left and right. Without these core supporters, RIM isn't long for this world. And while I've got the conch, what kind of strategy is "We want to be #3"? I've written about RIM's bad strategy extensively on my blog, and…
If he had said "we're aiming to be #1 in 2 years", he'd look completely out-of-touch with reality - employees deflate due to a clearly unattainable goal, investors get concerned about an unrealistic strategy, etc etc. Picking an achievable goal vs. promising an unachievable one is better for morale of everyone involved IMO.
When you can't win the game, change the game to one you can win. The trick is making sure it's still one worth playing.
RIM is spending a lot of time designing an OS that will appeal to everyone. I think they are going to find its going to be used by no one. Even here in Canada they are losing core enterprise customers left and right. Without these core supporters, RIM isn't long for this world. And while I've got the conch, what kind of strategy is "We want to be #3"? I've written about RIM's bad strategy extensively on my blog, and…
"RIM is spending a lot of time designing an OS that will appeal to everyone. I think they are going to find its going to be used by no one." Absolutely. They should not be chasing the consumer, iOS-esque market. Some would say they've lost it, but I'd actually challenge that they never had it. Blackberry has always been an enterprise and small business solution. Historically, unless my numbers are way off, most consu…
There will always be a market for keyboard devices or other niches, but I don't think that market is anywhere big enough to sustain RIM at its present size. I think sales of Android devices with keyboards show that.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
"RIM is spending a lot of time designing an OS that will appeal to everyone. I think they are going to find its going to be used by no one." Absolutely. They should not be chasing the consumer, iOS-esque market. Some would say they've lost it, but I'd actually challenge that they never had it. Blackberry has always been an enterprise and small business solution. Historically, unless my numbers are way off, most consu…
The problem though, is that owning the consumer market gives iOS and Android a tremendous advantage in terms of revenue, app selection and mindshare. That robust enterprise software is, in many cases, already there for iOS with apps such as iWork. There will always be a market for keyboard devices or other niches, but I don't think that market is anywhere big enough to sustain RIM at its present size. I think sales o…
The other big issue RIM has -- and it may be a fatal issue -- is that Blackberry is just a device; it's not a platform. Not really. The big names (and startups/indies) in enterprise solutions aren't designing for it, or at least not exclusively. There isn't a total RIM solution that includes the Blackberry ecosystem as a unifying hub. Instead, there's just the Blackberry device itself, and the device is currently in a sorry state.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
He should have worded it better - "aiming to provide the best, trying hard for a comeback, want #1 though in this competitive market may have to settle for #2 or #3 in sales"
Or phrased it differently to take into account their target market: "We want to be #1 in the business smartphone market and provide the best integrated mobile solution for enterprise customers." Realistic, ambitious, and entirely positive.