RIM Giving Up on the Consumer Market?
RIM has had a rough time breaking into the consumer market. Competing, or lack there of, with the iPhone and Android has proven to be much harder for the Waterloo company. With flops like the Blackberry Storm and the Playbook, RIM hasn’t been able to capture the hearts or minds of consumers. In 2005 a blackberry was seen as “the cool device” to have. Now they are loathed by even business people. After failing to meet investor expectations, RIM’s new CEO has announced their renewed focus on a business strategy.
“We believe that BlackBerry cannot succeed if we tried to be everybody’s darling and all things to all people,” Heins said. “Therefore, we plan to build on our strength.”
RIM also stated they may be considering partnering with others in order to bring their services to consumers.
“We can’t do everything ourselves, but we can do what we’re good at,” RIM CEO Thorsten Heins said
With the Playbook able to use Android apps, RIM has already dabbled in going outside their own failed ecosystem. Maybe we will see them form stronger relationships with others that have been successful in the market.
This new strategy isn’t the only major change as Jim Balsillie, one time co-CEO and co-founder of RIM, has resigned.
At this point I think RIM is just trying to get there feet back on the ground and collect themselves. Will this be the end of RIM in the consumer space? Only time will tell, but looks like we won’t see much from them in the immediate future.
via [Associated Press]
RIM co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis to Step Down
When we think about pulling RIM out of the hole they have dug themselves, one of the first thoughts is to start at the top. RIM’s co-CEO strategy has been questioned very heavily lately and it looks like those questions have been answered. Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis will finally step down and current COO Thorsten Heins will take over as CEO.
RIM has stated that thier current stratgy to move forward with a new OS will remain as planned, but Heins makes sure to point out “It’s going to be continuity, but it’s not going to be a standstill.”
via [The Verge]
Editorial: Can RIM Save This Ship
Dear Reader:
Let me first introduce myself by a name that most of you haven’t heard in a long time. I’m Nic Ball the “Berry Guru”. Before there was a Gadget Gurus, before there ever was an Angry Guru and much before I secured my doctorate, I was simply a blackberry junkie. I walked around with my head held down and my thumbs busy typing away on a keyboard as I weaved through pedestrian traffic. It was the best of times. The smartphone market was on in it’s early childhood. We’d finally crossed over the threshold of Windows Mobile and the world was ours to take. Then the iPhone came along and started the downward slide. Android came on the scene and it was as if all the air in the room had been let out. Now here we are only a few years later but it seems like forever ago. Now here we are, RIM, the former king of the market is now the ugly red-headed step child of smart phones. What, if anything, can RIM do to save this ship?
The most obvious problem with RIM has been the total consumerization of IT. No longer are system admins able to keep everyone on an easy to manage and easy to control system without justification for that granular control. Now days CEO’s are demanding the use of an iPhone or iPad and the notion of using a BlackBerry is quickly fading away. RIM has missed out on consumer market in belief that there would always be a rock solid business market. As this layer starts to fade away we have to look at other solutions at RIM.
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