Pickering Angels

How RIM can Save the BlackBerry Brand in Three Easy Steps

onthebottom

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I thought this was interesting, the first two just slow the bleeding but the third could be considered a real differentiated strategy, something we've not seen from RIM in many years:

How RIM can Save the BlackBerry Brand in Three Easy Steps

BlackBerry is an iconic brand. Unfortunately on its current trajectory BlackBerry is going to be an extinct brand in the not too distant future. RIM has a solid foundation, and it can still be salvaged, but RIM needs to stop throwing stuff at the wall just to see what sticks.

A Wall Street Journal report states that RIM is considering “all opportunities” to turn things around and steady its plummeting market share. Instead of pursuing every possibility simultaneously, RIM should scale back and follow this simple three step process to get things back on track:

RIM can still salvage the iconic BlackBerry brand if it makes some changes.

1. Focus

Earlier this year a RIM executive admitted that he wasn’t even sure how many different models of the BlackBerry smartphone RIM is currently producing. It’s pretty bad when you don’t even know how many devices your own company makes.

I checked the RIM site. I don’t know how many BlackBerry smartphones there are globally, but there are 22 different models listed for the United States alone. That’s too many. It’s a waste of resources for RIM, it’s too many variations for wireless providers and developers to keep straight, and it’s confusing for individuals trying to choose a smartphone.

Pick three.
Offer a cutting edge flagship BlackBerry smartphone, a middle of the road model that has all of the core features people expect from a BlackBerry smartphone, and an economy model for people on very tight budgets.

While you’re at it—forget about distractions like licensing out the BlackBerry OS or switching over to developing Android smartphones. Nobody wants to license a dying mobile platform if RIM itself can’t figure out how to market it, and RIM needs to stick with the brand that brought it to the dance.

The PlayBook tablet failed. RIM should admit defeat and stop getting distracted by the tablet market.

2. Nix the Tablet

RIM tried. I’d say it tried valiantly, but I don’t actually believe that. The reality is that the PlayBook tablet is a dud. RIM recently revealed that it had sold just over a million of the tablet since its launch over a year ago. Meanwhile Apple sold over 15 million iPads last quarter, and three million new iPads the first weekend it was launched.

It’s not just RIM. HP is no slouch in the world of technology and it pulled the plug on its TouchPad tablet.

RIM may very well be able to compete in the tablet market some day. But, for now refer to step one—Focus. RIM needs to conserve and streamline its resources if it wants to survive to fight another day. The tablet is a distraction.

3. Embrace Mobile Device Management

As smartphones and tablets have invaded the workplace, mobile device management (MDM) has exploded. RIM was doing MDM before the consumerization of IT and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trends made it cool. It’s just that RIM pioneered MDM as a proprietary platform that only manages BlackBerry devices.

With the recent launch of BlackBery Mobile Fusion, though, RIM has expanded the capabilities of BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES)--RIM’s mobile device management platform--to incorporate iOS and Android devices as well. RIM has a massive customer base of businesses that already rely on BES, and it can leverage its position to become a de facto leader in the emerging MDM market.

RIM is not dead yet, but if it continues the “try anything” strategy it probably won’t be long. These three simple steps will help RIM regain its footing, and enable it to begin the arduous process of restoring the respect and reputation of the BlackBerry brand.
 

Anynym

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RIM has to do one more thing to survive (and it might even rescue the PlayBook): make it EASY for developers to create apps for the platform.

As it is now, I know some very smart developers who have spent - wasted - weeks of valuable time trying to set up the development environment and STILL don't know if it's right. You have to download some software from RIM, then some software from someone else, then maybe a toolkit from another third party, then try to download some simulators that may or may not show up anywhere. An absolute hell-hole that I wouldn't wish on my worst competitor. If that were ALL the developer did it might SEEM easy enough, but nobody can afford to only develop for one environment, and almost nobody can afford the level of investment required to set up a development environment for BlackBerry.

And that's before trying to figure out how to submit apps to BlackBerry World and promote them.
 

nottyboi

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May 14, 2008
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RIM has to do one more thing to survive (and it might even rescue the PlayBook): make it EASY for developers to create apps for the platform.

As it is now, I know some very smart developers who have spent - wasted - weeks of valuable time trying to set up the development environment and STILL don't know if it's right. You have to download some software from RIM, then some software from someone else, then maybe a toolkit from another third party, then try to download some simulators that may or may not show up anywhere. An absolute hell-hole that I wouldn't wish on my worst competitor. If that were ALL the developer did it might SEEM easy enough, but nobody can afford to only develop for one environment, and almost nobody can afford the level of investment required to set up a development environment for BlackBerry.

And that's before trying to figure out how to submit apps to BlackBerry World and promote them.
Even better RIM should offer FREE developement environments in it's cloud.... they are such idiots. I would not kill the tablet, as it is their only QNX device so far. But they need a TON more apps... STILL!!!!
 

onthebottom

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To draw developers you need a user base that they can monitise those apps with.... the Playbook user base is so small that it's not worth developing for (even if there was a toolkit), phone should be a different story....

OTB
 

Keebler Elf

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It's pointless. RIM's days are numbered, no matter what the bb fanboys may think. Apple has won. Now it's only how much good money is going to be thrown after the bad.

Wanna know how I can say that with confidence? It's because word on the street is out and it's loud and clear. Blackberry is old, dated, and tired. Apple is new, hip, and cool. In other words, Blackberry is what the Beta VCR was to VHS. Kick and scream all you want, everybody wants Apple, not Blackberry.
 

blueman

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It's pointless. RIM's days are numbered, no matter what the bb fanboys may think. Apple has won. Now it's only how much good money is going to be thrown after the bad.

Wanna know how I can say that with confidence? It's because word on the street is out and it's loud and clear. Blackberry is old, dated, and tired. Apple is new, hip, and cool. In other words, Blackberry is what the Beta VCR was to VHS. Kick and scream all you want, everybody wants Apple, not Blackberry.
Not everybody
 

GPIDEAL

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Jun 27, 2010
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It's pointless. RIM's days are numbered, no matter what the bb fanboys may think. Apple has won. Now it's only how much good money is going to be thrown after the bad.

Wanna know how I can say that with confidence? It's because word on the street is out and it's loud and clear. Blackberry is old, dated, and tired. Apple is new, hip, and cool. In other words, Blackberry is what the Beta VCR was to VHS. Kick and scream all you want, everybody wants Apple, not Blackberry.
Isn't email superior with a BB?

The Iphone still doesn't have IM (aka BBM).
 

GPIDEAL

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To draw developers you need a user base that they can monitise those apps with.... the Playbook user base is so small that it's not worth developing for (even if there was a toolkit), phone should be a different story....

OTB
You mean 'monetize'?
 

onthebottom

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onthebottom

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It's pointless. RIM's days are numbered, no matter what the bb fanboys may think. Apple has won. Now it's only how much good money is going to be thrown after the bad.

Wanna know how I can say that with confidence? It's because word on the street is out and it's loud and clear. Blackberry is old, dated, and tired. Apple is new, hip, and cool. In other words, Blackberry is what the Beta VCR was to VHS. Kick and scream all you want, everybody wants Apple, not Blackberry.
I think if you amended that to Apple/Android you'd be correct.



OTB
 
Not everybody
+1. BB is far superior as an email device. It lacks the "sexiness" and all of the (mostly useless) apps the other brands have. "Tools not toys" is about right. Having said that, my kids go through more devices in a year than I do in three... and none of them are Berries.

I have a Playbook and the thing truly is a piece of crap. First problem is to make the battery last longer than a few hours... :(
 

nottyboi

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+1. BB is far superior as an email device. It lacks the "sexiness" and all of the (mostly useless) apps the other brands have. "Tools not toys" is about right. Having said that, my kids go through more devices in a year than I do in three... and none of them are Berries.

I have a Playbook and the thing truly is a piece of crap. First problem is to make the battery last longer than a few hours... :(
I get pretty good battery life from my playbook, if you watch video on just about any device you will have a shorter battery life.
 

onthebottom

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I get pretty good battery life from my playbook, if you watch video on just about any device you will have a shorter battery life.
You can reliably get 9-10 hours from an iPad playing video (I've done it on my way back from Asia), but the 3G/4G has an impact (the difference between 9-10.

No idea on the Fire or any other Android variant as I don't own one of those.

OTB
 

zigma99

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Aug 25, 2008
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Even better RIM should offer FREE developement environments in it's cloud.... they are such idiots. I would not kill the tablet, as it is their only QNX device so far. But they need a TON more apps... STILL!!!!
But you also have to remember that the vast majority of corporate users who have been issued a berry by their company cannot or do not install apps on their device.
 
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