Blackberry's fall

[AndChiefs]

I thought this was an interesting piece about Research in Motion (RIM/maker of Blackberries) and how it went from the top of the cell phone world to its current predicament. The article itself is quite long and probably won't be everyone's cup of tea but I recommend reading it if you're at all interested in business.

Mods: Feel free to move to the Media Center if you wish but I figured it was interesting enough to put out here where more than five people might actually see it.

Short excerpt:

“The problem wasn’t that we stopped listening to customers,” said one former RIM insider. “We believed we knew better what customers needed long term than they did. Consumers would say, ‘I want a faster browser.’ We might say, ‘You might think you want a faster browser, but you don’t want to pay overage on your bill.’ ‘Well, I want a super big very responsive touchscreen.’ ‘Well, you might think you want that, but you don’t want your phone to die at 2 p.m.’ “We would say, ‘We know better, and they’ll eventually figure it out.’ ”


Read the story here. (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/the-inside-story-of-why-blackberry-is-failing/article14563602/?page=all)

[KC_Lee]

That and the fact that Jim Balsillie was more interested in getting an NHL in Hamilton, ONT than growing his company.

[Molitoth]

Interesting. Even though the company I work for is doing well, stories like this bring realization that nothing good lasts forever.

[listopencil]

It's funny. Just a year ago my kids and I had cheap little phones from Metro PCS. I finally upgraded to a smart phone, then did the same with my kids. Our cheap little low end phones worked just like the Blackberry.

[Lex Luthor]

It's funny. Just a year ago my kids and I had cheap little phones from Metro PCS. I finally upgraded to a smart phone, then did the same with my kids. Our cheap little low end phones worked just like the Blackberry.
Before the iPhones and Android phones took over the market, Blackberry was the best thing going. Several years ago we were using smart phones, and they were simply not very good.

We made Blackberry phones the standard for all smart phones in my company, and it solved a bunch of problems we were having with reliability. Then a few years later we changed the standard to iPhones. I felt pretty good about both decisions. Blackberries were great in their day, but that day is gone.

I don't see how RIM can survive.

[vailpass]

Berry was the first smart phone I had years ago. It was great.
Then they just...stopped.

[BigMeatballDave]

Arrogant jackasses.

[AndChiefs]

Berry was the first smart phone I had years ago. It was great.
Then they just...stopped.

A lot of the reason this was so interesting to me. A blackberry was my first one as well. I still have one through work. It feels even less technologically advanced than my old one from several years ago.

[Graystoke]

Self-inflicted suicide

[vailpass]

A lot of the reason this was so interesting to me. A blackberry was my first one as well. I still have one through work. It feels even less technologically advanced than my old one from several years ago.

They had the market by the balls but it's like they fired their r&d team...the op makes sense. Hubris.

[Buehler445]

Before the iPhones and Android phones took over the market, Blackberry was the best thing going. Several years ago we were using smart phones, and they were simply not very good.

We made Blackberry phones the standard for all smart phones in my company, and it solved a bunch of problems we were having with reliability. Then a few years later we changed the standard to iPhones. I felt pretty good about both decisions. Blackberries were great in their day, but that day is gone.

I don't see how RIM can survive.

They're not. I'm not sure when the last quarter was that they turned a profit. They're just eating equity until the inevitable end.

I really liked BB. They just didn't keep pace.

[AndChiefs]

They had the market by the balls but it's like they fired their r&d team...the op makes sense. Hubris.

I actually liked a couple of their ideas they didn't do (without knowing the full details of course).

The China deal and blackberry messenger providing seem like particularly egregious missed opportunities.

[Hoover]

You could write the story of BB's fail in one sentence.

"Things were great, we were kicking ass until Google and Apple chose to enter the market."

[Hoover]

A company like RIM needed to be bought out by Google, who bought a struggling motorola in 2012. The only company that impresses me is Samsung, but they run on the android

[vailpass]

You could write the story of BB's fail in one sentence.

"Things were great, we were kicking ass until Google and Apple chose to enter the market."

That seems about right...android is so customer friendly.

[Garcia Bronco]

They're Canadian....what did you expect?

[Tombstone RJ]

I thought this was an interesting piece about Research in Motion (RIM/maker of Blackberries) and how it went from the top of the cell phone world to its current predicament. The article itself is quite long and probably won't be everyone's cup of tea but I recommend reading it if you're at all interested in business.

Mods: Feel free to move to the Media Center if you wish but I figured it was interesting enough to put out here where more than five people might actually see it.

Short excerpt:



Read the story here. (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/the-inside-story-of-why-blackberry-is-failing/article14563602/?page=all)


meh, I don't need to read that to know why crackberry failed. It's called the iphone. I'm completely guessing here but I bet if you chart the fall of the crackberry you will see a direct correlation with the rise of the iphone. That, and the fact that other HUGE companies like Samsung are cranking out great platforms like the Galaxy and you have a recipe for extinction.

[MahiMike]

iPhone is next. Galaxy and others are already better. Just will take some time to convince folks.

[kepp]

Arrogant jackasses.

Self-inflicted suicide

This and this. They were PERFECTLY positioned. They just didn't listen and apparently no one there had any vision.

[Gonzo]

I still have a BB somewhere. I loved the damn thing. I could type on that awesome keyboard quicker than I could on my PC. But I must admit, I just got the new iPhone and I'm loving it more.

[Chazno]

I develop a browser app that was to support all platforms. RIM's browsers have rivaled IE for biggest pile for several years. So much happier now that we no longer supporting them.

[AndChiefs]

meh, I don't need to read that to know why crackberry failed. It's called the iphone. I'm completely guessing here but I bet if you chart the fall of the crackberry you will see a direct correlation with the rise of the iphone. That, and the fact that other HUGE companies like Samsung are cranking out great platforms like the Galaxy and you have a recipe for extinction.

Partially true of course. But blackberry did have a fairly significant window in which to respond. The iPhone was relegated to the AT&T network for several years. If blackberry had put out a viable alternative in that time period they could've survived. Blackberry had a built in advantage of people already using their products as a work phone. Familiarity is hard to overcome.

They squandered it.

[Sannyasi]

RIM's executives took the wrong lesson from the apocryphal Henry Ford quote, "If I had asked my customers what they wanted they would have said a faster horse." It doesn't mean that you should dismiss all customer feedback, just that customers are bad at coming up with innovations. RIM decided to give up on innovating and just push old technology.

[Chazno]

Yeah, Blackberry was entrenched as THE phone for business. This was even after the iPhone came out as there were questions of its security , at least initially.

[Mosbonian]

I agree with the person earlier who said it was their own arrogance that did them in.....they reminded me of the techie character from SNL that had the obnoxious attitude toward people who asked questions.

I had a Blackberry in 2005-2007 and it was great then. When I was at a larger company from 2007 to 2011 they just went downhill like an Olympic skier. When you would call to ask them about phone issues they were slow to respond and their first response was always "have you rebooted your phone"

[Tombstone RJ]

Partially true of course. But blackberry did have a fairly significant window in which to respond. The iPhone was relegated to the AT&T network for several years. If blackberry had put out a viable alternative in that time period they could've survived. Blackberry had a built in advantage of people already using their products as a work phone. Familiarity is hard to overcome.

They squandered it.

fair enough!

[bevischief]

Self-inflicted suicide

This.