[lnichols]

So after being a consumer customer of BlackBerry since the 8830, and getting to see things from the Government side and third party vendor's for Government via my employment, I think that the only way BB10 will live (maybe not as BB10 but another name) is for the company to be purchased, not taken private, by a large company with cash. Here are the reasons I believe this:

- Credibility: The BlackBerry name has none. As much as I had hoped the new management would fix this, they basically killed it all off again with statements like BB10 was coming to PlayBook, the quotes about BB10 sales being great, delaying the product to get it "perfect" but obviously delivering a product far from it, etc. The company's continued poor execution has blown it. Thorsten was installed by Mike and Jim and was with the company since 2007, so he is not fresh blood. It appears that the corporate managerial culture of RIM is still alive and kicking in BlackBerry. The only difference I see between the old RIM and the BlackBerry is that the management talks a lot more to the media, or used to at least until BB10 launched, but you still can't trust what they are saying, so this increased communications is meaningless and opens the door to many more opportunities to further damage what little credibility remains. Devs have been burnt by the new management too with the push backs of products and taking them at their word, which is likely hurting developer buy in.

- Perceived Corporate Health: Yes they have $3 Billion in cash, but they simply don't have the scope and scale to compete in the smartphone industry of today which is vastly larger now then when BlackBerry was in its prime, and still growing. This combined with the fact that "BlackBerry is Dead" has been drilled into the minds of so many people from the consumer end user, the sales counter people in the phone stores, and to the IT decision makers by the media, the BlackBerry brand is perceived as dead now. People don't want to put down $400, much less $600+ on a device with a "dead" company behind it, especially when the sales associate is telling them support might go away when the company does die, and their are better options for the same price or less. As other people have mentioned here (Qbnkelt) and what I am seeing too is this is impacting their strongholds of US Government dominance. Government IT decision makers have to balance the cost of potentially having to replace the platform if death were to occur compared with securing a healthy competitor as it opens the door to too much risk. They don't want to have someone coming to them a couple years from now and asking why didn't we go to iOS since everyone knew "BlackBerry was dying". Government decision makers simply don't believe the company BlackBerry will make it, or the risk of the company failing is too great to award them the business, even though yes the product is superior for the security the Government wants. Third party vendors are also telling people in the Government they aren't developing for BlackBerry because they are "Dead" or "Dying". There are also many who government end users who are routing against them too because the platforms they know (BBOS), just aren't attractive to use. Basically announcing the company is up for sale will only make things worse in this category and will hurt them in any Government bake offs as health of the company to support the product in the future is always a consideration. Developers also don't want to learn a new set of SDK's for a product put out by a "dead or dying" company.

- The Name: BlackBerry. Probably the dumbest move ever to re-brand your company to the device that people are being told is dead, and many people have come to dislike the capabilities of. When many people see the name BlackBerry on a phone they think locked-down, app-less, and poor browsing device with e-mail and voice. BB10 has changed the reality, but not the perception as no one outside of CrackBerry and the base knows this. They should have kept the name the name RIM, or changed it to something totally different, and came out with a new branding for the new OS and phones IMHO, and retained the name BlackBerry for the BBOS devices for the markets those devices are still doing well in. The loyal base would have known that it was the same company, but the consumer wouldn't and would see something new and different and probably give it a chance over something with the name BlackBerry written on the device.

The company being taken private, I think, would do nothing to address these major issues. The company would likely keep the same name, much of the management would probably stay in, and the private equity firms would likely install some of their own people, who know even less about the business than the BlackBerry management (seen this with other Silver Lake deals), into upper management positions. All that going private would do is just minimize the amount of new info that would get out to the public. Would make the BlackBerry can do no wrong people here happy, but little else.

A new company coming in, wiping out the existing management, and slapping a new name on the same phones, BES servers, etc. is the only way I see BB10, which is a great OS and would serve many markets well, surviving in some way. It would fix the brand name issues and perceived corporate health, and the new company would start with fresh credibility and be able to say that they had nothing to do with the sins of the previous management. And as long as that company wasn't a Lenovo, Huweii, or some other Chinese owned company it would greatly help in keeping or winning new US Government business too. Personally I could care less if the phone I'm using says BlackBerry, Amazon, Sony, etc. on the bottom of the device, as long as I know that device has what was once called BB10 running on it. I could switch to another platform, but I like what I see with BB10, unfortunately the company standing behind the product has basically turned the name BlackBerry into a joke with how they have handled themselves over the past few years. Kill off the name, kill off the managerial culture, provide a strong financial backing, new respected name, and let BB10 live on! I want BB10 to live, and this is the best option for that to occur IMHO.

[qbnkelt]

Sadly, I tend to agree.


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[amazinglygraceless]

Great write up and I cannot disagree with a single word.

[epark88]

I'm too old to use Android and too young for the iStuff.

However things go down, the company that ends up running this BB10 OS will get my business. Hopefully, it remains BlackBerry...

Posted via CB10

[FSeverino]

A new company coming in, wiping out the existing management, and slapping a new name on the same phones, BES servers, etc. is the only way I see BB10, which is a great OS and would serve many markets well, surviving in some way

Yup! this is what i have been saying since the announcement. I have been thinking about it for awhile, but once the 'looking' was announced i was actually excited (is that bad?) because BB10 may have a chance!

[ljfong]

Masterpiece summary of everything that is wrong with BlackBerry the company, the brand, and the devices.

[JasW]

The only thing I would disagree with is that BB10 will live. No matter how great you think the OS is, the fact remains that it has far too little developer support. If Company X buys BBRY, that fact will not change. If we've learned anything, it's that market share dictates developer support. In other words, Company X would still be faced with the same insoluble chicken or egg problem.

I'm quite sure any company that would think of buying BBRY knows this. It's conceivable that there is a company which believes it can succeed where BBRY failed and crack the chicken or egg problem, but since we know that attempting to solve the problem has blind alley potential written all over it, such a company essentially has to gamble on a huge scale. I'm not sure what company (or what company's board) has the stomach for such an uncertain undertaking.

[JeepBB]

I "liked" your post OP because I agree with your assessment of the catalogue of mismanagement, poor decision-making, and appalling execution displayed by BB thus far. I also agree that privatisation ain't gonna save BB either.

What I disagree with is the conclusion that any rescuer would resurrect BB10 under a new name. I agree with JasW - no other company would believe it could succeed where BB has failed and attempt to turn BB10 into a winner.

[Blacklatino]

So after being a consumer customer of BlackBerry since the 8830, and getting to see things from the Government side and third party vendor's for Government via my employment, I think that the only way BB10 will live (maybe not as BB10 but another name) is for the company to be purchased, not taken private, by a large company with cash. Here are the reasons I believe this:

- Credibility: The BlackBerry name has none. As much as I had hoped the new management would fix this, they basically killed it all off again with statements like BB10 was coming to PlayBook, the quotes about BB10 sales being great, delaying the product to get it "perfect" but obviously delivering a product far from it, etc. The company's continued poor execution has blown it. Thorsten was installed by Mike and Jim and was with the company since 2007, so he is not fresh blood. It appears that the corporate managerial culture of RIM is still alive and kicking in BlackBerry. The only difference I see between the old RIM and the BlackBerry is that the management talks a lot more to the media, or used to at least until BB10 launched, but you still can't trust what they are saying, so this increased communications is meaningless and opens the door to many more opportunities to further damage what little credibility remains. Devs have been burnt by the new management too with the push backs of products and taking them at their word, which is likely hurting developer buy in.

- Perceived Corporate Health: Yes they have $3 Billion in cash, but they simply don't have the scope and scale to compete in the smartphone industry of today which is vastly larger now then when BlackBerry was in its prime, and still growing. This combined with the fact that "BlackBerry is Dead" has been drilled into the minds of so many people from the consumer end user, the sales counter people in the phone stores, and to the IT decision makers by the media, the BlackBerry brand is perceived as dead now. People don't want to put down $400, much less $600+ on a device with a "dead" company behind it, especially when the sales associate is telling them support might go away when the company does die, and their are better options for the same price or less. As other people have mentioned here (Qbnkelt) and what I am seeing too is this is impacting their strongholds of US Government dominance. Government IT decision makers have to balance the cost of potentially having to replace the platform if death were to occur compared with securing a healthy competitor as it opens the door to too much risk. They don't want to have someone coming to them a couple years from now and asking why didn't we go to iOS since everyone knew "BlackBerry was dying". Government decision makers simply don't believe the company BlackBerry will make it, or the risk of the company failing is too great to award them the business, even though yes the product is superior for the security the Government wants. Third party vendors are also telling people in the Government they aren't developing for BlackBerry because they are "Dead" or "Dying". There are also many who government end users who are routing against them too because the platforms they know (BBOS), just aren't attractive to use. Basically announcing the company is up for sale will only make things worse in this category and will hurt them in any Government bake offs as health of the company to support the product in the future is always a consideration. Developers also don't want to learn a new set of SDK's for a product put out by a "dead or dying" company.

- The Name: BlackBerry. Probably the dumbest move ever to re-brand your company to the device that people are being told is dead, and many people have come to dislike the capabilities of. When many people see the name BlackBerry on a phone they think locked-down, app-less, and poor browsing device with e-mail and voice. BB10 has changed the reality, but not the perception as no one outside of CrackBerry and the base knows this. They should have kept the name the name RIM, or changed it to something totally different, and came out with a new branding for the new OS and phones IMHO, and retained the name BlackBerry for the BBOS devices for the markets those devices are still doing well in. The loyal base would have known that it was the same company, but the consumer wouldn't and would see something new and different and probably give it a chance over something with the name BlackBerry written on the device.

The company being taken private, I think, would do nothing to address these major issues. The company would likely keep the same name, much of the management would probably stay in, and the private equity firms would likely install some of their own people, who know even less about the business than the BlackBerry management (seen this with other Silver Lake deals), into upper management positions. All that going private would do is just minimize the amount of new info that would get out to the public. Would make the BlackBerry can do no wrong people here happy, but little else.

A new company coming in, wiping out the existing management, and slapping a new name on the same phones, BES servers, etc. is the only way I see BB10, which is a great OS and would serve many markets well, surviving in some way. It would fix the brand name issues and perceived corporate health, and the new company would start with fresh credibility and be able to say that they had nothing to do with the sins of the previous management. And as long as that company wasn't a Lenovo, Huweii, or some other Chinese owned company it would greatly help in keeping or winning new US Government business too. Personally I could care less if the phone I'm using says BlackBerry, Amazon, Sony, etc. on the bottom of the device, as long as I know that device has what was once called BB10 running on it. I could switch to another platform, but I like what I see with BB10, unfortunately the company standing behind the product has basically turned the name BlackBerry into a joke with how they have handled themselves over the past few years. Kill off the name, kill off the managerial culture, provide a strong financial backing, new respected name, and let BB10 live on! I want BB10 to live, and this is the best option for that to occur IMHO.

I agree. Our agency switched over 5,000+ employees from multiple BlackBerry carriers, to iPhones- within a year. Upper management and IT Division heads were told almost two years ago that RIM BlackBerry were having problems and could become extinct(Dead) with limited/no support if that happens. LOL. Only a handfull of us still use BlackBerries(on a personal level) that still work there.......and I've been there for 18 years. Very sad when you see it unfolding from where it was as time goes on. If it helps BlackBerry survive(minus whatever changes that will have to/need to happen), I'm all for it. Becoming a private company, would end up being more of the S.O.S. we've seen for years.

[kevxn]

Yeah, BlackBerry needs a strong hand to stop media pumping out negative articles every day.

Posted via CB10

[potatoguy]

A new broom sweeps clean !!

[LWKING]

This is a very well-written post with a lot of great points. I tend to agree with all of them. I just think that a strategic partnership with a company producing hardware in conjunction with BlackBerry would prove more beneficial. BlackBerry has spent years with QNX. If another company were to take over everything, they would have to start learning all over again. I think this would take a lot of time to transition into, and would only make things worse.

With a strategic partnership, BlackBerry would continue to make hardware for governments, businesses, etc, while Company X would take a more business casual approach with their hardware. The deployment of BB10 devices would increase like BlackBerry is seeking to do, and Company X would be successful in rebranding the BB10 image for the younger up and coming professionals (like me ) . It may finally be cool to own a BB10 device again.

As far as developers and apps go, the dominant variable here is time. Believe it or not, I think BlackBerry is doing everything they can here. It takes time. Therefore, focus should be placed in making the OS experience the best it can be, which is where it is atm. The second most important variable is exposure. The strategic partnership I described above will directly increase this.

I am against BlackBerry giving up their hardware entirely like IBM as this does not improve the influx of BB10 devices as desired. Also, BlackBerry makes great hardware! In fact, I prefer their hardware over any other company out there, but that's another topic entirely.

[birdman_38]

If BlackBerry is swallowed up by another tech firm that's the end of BB10 OS

[badiyee]

I think BlackBerry should actually stop listening to the general consumer market, and listen very carefully to the core market: the ones in the business sectors.

Keep winning the enterprise sector, and it'll be good enough for BlackBerry. Big or small, or medium, or entrepreneurs, if they listened to the business market sector, and act accordingly fast enough... should be good. back to basics and back to the root