[bounce007]

Most smart phone makers began changing their platforms to "smart operating systems" quite a while back. Why did RIM wait so long to shift towards a QNX OS (which is quite amazing on the PlayBook if I may add!). I would love some detailed answers. I'm thinking:

1) They didn't feel threatened which such a strong hold on the corporate sector
2) They were tied up in legal paper work in order to acquire QNX (which I doubt)

What do you guys think, and what do you guys know?

[OniPod]

They were a little too laser focused on the Enterprise people, that they sort of lost focus on the consumer market, and as consumers shifted to Apple and Android for improved Social interaction and media consumption, RIM didn't seem to see what was happening around them, and they got caught flatfooted, imo.

[pantlesspenguin]

I think they never really predicted they'd have a consumer following, and their consumer devices were more like afterthought. The Pearls and Curves were on the lower range compared to the Bolds, but still popular. The Storms were like a half-hearted bone throwed to consumers who wanted more of a touch screen experience. I think they rested on their corporate business and thought they were fine not keeping with the cutting edge of what non-business consumers were asking for.

[emsel]

Most smart phone makers began changing their platforms to "smart operating systems" quite a while back. Why did RIM wait so long to shift towards a QNX OS (which is quite amazing on the PlayBook if I may add!). I would love some detailed answers. I'm thinking:

1) They didn't feel threatened which such a strong hold on the corporate sector
2) They were tied up in legal paper work in order to acquire QNX (which I doubt)

What do you guys think, and what do you guys know?

i think it was the bane of very successful companies that ruled the roost too long and had blinders on. As many point out, RIM started smart phones, and was predominant. They didn't look at any company able really compete. "Take what we offer and be happy with it"
Sort like the American auto industry, when the president of GM said the Toyota Prius is just a toy. Now they are adding hybrids to all their models.
However, RIM has done just the correct thing, replace the top, change the culture and start to compete. I don't look at all the people leaving as a negative, it is part of reinventing itself.
If just the banking/investment industry would do the same, we wouldn't still have Wells Fargo showing billion $ loses, which I believe is very understated.

[PineappleUnderTheSea]

I think they never really predicted they'd have a consumer following, and their consumer devices were more like afterthought. The Pearls and Curves were on the lower range compared to the Bolds, but still popular.

I tend to agree. Initially, those who had a BB at work were managers only, or field people who needed one to get their work done. So it made sense for RIM to issue "lower end" Pearls, etc to consumers, it made them feel they somewhat belonged in the club of important people.

But I'm not sure they had a proper long term strategy: they had went on a hiring spree before the bottom fell out, and then laid off 10% of their workforce. To me, it means that the people they hired were obviously not meant for BB10....

[bounce007]

Great answers... thank you all. I wish they had done this shift in software sooner. I really don't want RIM and BlackBerry to be suffering. I want them to thrive!

[dentynefire]

Who knows but I'm glad they did? Better late than never!

[amazinglygraceless]

I'm really curious why people keep referring to the Pearl and Curve as lower end BlackBerrys.
Lower end compared to the Bold? The Bold 9000 really wasn't that materially different
than the Pearl and Curve. It was basically their fat sister with more memory.

[kill_9]

But I'm not sure they had a proper long term strategy: they had went on a hiring spree before the bottom fell out, and then laid off 10% of their workforce. To me, it means that the people they hired were obviously not meant for BB10....

By your own reasoning 99% of the staff should have been laid-off because they are not directly involved with the development of BlackBerry 10 smartphones and software. The decision to enter the consumer market marked the beginning of the Fall of the RIMpire. Tiday, the new CEO still cannot remain "laser focused" on their core market as evidenced by the current state of affairs. Yeah, RIM could have designed and released a single model "social media" smartphone targeted to the youth market without ever having to take its eyes off their bread and butter users (government, corporations, and other professional users). And yes, the transition to a modern operating system should have started in 2009-2010.

[amazinglygraceless]

The decision to enter the consumer market marked the beginning of the Fall of RIM

Not quite. Entering the consumer space was an appropriate and necessary strategy. Where RIM
failed was (A) having no direction once they got there (B) pisspoor marketing (C) and a maddening
practice of turning out devices that were literally no more than minor tweaks to what came before.


The Pearl started it all. The Curve was a full QWERTY Pearl. The Bold was a huge Curve,....
you see where I am going with this. And through it all RIM did a horrible job of marketing the
social and multimedia aspects to any of these devices. That is, more than anything else why
they lost the consumer space. Had RIM really thought that through their fortunes, I suspect
would be much different than they are at present.

[PineappleUnderTheSea]

By your own reasoning 99% of the staff should have been laid-off because they are not directly involved with the development of BlackBerry 10 smartphones and software.

Nah, all I'm saying is that RIM had hired a significant amount of people before the Trouble (with a capital T) began, so why did they have to let go 2000 of them? In my mind, it means that these hires were not really that strategic to the business, including BB10.

But I could be wrong, they might have just let them all go simply to make their numbers look better, maybe it's nothing about strategy. Heck, we're all pretending to know what's going on here, so anything goes, right?

[bounce007]

...Heck, we're all pretending to know what's going on here, so anything goes, right?

Lol... any plausible conjecture goes, and yours is plausible... so it goes!

[stackberry369]

When apple's no longer on top their stock will tank also.

[hurds]

RIM knows what they are doing. Nothing happens overnight, it just seems like it does. RIMs been making amazing acquisitions and putting it all together. The real question will be 'why didn't the others make any change and just rest on their laurels with their current aging mobile platforms'.

[Chrisy]

I think BlackBerry did wait a tad too long. Like a few years too long to make this change.

But I think they're all over it now! Not too late and in fact just in time to bring some much need freshness to the mobile scene.

IOs and ICS are getting zzzzz!

[BlackStormRising]

Firstly, who knows if it's even possible to change the platform? We'll know soon enough I suppose. To me it sounds a bit like why couldn't the Wall St. Journal just be more like People magazine? Why does it have to be cluttered up with all that boring financial stuff that clearly NOBODY wants or needs.

[Chrisy]

Na. BlackBerry 10 isn't like the others at all, in my opinion. It's a BlackBerry still just evolved!

[sleepngbear]

Why did RIM wait so long to do something? Because they didn't think they had to until it was too late. The plain simple fact is, they failed to recognize the viability or popularity of the iPhone and where it would take the smart phone market -- they got caught with their pants down. And then when they did realize the threat it posed, they countered it very weakly with the Storm. When that failed fairly miserably, that's when they finally understood that the BBOS platform wasn't going to cut it, and they sought a new solution, which ended up being QNX. But transitions of that magnitude don't happen overnight. The timetable they're on is about right for such an undertaking; but as we are all painfully aware, they just started it a little too late.

I'm still holding out hope that they can pull it off; but every day the situation looks more bleak. Today was particularly devastating, so I won't even try to guess where it's going to end up. It will go where it's going to go, and hopefully we'll still have BB phones when it gets there.

[Chrisy]

WHat happened today? We know it's going to be darkest before the dawn.

[Tõnis]

The only benefit RIM got from entering the "consumer" market was the acquisition of a small amount of intelligent consumers who may as well be thought of as enterprise. What is it with the "average consumer"? Why is it excited by "funny noises" and touching glass???

[kevinnugent]

Of course, blame the consumer for RIM's lack of forethought. Damn stupid people don't know what's good for them.

Mike L had the same attitude.

[greatwiseone]

RIM thought consumer market was easy because tons of little girls were buying cheap curves to do BBM. Without really spending much time on the consumer market, RIM sold a lot of devices, and thought they can keep giving the crappy experiences to users. RIM should have bought QNX back in 2007 and we won't be talking about this today.

I think RIM really needed to get rid of Mike L and Jim B and quite a few of their people in order for its culture of arrogance and entitlement to go away. I'm not sure if such a shakeup would be possible if RIM wasn't in the terrible situation that it is in today...

[Blacklatino]

I agree with a lot of the views posted on here. They waited too long and have admitted as such. I'm sure the reasons made sense at the time to those in charge. Dropping from 20+ Billion to 6 Billion has definitely got the attention of stockholders and consumers. I agree with Chrisy and I do pray that it can "eventually" be turned around. But, image is perception and RIM has a negative image that will affect sales. How much is unknown. IMO, the bigger issue for RIM is understanding that damage control will need to be hard and steady until launch to dispel the negative image or cloud hanging over. So, in a way, it's probably good that the launch is proposed 3 -4 months away to buy RIM some time to adequately prepare. At this point RIM needs to build up the confidence factor with the general public. Now, is not the time to "assume" new devices after a year will be enough to change public opinion- whether consumers or the press. If this launch limps along, no one will notice a Plan B.

[sleepngbear]

WHat happened today? We know it's going to be darkest before the dawn.

Some analyst reported that RIM's sales fell again this month, causing a rise in inventory. Which is exactly what Thorsten said just over a week ago, but because somebody else said it again this week, it must be news.

I have to admit, I was wrong about analysts. I said awhile ago that they can't remember more than three weeks in the past; now I think they can't remember from one day to the next.

[brucep1]

OP, there is no one reason RIM waited so long to do this. They got complacent at the top and thought they could ride their prior success forever. They couldn't...