Originally Posted by
jlsparks I'm not calling you out specifically Rooster... your post just happened to be the most recent one that states essentially what others have said.
Specifically: RIM "better focus on x" or "RIM better focus on Y". I know what I know, and I know what I don't know (there's only 1 person contributing to this thread who I know is tuned in to what's going on in Waterloo... maybe 2).
What I know is only that which is in the public domain, and what I glean from the aforementioned 1 or 2 plugged in contributors. In other words, I know what RIM's financials look like, where their revenue streams are, what their market share (NA & global) is, and how their devices are selling. I also know what I personally experience as a RIM consumer. In that regard, I know that the S1 was far less than ideal, but despite that it was adequate for a year (and no, I never had to replace mine.) Further, I know that the S2, as a second-generation device, is better in all regards (build quality, fit and function, look and feel, and operationally) than the S1. Sort of like how v2 iPhone was incrementally better than v1 iPhone. Finally, I know that there's a big disparity in people's expectations and experience with all smartphones, not just RIMs.
What I don't know is exponentially more than what I *do* know. I know what DevCon's major takeaways were, but I don't know how RIM plans to execute what they demoed. I don't know how a webkit browser will integrate with the existing device line, and I don't know if it will be a game changer for people. I don't know what 5.1.x.x will bring us. And I don't know, organizationally, how RIM is positioning itself to address its many challenges. 99.999% of the posters to this thread are in the same spot. Leaving 1-2 folks who are in the know.
My point is this: there are a lot of posts in this thread, and in others, where folks are playing RIM's shrink. That happens a lot when people don't have a full picture of a particular subject: they make assumptions. I don't find it a useful expenditure of my time, in general, to make assumptions about how a multi-billion dollar, multi-national company is going to run their business over the next 2 weeks, much less the next 12 months. I know it's hard to "wait and see", but for me at least, in the absence of a ton of reliable information, it does seem the most sensible position to take. It's not flashy, or contentious, or anything particularly exciting, but IMO it's reality.
Meanwhile I'll continue tracking the public info I can get on RIM, and reading with interest posts from those who I trust *do* have the inside track.
~jason