[TX Jedi]

This stuff just drives me insane! It's as if BlackBerry has been out of business for at least 2 years or something.

Remembering the BlackBerry | ZDNet

[howarmat]

I liked it. not sure what you thought was so wrong about it. He is remember his experience

[TX Jedi]

I liked it. not sure what you thought was so wrong about it. He is remember his experience

It's always possible that I am overly protective.....also possible that it is early in the morning (for me).

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

For most consumers... BlackBerry is not in the market anymore.

Four years ago BlackBerry devices were still everywhere. Today (in the US at least) they are no where.... the 2% or 3% they do have BlackBerries only have them for work, or they are hardcore fans. Most big box and retail resellers don't carry them, most prepaid suppliers don't carry them. And even most carriers have them on a back display, only selling them as special order only items, and they are careful to "screen" customers that ask for them.

The Article isn't saying BlackBerry is dead... just that they aren't the visible device they once were.

[Evilguppy]

I think the author fails to recognize that Blackberry is making a comeback. It's taking a long time but it is happening, slowly but surely. Hell, even my hairdresser is considering getting one because she is getting fed up with the virtual keyboard on her Android, she has typos all the time.
So no, having a Blackberry no longer sets people apart as part of the jet set, in fact for now it puts us squarely in the dinosaur crowd, lol.
But I don't think that will last.
I don't believe this will be the undoing of Apple or Android, though, but I see a new trend slowly taking place:
More people use a Blackberry for work related or "serious" stuff and are happy to use an iPhone or Android for fun.
Personally now that I'm back with Blackberry and loving every bit of it, it would take a disaster of epic proportions to make me give it up.



Sent from my iPad using CB Forums

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

I think the author fails to recognize that Blackberry is making a comeback. It's taking a long time but it is happening, slowly but surely. Hell, even my hairdresser is considering getting one because she is getting fed up with the virtual keyboard on her Android, she has typos all the time.
So no, having a Blackberry no longer sets people apart as part of the jet set, in fact for now it puts us squarely in the dinosaur crowd, lol.
But I don't think that will last.
I don't believe this will be the undoing of Apple or Android, though, but I see a new trend slowly taking place:
More people use a Blackberry for work related or "serious" stuff and are happy to use an iPhone or Android for fun.
Personally now that I'm back with Blackberry and loving every bit of it, it would take a disaster of epic proportions to make me give it up.

The author is only looking at the facts of today, not the potential or hoped for dreams of tomorrow.

[Witmen]

Thanks for the link OP, the article was a great read.

I agree with the author. I remember there being a time when owning a BlackBerry was a status symbol that instantly made you appear important even if you really wasn't. Years before the BlackBerry, owning a pager had a similar effect. I was the first person I knew with a smartphone, a BlackBerry 7250, and on more than one occasion, someone stated that I must have a great job to be carrying around a BlackBerry. I can credit at least two first dates and receiving a few phone numbers only because I had a BlackBerry. At that time, it was a great conversation starter.

It is a completely different time now that most people have a smartphone. For the most part, nobody cares what kind of smartphone you own these days and if they do, it is only to ridicule it for being a bad choice.

[crackbrry fan]

I never used my BlackBerry as a status symbol, it was and still is the most effective ,secure platform for me and my organization from the days of its pagers. I don't see that ever changing once they don't become another Apple or Android.

Posted via CB10

[Tre Lawrence]

Back then, making it to the a particular level at my job was known as "getting one's BlackBerry."

It was such a status symbol. There were folks that used to get dummy units to holster on the hip!

Good times... LOL.

[LoneStarRed]

I read the piece. It was very complementary toward the former BlackBerry. And, I suspect that it will be the precursor that puts BlackBerry back into the awareness of his readers. The Passport and Classic will capitalize on that methinks. There was nothing negative in that piece.

[LoneStarRed]

I can credit at least two first dates and receiving a few phone numbers only because I had a BlackBerry. At that time, it was a great conversation starter.

I hear puppies are great for that.

[BlackBerry Guy]

Back then, making it to the a particular level at my job was known as "getting one's BlackBerry."

It was such a status symbol. There were folks that used to get dummy units to holster on the hip!

Good times... LOL.

Lol yup! At my wife's former employer, for the longest time the BlackBerry was reserved only for upper management and the C-suite (because they felt only they should be carrying them). It took a few years for it to trickle down to the field staff, who arguably were the people who needed a solid mobile communications platform the most.

[ChubbleTrouble]

Back then, making it to the a particular level at my job was known as "getting one's BlackBerry."

It was such a status symbol. There were folks that used to get dummy units to holster on the hip!

Good times... LOL.

That's hilarious. History does repeat itself. Before the ballpoint pen existed, in the heyday of the fountain pen, having a pen was like having a high end smartphone, even a laptop. Pens were expensive enough that if you had one (if you couldn't afford one you had a pencil) that there was status to owning one. Some people who couldn't afford a pen but somehow obtained a cap would clip the cap to their shirt pockets just like these dummy units in holsters you've mentioned. Too funny!

Bye the way, in case some smartass wants to say the BlackBerry will be obsolete like the fountain pen I'll point out that fountain pens are in no way obsolete just because the masses don't have them, have never even seen them much less handled or had the pleasure of using them. Fountain pens are luxury items with a niche market of affluent enthusiasts, users and collectors. I'm a user, not a collector, and I have three in my daily rotation, two Italian made pens with 14k nibs and one made in France with an 18k nib. Paid over $200 each more than ten years ago. They're such a pleasure to use I hate even touching a ballpoint pen. Androids and iphones are the ballpoints for the masses -- I wouldn't even touch one of them -- whereas BlackBerry smartphones are the fountain pens for the elite.

[LoneStarRed]

That's hilarious. History does repeat itself. Before the ballpoint pen existed, in the heyday of the fountain pen, having a pen was like having a high end smartphone, even a laptop. Pens were expensive enough that if you had one (if you couldn't afford one you had a pencil) that there was status to owning one. Some people who couldn't afford a pen but somehow obtained a cap would clip the cap to their shirt pockets just like these dummy units in holsters you've mentioned. Too funny!

There is a similar story with "club ties" or regimental ties. The repeating pattern diagonally striped ties. Originally only those with exclusive club affiliations wore their respective ties to "show their colors". The traditional British club tie has the stripes descending left to right. The style was adopted abroad by those with no such affiliations. Usually the non British ties have the stripes descending right to left.

[Tre Lawrence]

That's hilarious. History does repeat itself. Before the ballpoint pen existed, in the heyday of the fountain pen, having a pen was like having a high end smartphone, even a laptop. Pens were expensive enough that if you had one (if you couldn't afford one you had a pencil) that there was status to owning one. Some people who couldn't afford a pen but somehow obtained a cap would clip the cap to their shirt pockets just like these dummy units in holsters you've mentioned. Too funny!

Bye the way, in case some smartass wants to say the BlackBerry will be obsolete like the fountain pen I'll point out that fountain pens are in no way obsolete just because the masses don't have them, have never even seen them much less handled or had the pleasure of using them. Fountain pens are luxury items with a niche market of affluent enthusiasts, users and collectors. I'm a user, not a collector, and I have three in my daily rotation, two Italian made pens with 14k nibs and one made in France with an 18k nib. Paid over $200 each more than ten years ago. They're such a pleasure to use I hate even touching a ballpoint pen. Androids and iphones are the ballpoints for the masses -- I wouldn't even touch one of them -- whereas BlackBerry smartphones are the fountain pens for the elite.

When I was a kid, a boy got a fountain pen as a gift from his dad as a welcome to impending manhood.

I think the problem for BBRY's "fountain pen" is that the masses deem those ballpoints a bit more functional than the fountain pens, and are willing to pay the same price for the ballpoints.as they would have the luxury pen. And then, when the fountain pen relies on the ink of one of those ball points to write, it further complicates matters.

Now, if BBRY can effectively create a niche where it can remain profitable, we get to enjoy it's products (or services) for way longer, and I think Chen understands this.

[qbnkelt]

I can relate to the article. I remember the feeling of "I've arrived" when I got handed my first BlackBerry at work. I remember the glory of the colour screen. I also had the 8830 and I LOVED it. It is nostalgic. Sadly BlackBerry is moving in a direction I won't follow.....depending on another platform's apps. So I've moved on. Whether or not I come back depends on BlackBerry's future actions. For now, iPhone works best for me with a side of Note 4 when that comes out.

[Solar 77]

Good read. The last line hit it

Posted via CB10

[qbnkelt]

Good read. The last line hit it

Posted via CB10

I suppose comparisons to Apple will be interesting come the iPhone 6.

[MobileZen]

A fair article to convey that nobody stays at the top forever while hinting at Apple.

BlackBerry devices was a business/enterprise driven communications tool first with high quality and productivity in mind. It created a phenomenon with its status in the corporate world and social aspects like BBM. You were someone important enough to be issued a company smartphone. The value of BES and security didn't really factor in. However, I remember bumping into a RIM product manager and asked, hey what's this prototype device? These look like consumer features (i.e. Camera)... are you going to market beyond enterprise? No comment from the product manager. Low and behold, you see BlackBerries as personal phones where it did your basic feature/dumb phone functionality and now the Internet and apps. They saw the growth and profits reaching beyond the enterprise market and can anyone blame them? However, the co-CEOs were not ready for this space as competitors that were seasoned veterans in this space, also wanted in on the smartphone business. Mike L and Jim B dismissed some features that competitors were bringing out and when they tried to match, it was sub-par.

The introduction of the iPhone/Android and tablets is a result of the consumerization of IT as employees, wanted some of their personal devices used at the workplace depending on their job function.

IT decision makers were now struggling to fight against this demand especially if it was coming from higher-up. IT knows of the IT & security requirements and why certain hardware and software solutions were better. Also, performance measures in IT service delivery was starting to change too where success in IT was just giving everything the client wanted.

So where we are now in this landscape is that there is not one perfect device that meets both consumer and enterprise. The mistake of past BlackBerry CEOs is that they forgot about their roots and stretched themselves thin in a market they never quite understood. Heins gets credit for getting BB10 as quickly out (not 100% polished) but forgetting about the strict focus on the enterprise space was the death of him. In hindsight, he should have created a separate team using TAT tools to create a ton of consumer native apps unique and superior to the consumer apps out there. How come there wasn't a version of Scrapbook in BB10? Everyone I knew loved that app on the Playbook. Now understandably, the culture (and subcultures) in RIM was fragmented to the company so aligning everything together was too hard or too slow or both. BlackBerry should have weeded out the bad executives and middle management a long time ago but that's tough if you they are friends with the co-CEOs. Morale was dropping as was the reputation and profits/market share of the company. Board of directors had no clue either.

Fast forward and now comes the new chapter of BlackBerry with a new focus and CEO with his team. One who loved and saw the value of BlackBerry to his former companies. John Chen knows that going back to the roots and focusing on BlackBerry's competitive edge and intellectual property will give this company a second chance. With less cash and market share, JC knows where he has to focus on from the ground up and regaining enterprise market share for the company to stabilize and make money again. With the higher awareness and need of enterprise security and privacy, who knows, history might repeat itself again for BlackBerry but this time, it won't be taken for granted by BlackBerry and its users.

Posted via CB10

[TgeekB]

A fair article to convey that nobody stays at the top forever while hinting at Apple.

BlackBerry devices was a business/enterprise driven communications tool first with high quality and productivity in mind. It created a phenomenon with its status in the corporate world and social aspects like BBM. You were someone important enough to be issued a company smartphone. The value of BES and security didn't really factor in. However, I remember bumping into a RIM product manager and asked, hey what's this prototype device? These look like consumer features (i.e. Camera)... are you going to market beyond enterprise? No comment from the product manager. Low and behold, you see BlackBerries as personal phones where it did your basic feature/dumb phone functionality and now the Internet and apps. They saw the growth and profits reaching beyond the enterprise market and can anyone blame them? However, the co-CEOs were not ready for this space as competitors that were seasoned veterans in this space, also wanted in on the smartphone business. Mike L and Jim B dismissed some features that competitors were bringing out and when they tried to match, it was sub-par.

The introduction of the iPhone/Android and tablets is a result of the consumerization of IT as employees, wanted some of their personal devices used at the workplace depending on their job function.

IT decision makers were now struggling to fight against this demand especially if it was coming from higher-up. IT knows of the IT & security requirements and why certain hardware and software solutions were better. Also, performance measures in IT service delivery was starting to change too where success in IT was just giving everything the client wanted.

So where we are now in this landscape is that there is not one perfect device that meets both consumer and enterprise. The mistake of past BlackBerry CEOs is that they forgot about their roots and stretched themselves thin in a market they never quite understood. Heins gets credit for getting BB10 as quickly out (not 100% polished) but forgetting about the strict focus on the enterprise space was the death of him. In hindsight, he should have created a separate team using TAT tools to create a ton of consumer native apps unique and superior to the consumer apps out there. How come there wasn't a version of Scrapbook in BB10? Everyone I knew loved that app on the Playbook. Now understandably, the culture (and subcultures) in RIM was fragmented to the company so aligning everything together was too hard or too slow or both. BlackBerry should have weeded out the bad executives and middle management a long time ago but that's tough if you they are friends with the co-CEOs. Morale was dropping as was the reputation and profits/market share of the company. Board of directors had no clue either.

Fast forward and now comes the new chapter of BlackBerry with a new focus and CEO with his team. One who loved and saw the value of BlackBerry to his former companies. John Chen knows that going back to the roots and focusing on BlackBerry's competitive edge and intellectual property will give this company a second chance. With less cash and market share, JC knows where he has to focus on from the ground up and regaining enterprise market share for the company to stabilize and make money again. With the higher awareness and need of enterprise security and privacy, who knows, history might repeat itself again for BlackBerry but this time, it won't be taken for granted by BlackBerry and its users.

Posted via CB10

I agree with most of what you said. I'm not sure if the higher awareness of security and privacy is as widespread as we would like to believe. The culture has changed and it would be tough to go backwards. If BlackBerry can produce a fun device to use along with its focus on security, they might recapture some of the market. I'm actually intrigued by the Passport and want to see how it is accepted. It's different enough where it might take a couple tries before it catches on, if it does. Interesting stuff.

Germany. 2014 FIFA World Cup Champs!

[Grafic111]

I quite liked the article..a lot of nostalgia and a moral in the end ;-)

Posted from my SuperHuman Q10