My thoughts on RIM's device anouncement policy - Open discussion - RIM PLEASE READ!

On the blog post yesterday where Mike L. was quoted saying that the new BBX devices where going to leapfrog the competition, I replied to a comment where someone said something along the line of "bring it" at devcon. Now that statement can be taken both ways, but in context it was from someone excited about the new product and wanted to see it.

Now while I can understand being excited about new products, I too am a junkie for the new model. why else are we members of crackberry.com right? We want to hear and see the juice details before everyone else!

But from a marketing, and competitive advantage stand point, i see things a little different. As I said I've made these comments on the blog post already, but I wanted to move it to the forum to encourage greater discussion on the matter. My comment was this:

Originally Posted by just_luc

Noooooo! do not "bring it" at devcon!

RIM.. if you seriously have something that will leapfrog the competition do not show it off at devcon. Do not show it off at all. Do not tell anyone! Please please please take a page from apples book on this one, and don't unveil it until launch day, or maybe a week before. But i promise you if you unveil it tomorrow and don't launch it until next year like you always do, the competition will spend that time developing a device with better specs then yours!

to which mavricxx replied:

Originally Posted by mavricxx

I totally agree! I totally think they shouldn't unveil it until a week before so the competition doesn't have any idea what to expect specs wise. Show the phone thru a glass case with it off like they did with the PlayBook except don't show off BBX till launch time. As much as it hurts me to say it because I am so desperately excited to see what it'll be like but Perfection and beauty takes time.

and zensen replied:

Originally Posted by zensen

sure it'd be nice in theory but its a double edge sword. how are developers suppose to design for it and have something ready a week before release?

RIM needs to take this chance. anyways hardware is nothing, its just a matter of having optimise software for that next gen technology. It really isn't that hard for RIM to release the most cutting edge phone tomorrow but without software to take advantage of it, it'll just be a waste of investment and costs.

and I replied:

Originally Posted by just_luc

have a little creativity... so you want developers to be able to code for it? release a simulator that has everything it needs to test apps and nothing more. the simulator dosent need to include the new voice recognition engine (example) or any other new or improved native features. just the basic os the developers need to code and test their apps. This way apps are developed, but any new features are not put out there for the competition to copy until its too late.leaving them 6 months behind for once.

Now lets talk of the hardware. you say its not hard to throw out a device with better hardware specs. i agree. BUT there is something in the tech industry called planned obsolescence. companies will not release a substantially advanced product until think someone else is about to. For example, we've had 5mp cameras in phones for some time now.. that became the smartphone norm, so that's what they used. Does Rim have access to an 8mp camera? absolutely. but they wouldn't use it because they didn't know apple was going to and they dont want bump the market to where they have no place to go. now apple keeps its secrets. it caught rim off guard releasing an 8mp model... so of course rim is going throw the 8mp camera they already have sitting on the shelf into the new model... but theyl be 6 months late. Now lets say rim truly does leapfrog, and throws in a 10mp. great! and if they keep it secret, and don't even hint at it. when it launches they will have the better camera for about 6 months until the competition can attempt to one up them. however.. if they announce it today, i guarantee the competition will poor resources into making sure to launch a model within a few weeks of rim projected launch that includes a 12mp design. Its extremely easy to better something when you know what it is.you can tell any company your job over the next six months your job is to develop a 12mp camera for our phone and they'll get it done. no problem. tell that same company to anticipate the unknown and beat that.. a lot harder..

So where is everyone else on this? feed the fan boys? or keep things secret, maintain the element of surprise and take back the market? Sound off below, I'm interested to hear.. and RIM, I hope your taking notice of this..

Luc

You have to announce ahead of time to arouse excitement and also allow developers to prepare, IMHO. Besides, these always get leaked in advance anyway when you're planning to announce a week or two before launch.

Good question. Apple never mentions things and keeps things hidden pretty well, and look at all the buzz there was about the iPhone 5, then the big let down when it was just an iPhone 4s. So I say show all your cards and let people know what's coming ,that way they won't be disappointed if it didn't live up to their own hype or imagination.

But either way, they will get criticized because it's not Apple.

Yeah but whenever Apple makes an announcement, it's usually a big deal that lives up to any hype.

Conversely, when RIM does, it's just to tell us that their product can finally do what everyone else's could from two years ago.


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Originally Posted by laurah2215

You have to announce ahead of time to arouse excitement and also allow developers to prepare, IMHO. Besides, these always get leaked in advance anyway when you're planning to announce a week or two before launch.

I appreciate your opinion, but that's the way RIM is doing it now.. and well.. not THAT MUCH excitement in the market place, and lack luster apps for the most part (and please take that with a grain of salt, I am a true RIM supporter, and love my device, but from a market standpoint..

And apple doesn't give advance notice, they unveiled the iphone 4s what.. 10 days before launch? and I think we can all objectively say they've got more excitement and apps then we do.. :S

So I think your theory (and RIM's to that point) is flawed on this one..

The leaks I have to agree, as much as we like getting them here are a problem that RIM needs to cap. Leaks to updates are ok, we like to beta test them.. but if a new product leaks heads should roll it at rim.. it put them at a huge competitive disadvantage...

Originally Posted by NickA44

Good question. Apple never mentions things and keeps things hidden pretty well, and look at all the buzz there was about the iPhone 5, then the big let down when it was just an iPhone 4s. So I say show all your cards and let people know what's coming ,that way they won't be disappointed if it didn't live up to their own hype or imagination.

But either way, they will get criticized because it's not Apple.

Big let down? we called it a let down.. the media did a little.. apple fans waited in line over night and flocked to the stores by the millions!

Originally Posted by just_luc

Big let down? we called it a let down.. the media did a little.. apple fans waited in line over night and flocked to the stores by the millions!

I know, but the initial reaction was disappointment. And that Apple was on the decline and succumbed to Android. I watched the video podcast on tipb.com, and even Rene was let down. For the next few days it was all about how Apple has given up and finally losing their grip on the market.

Then they went and sold 4 million over the weekend. But anyway, I think the anticipation of not knowing what's coming is more thrilling.

What RIM (and any of these device manufacturers) need to do is to become world leader at sourcing state-of-the-art components and RAPIDLY combining them into prototypes that can be tested and software ported and so on and stay ahead of the others.

Suppose TI or Qualcomm introduce a new 8 core processor tomorrow. Assuming that all companies are aware of the product and have equal access to it, the company that can test it and can get prototypes working (and don't have to go 'back to the drawing board' repeatedly) and get a working device set up AND their software ported to the new CPU to take advantage of all that power, AND build circuitry that deals with battery life / portability issues etc. AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE will be the company that consistently has the leading-edge devices.

Optimizing that process is what will make companies have the strongest lead: Samsung has an edge there, being a chip manufacturer as well as a handset manufacturer.

If RIM invented / patented some custom chips that were world leading / totally innovative in their architecture, they would have another competitive advantage, but the smartphone market has sunk to the bottom: it's all about "specs" now, not actual value or user experience, as far as the media and early-adopter user is concerned... the fastest cycles per secons (Hz) the highest resolution / dots-per-inch screen, the most memory, the latest version Android OS, the lightest, most battery life-est, it's all just a bag of numbers now and people go "ooooOOO!". Then something like the Galaxy Nexus specs are released and I hear a collective "meh", because some device with even BETTER specs has already been announced by the next guy.

So, I pity those doing Android handsets that aren't Motorola and Samsung, because those two companies both have serious competitive advantages (Motorola by it's Google ownership, and Samsung by its breadth of manufacturing and so on).

Both RIM and Nokia stand to survive on the merits of their different, proprietary platforms: BBX and WP8 respectively.

So, there will always be a faster shinier prototype coming down the pipe: if RIM can't successfully differentiate their devices BEYOND the speed of the CPU and how much memory it has, then they're going to be racing a fast horse in a dog race. Kind-of doesn't make sense that they're even in the same race at all... so, I don't know what I'm saying besides it doesn't really matter too much WHEN RIM announces things, because the only thing it will do is undermine short-term sales of their own devices.

They should possibly realign their manufacturing / release schedule: discontinue their lowest-end device 3 months before a product announcement, then re-position their mid-range or high-end device to the low-end pricepoint, then announce something better, so those inclined to wait won't have to wait long, and those who want a device now will get the higher-tier device for the same price as the lower tier: here's a timeline:

Curve / Torch / Bold released simultaneously.

3 months before new Bold release: Curve removed from market. Torch repriced to be same price as Curve was.

New Curve, Torch, and Bold released. Old Bold and Old Torch both stay on the market as "entry level" devices, with new Curve having similar specs, possibly slightly lower than old Torch and old Bold.

I actually think this is what RIM is doing, except I was seeing old Curves on the market for far too long... they should have dropped off sooner, with the Bold being priced more like the Curve, sooner.

I think the question is less of whether RIM should announce their devices early, and more about how to keep their technologies fresh. The technology that they announce their phones with seem great at the time of announcement, but not as great once the phones are put into circulation.

Originally Posted by just_luc

I appreciate your opinion, but that's the way RIM is doing it now.. and well.. not THAT MUCH excitement in the market place, and lack luster apps for the most part (and please take that with a grain of salt, I am a true RIM supporter, and love my device, but from a market standpoint..

And apple doesn't give advance notice, they unveiled the iphone 4s what.. 10 days before launch? and I think we can all objectively say they've got more excitement and apps then we do.. :S

So I think your theory (and RIM's to that point) is flawed on this one..

I agree with you here. Apple announced their device, sold it a week and a half later with 4 million+ preorders. Certainly more excitement surrounding their keynotes when nobody is sure whether it's an iPhone 4S or an iPhone 5 or whatever.

I think it needs some leaks but please no timelines or statements unless you can bring what you say you can at release.

Originally Posted by drevans18

I think the question is less of whether RIM should announce their devices early, and more about how to keep their technologies fresh. The technology that they announce their phones with seem great at the time of announcement, but not as great once the phones are put into circulation.

One could argue the reason the technologies are not fresh by the time they're put into circulation is because when they where announced 6-8 months prior the competition was able to poor resources specifically into matching or bettering those technologies and beating them to market.. in my opinion if they didn't know exactly what to work towards, they wouldn't be able to do that.

The big difference is Apple is on a cycle you can pretty much count on. There is no cycle for BB. Even before Apple announced the latest iPhone there were months of rumor buildup. We should start seeing the hype for the new iPad around January w/ a March/April release.

BB needs a better schedule. That would allow them to keep quiet but still get the hype going.