[_StephenBB81]

That makes perfect sense for someone who travels extensively. A person who works at one site or in one town would not have that issue.

I always had packages shipped to work not home. The shipping and receiving department would sign for them and deliver them to my desk.

When I Ran our shipping department I had that, but now it is hard enough to coordinate with my shipping department to get me the goods I need at the Hotels I will be at in a given fortnight


But even when I wasn't traveling I'd say impulse buys made up 60% of my purchases, I'd rather buy Local than online when possible and usually I have no idea what I want

[southlander]

I'd say leave the keyboards to the 3rd party designers or a team at RIM to come up with some suave accessories to compensate for the lack of keyboards

Really? The keyboard is THE single most recognizable feature on a BlackBerry. RIM has the best KB, and with the Bold 99xx it has even reached a level of perfection. BlackBerry is the absolute ideal choice for some percentage of users that require this. Not sure why they'd mess with that. They can add to it, that is .. offer more touch only devices, but they would be foolish to mess with their one absolute advantage.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk

[Laura Knotek]

When I Ran our shipping department I had that, but now it is hard enough to coordinate with my shipping department to get me the goods I need at the Hotels I will be at in a given fortnight


But even when I wasn't traveling I'd say impulse buys made up 60% of my purchases, I'd rather buy Local than online when possible and usually I have no idea what I want

My purchases are usually impulse buys too.

I've ordered everything from camera lenses to antique pocket watches and had it sent to my workplace, since I knew I wouldn't be home to sign for the UPS guy and had no desire to drive to the UPS terminal to get the stuff.

[Binio]

I respect all your points but you are forgetting something, In marketing if you want to be in the first place on peoples mind or perception you cant get in that place copying the design and style of whats already is in first place. I think they have to step their game up and come with a unique style and design totally new and innovative maybe with the concept of what a smartphone design should be nowadays but has to be something different from what the market offers right now.

[akaquietstorm]

I am sorry but I don't agree with some, but it's my opinion. I have always stated that RIM need to focus on 1 product at a time. Yes, many companies focus on multiple things at once, but as well all know this is their weakness. The playbook was premature and I think it is bad business bringing out OS7 when QNX is on the playbook. Judging from RIM's past sells, they will not have many upgraded customers especially corporate jumping to QNX when they just purchased OS7.

RIM does need to keep their mouth shut and go with the Apple factor of having people refresh their blogs when they have press conference.Before they do that, they need to come out with that bad a** OS so we are drooling for more.

[Blackberry_boffin]

I honestly think that Blackberry needs to focus on one single touchscreen phone, like the iPhone, not several phones. Too many phones = lost in translation as to what RIM is trying to get at. People nowadays don't want a phone that fits their personality, they want a phone that is the "it" phone. Minus the ad hype Apple created, it make sense anyway that one phone is efficient rather than several phones that you have to choose from.

If RIM's execs feel that they can go with a keyboard and a touch screen, I'd say leave the keyboards to the 3rd party designers or a team at RIM to come up with some suave accessories to compensate for the lack of keyboards- iPhone users now have the option to buy a Bluetooth wireless keyboard, and that is smart because it generates some more money for Apple.

Apple has already shifted the paradigm of the consumer to touch, and the keyboard now seems too overwhelming to look at if designed as part of the phone. Unfortunately, I believe this is the time to look at reality. At least in where I live in, people love simplicity and clean design.

All together: Simple, clean and liked by all is what design should be. Apple got that one right. Let's hope that RIM will get theirs right as well.

Secondly: If RIM needs some advice, I believe that it seriously needs to consider opening up retail stores, like a "Blackberry Store". As RIM's VP Don Lindsay has said, it's all about the UX (User Experience). Also opening up retail stores = spreading free advertising.

The consumer and business markets as RIM has so often categorised is no longer separate, but rather inter-linked and unified markets. Business people are consumers, and consumers are also business people in some ways. Heck even consumers may want security grade messenging, etc.

Word of mouth and "silent" advertising is the most powerful form of advertising, not commercials or print advertising. People going "oohs and ahhs" through their friends' phones is what drives sales. Do you see Apple or Google investing the majority of their marketing in print or in TV ads for their phones? Not really.

Lastly, I'd say don't rush the pace and keep teasing on the side, but learn from Apple to be secretive and don't reveal or say anything until you have the final "pow" factor. RIM really needs that "one more thing....." moment

Just my 2 cents as a patriotic Canadian.

The Apple business model is envied by many. The way they execute everyday functions sort of gels. But trust me it will not work for everyone, RIM included. So copying it from A to Z wouldnt be wise.

I agree. There have been times I have thought RIM pushed too many different handsets (with confusing product designations to boot) that it not only makes developers' lives hard but damages their own prospects in that apps rarely work across the range. But making one phone type is too much of a stretch.

My biggest beef is Blackberry OSs are never backward compatible (OS5, OS6, OS7 and now BBX). You have no idea how harmful this is sa;es of older products still on the market. Whilst this tends to happen everywhere it is unacceptable for four releases. Gone are the days you made a phone that made calls and sent texts and forgot about supporting it once it left your shop.

Now whether you like it or not; the touch interface is here to stay so RIM have to take it seriously but I refuse to accept that the physical qwerty keyboard is now dead. Oh no. Far from it. However I think RIM would do well to concentrate on Bold, Torch Slider and Torch full touch form factors and drop the rest(Sorry Curve, Style, Pearl and Storm users). I also don't understand the use of Torch for two different handsets. The lower end market will be catered for by falling prices when new models emerge, instead of going through the design process of a watered down phone.

Now the issue of Blackberry Superstore, that is a mine field. It would look good and work wonders in demos of new devices and promoting product visibility, AT COST. You need to bear in mind that Apple sells desktops, laptops, ipods, ipads, itvs, itunes and iphones (all in different guises) They NEED outlets to showcase everything under one roof. RIM has a smaller device portfolio. One way would be for RIM to give major stores one RIM salesperson and a stall to take care of all product demos/queries without running costly outlets.

Lastly where do you live where you rarely see an ipad/iphone/macbook/ipod advert? You are blessed. Apple not only adverties relentlessly but have quality adverts.

[thecondor33]

I personally would be upset if they only went to one device. That's part of what I love about BlackBerry. I think it's awesome to give consumers a choice. Me personally, I prefer the physical keyboard whether it's a Bold or a Torch, but there are plenty of users on here that prefer the full touchscreen. Why limit them to one choice? Yes it's worked for Apple, but I don't think the same could be be said for RIM whose customers appreciate the choice.

[Blackberry_boffin]

I am sorry but I don't agree with some, but it's my opinion. I have always stated that RIM need to focus on 1 product at a time. Yes, many companies focus on multiple things at once, but as well all know this is their weakness. The playbook was premature and I think it is bad business bringing out OS7 when QNX is on the playbook. Judging from RIM's past sells, they will not have many upgraded customers especially corporate jumping to QNX when they just purchased OS7.

RIM does need to keep their mouth shut and go with the Apple factor of having people refresh their blogs when they have press conference.Before they do that, they need to come out with that bad a** OS so we are drooling for more.

People forget OS 7 was just OS 6.1 until RIM discovered the existing hardware could not give the desired experience. So they made OS 7 devices (that is why they took so long to land)
The Playbook is just a victim of what every other tablet out there fell for. It is not all that immature. The tablet market is basically an ipad market. Period.
Yes RIM has some homework to do though.

[olblueyez]

The only problem with RIM using "Radio Silence" is the super long development process they seem to be so fond of. Then you need to factor in the fact that RIM is producing many more mobile products than Apple is. Its like I said before, quicker development, better product support, and better distribution through greater sales afforded by a good advertising campaign here in the US and any other place where they are not competitive is the best and only way for them to stay competitive with the big dogs. Unlike rival companies RIM needs to do some growing and utilize that growth to keep a steady pace. I have no doubts about RIM being able to do this with the proper management in place. Do these things and it won't matter if they leak product information or not. People love to see the new stuff that is coming out, its the waiting and mistakes that drives them nuts.

Had the 9900 info not been leaked then I would have jumped ship already.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Disparishun]

They don't need retail stores, but they do need to get a better handle on the retail experience. What app is running on a PlayBook when you pick it up in retail store? Does it showcase the device, explain how to swipe, etc.? Exactly.

[gng11]

Looks like nearly one year later, RIM has taken some of the advice discussed here. That's called the power of the people to influence good design and good corporate management!

[BoldPreza]

You do have really good points, they just go too far:

On the streamlining of the product line for instance, you are absolutely right. Four phones maximum. The days of three distinct Curves, two Bolds, two Torches, they need to go and fast. Luckily RIM is doing that by focusing on the two phones, L and N Series.

The retail strategy I like it. I think you underestimate the cost of implementing a chain of brick and mortar stores and the idea of it being free advertising makes little sense. That said I agree they need to have some sort of retail presence but it should be done as a JV with specific retailers. The retailers building and floorspace, RIM's staff and inventory, with a RIM controlled message. This way they control the message going out and minimize the BK talk about them.

Just my thoughts.

[lnichols]

So you want RIM to only make one phone, maybe a tablet, and open up a slew of retail stores for two devices?!?! RIM is closing retail stores in the US. Now granted they were all stupidly put in Airports, but RIM doesn't have the product diversity currently to support a specialized retail store. Apple has plenty of different products to fill a store front, RIM does not. Unless RIM comes out with a ton of different BB10 devices, then they should just let the carriers sell them.

[iankeiththomas]

One problem I see with the prospect of a RIM retail store is that buying phones specifically is different from buying, say, computers or iPods. In the US and Canada at least, a huge number of phone purchases are done directly from a carrier store since virtually everybody uses carrier contracts.

Obviously, that doesn't mean a hypothetical RIM store couldn't offer phones under contract with various carriers, but it's worth noting that Apple stores had a lot of customers before the iPhone, for things that make more sense in a store like that - Macs, iPods, etc.. The few stores Nokia operated in the US were strange for this reason.

One thing that Apple does that RIM can ape with little investment, though, is to offer unlocked devices (and accessories) direct from its website. It's a bit odd to me that RIM doesn't already do that.

[gng11]

One problem I see with the prospect of a RIM retail store is that buying phones specifically is different from buying, say, computers or iPods. In the US and Canada at least, a huge number of phone purchases are done directly from a carrier store since virtually everybody uses carrier contracts.

Obviously, that doesn't mean a hypothetical RIM store couldn't offer phones under contract with various carriers, but it's worth noting that Apple stores had a lot of customers before the iPhone, for things that make more sense in a store like that - Macs, iPods, etc.. The few stores Nokia operated in the US were strange for this reason.

One thing that Apple does that RIM can ape with little investment, though, is to offer unlocked devices (and accessories) direct from its website. It's a bit odd to me that RIM doesn't already do that.

RE: Retail, one thing that was certain for sure before the iPhone, as I showed earlier via a Youtube video of Steve Jobs giving a tour of the new Apple Store in NY, was that all the products that were shown back then were only a handful (heck, the early Macbook, iMac, shelves of software, and that was pretty much it). Yet the displays were meticulously curated to give an impression of many products on the tables. This is a marketing trick. Store designers know how to manipulate the store experience. Likewise, RIM could do with several phones, accessories, the Playbooks, and gradually expand.

And yes, I agree, RIM can offer unlocked or no contract phones/Playbooks, but they could incorporate that in to a retail setting too.

[NFLPLAYBOOK]

Forget about the one phone idea. RIM must have a keyboard phone and a all touch phone to succeed. The biggest problem they have right now is they need to totally get rid of their legacy OS and just use QNX. This is almost impossible to do right now because of the minimal hardware specs they need in order to run QNX. Perhaps when they start using quad cores they will be able to use the dual core phones as a lower end.

Opening stores is a must if they want to continue to grow. I want my devices unlocked and ready to use where ever I want to. As long as it's only the carriers with the devices this will never happen. The good thing about it is RIM can start with small kiosk type stores. They could carry mainly the new QNX devices and accessories. And I hope there are mutiple color choices as well.

[nocturnal123]

I would love to see RIM open a retail store in NA. Albeit it probably would not do well, I would still purchase items from the store i.e Playbook, BB's, t shirts or sweaters, hats, toques and spring/fall jackets. A retail store would help to spread brand loyalty and probably generate renewed interest from the masses. Just my opinion.

[gng11]

I would love to see RIM open a retail store in NA. Albeit it probably would not do well, I would still purchase items from the store i.e Playbook, BB's, t shirts or sweaters, hats, toques and spring/fall jackets. A retail store would help to spread brand loyalty and probably generate renewed interest from the masses. Just my opinion.

And plus, there are no competition in a store run by RIM. It's all RIM, RIM, Blackberry, Blackberry.

[timmy t]

I don't think two styles of phone is too much. If you want a full touch screen similar to the Android clones and iPhones, then you pick the full screen one. If you want a physical keyboard, then you choose that one. Most people will by default pick the full screen one, I would think. Then, hopefully, the difference between the top end and lower tier phones of each type is storage. That or the phone moves down the ladder as new technology comes out, similar to the iPhone situation. I don't know how much they would save producing phones with slower CPUs. Anyone know how much those CPUs cost in bulk?

[timmy t]

I wouldn't open a BlackBerry store again until BB phones catch on again. When that happens, they can open small stores or kiosks in malls.

[timmy t]

Forget about the one phone idea. RIM must have a keyboard phone and a all touch phone to succeed. The biggest problem they have right now is they need to totally get rid of their legacy OS and just use QNX. This is almost impossible to do right now because of the minimal hardware specs they need in order to run QNX. Perhaps when they start using quad cores they will be able to use the dual core phones as a lower end.

Opening stores is a must if they want to continue to grow. I want my devices unlocked and ready to use where ever I want to. As long as it's only the carriers with the devices this will never happen. The good thing about it is RIM can start with small kiosk type stores. They could carry mainly the new QNX devices and accessories. And I hope there are mutiple color choices as well.

I can assure you there will be multiple colour choices (or at least two).

[calicocat2010]

I think they should open up retail stores to all Major cities around the world. Dallas/Fort Worth being one of them. We already have an Apple Store in Fort Worth. I went there one time and it became so crowded that I left.

[Xopher]

For the past couple of years, I've seen BlackBerry stores in several airports. I fly through Boston and Charlotte a lot and both had BlackBerry stores.

Last month, while going through both airports, both of the BlackBerry stores in those airports have been replaced by electronics stores (mp3 players, iDevice accessories...).

It would be very hard to have a store where they only sell one device. I do think that RIM does need have a better BlackBerry presence in stores, from cellular sales, to the different electronics stores.

[Masahiro]

This thread is a year old. RIM already had their own stores in NA, but they were closed down.

[NFLPLAYBOOK]

I can assure you there will be multiple colour choices (or at least two).

Black and white aren't colors. Lol. I just had to.