[Accidental Post]

Here is RIM's achilles heel. Apps yes thats right Apps. Show me an iPhone or iPad commercial and I'll show you a product that is marketed like no other. Show me a Blackberry commercial and well. You all know how that goes. Why doesn't RIM take a page out of Apple's marketing guide and really advertise there products? I don't mean showing J-Lo or whoever. But actually show the product being used in an everyday scenario? Does the average consumer care about security? NO. Do they care about BIS or BES? NO. What people want is a product they can use in everyday life. Why hasn't RIM seen this? (we all know the answer.) Does the Average Joe know who Mike and Jim are? NO. Ask them who used to run Apple? or MS? RIM needs to give the people what they want not what they think they need.

Hire devs, hire anyone who can take what the consumer wants and make an app for it and RIM will succeed. If they don't they are doomed.

Oh and let's do some product placement. Movies, TV Shows, anywhere they can.

[inicophone]

I completely agree. Where is the RIM marketing? I would get the products absolutely everywhere and show off the strengths! BBM, the keyboard, the size, everything that we love about BlackBerry!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[kbz1960]

I agree they need apps but not the ones that only are a crutch because your product doesn't support flash which means the OS6 and OS7 devices need that crutch also. But moving forward the phones won't need those types either.

What RIM needs to do is finish a dang project (playbook) and have it be as good or better then the competition. If they truly want consumers then they have to quit leaving things out their precious enterprise doesn't want. Can we say IT policy can block what they don't want their users accessing. I think this what bb balance is suppose to do?

They can't continue to say you can't have that because IT doesn't want it, screw IT I don't have any I'm a consumer not a dang exec that you don't want doing something on my phone everyone else can do with their phone as they please on other platforms. Along with way better advertising.

[Accidental Post]

Consumers outweigh what enterprises allow. Look at what Apple and Android have done. Forever IT was saying no. But, the user base said yes and eventually we know how that turned out.

[Accidental Post]

Apps I am talking about are the ones you see in the iPad commercials. My Radiologists love the fact they can view images on an iPad. I wouldn't even try it in a Playbook. Just an example from my world.

And while we are talking PB whose braniac idea was tying the PB to a Bridge wtf? Talk about losing sales before you ship them.
Hey world here is our tablet it is a great business device. But if you don't have a BB well then your screwed. I mean really RIM? And you wonder why they don't sell. You can spin it all you want but you screwed the pooch on that launch.

[robhaswell]

Personally the standout feature for BBs and me has been the keyboard. If I didn't hate soft keyboards with a passion I would get an iPhone, without hesitation. However if I wanted a slider (and appalling UX) I would probably get an Android - this is what most people are doing. Android slabs are for the cheapo masses. I'm amazed BB sell anything but Bold and Curves.

Unfortunately there are many people who, for reasons that escape me, don't like hard keyboards. They complain they take up space (while forgetting that the soft keyboard takes up well over 50% of the screen when it's in use). I don't understand. But for RIM, I think what they need to do is clear - keep making ******** phones in the Bold/Curve form factor, and people like me will keep buying them.

[Accidental Post]

I think you have missed the point. People want apps. Apps that make there life easier. RIM has been horrible in this dept. they have NO advertising showing anyone doing anything productive on their device. This is where they missed it. Consumers don't care about form factor or messaging they want apps.

[stillzmatik]

I think RIM needs to first decide what kind of company they are going to be. There's no shame in not being competetive with Apple. The Apple brand is one like no other because I was designed like no other business at the time. They need to decide what they want to be as a company and do the best job they can fulfilling those requisites. There's no such thing as the RIMpire anymore, but they can still deliver innovative products to their loyal consumers and maintain a viable business for their shareholders.

I not going to say I could run the company any better than they could. Just my two cents.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[undone]

I think you have missed the point. People want apps. Apps that make there life easier. RIM has been horrible in this dept. they have NO advertising showing anyone doing anything productive on their device. This is where they missed it. Consumers don't care about form factor or messaging they want apps.

Though right in a way, I think its more to the point that people want to be entertained. Smart Phone sales are up overall. BB devices have never been designed with the idea to entertain people. They have always been about expanding communication to email and text, ie Business. The problem is that RIM didn't keep up when they should have, but, they did make good moves to acquire a new operating system. So really the question is how long (and painful) is it to go from one system BBOS to there QNX os.

BBOS is the past. DEVCON proved that RIM is in bed with its QNX OS. Their Playbook is a good example (just not overly useful yet) of what QNX is about.

Notice how DEVCON had a lot of games...people want to be entertained.

[Accidental Post]

And there in lies the problem RIM thinks people want games. Yeah I get the entertainment part look at Angry birds. But, why can't RIM see both. All I hear from PB folks it's a business tool. Really? Then explain why RIM is shoving games down your throat. The iPad does both well, plenty of games and plenty of business apps. Citrix Receiver? Been there done that. And they announce it at Devcon for the PB that was quite laughable. Something is wrong at RIM/. They have always been slow but for a Company that talks about communication they need to be moving at the speed of light not a golf cart.

[DannyAves]

I completely agree. Where is the RIM marketing? I would get the products absolutely everywhere and show off the strengths! BBM, the keyboard, the size, everything that we love about BlackBerry!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I would agree the marketing is not very good, especially in the USA, but when i was in Europe recently BlackBerry marketing was everywhere, on the sides of bus stops, in train stations and even on a giant size billboard downtown Barcelona.

[NickA]

And there in lies the problem RIM thinks people want games. Yeah I get the entertainment part look at Angry birds. But, why can't RIM see both. All I hear from PB folks it's a business tool. Really? Then explain why RIM is shoving games down your throat.

I don't get the games either. Couldn't they find a way to showcase all these new development tools with a balanced demo of games and applications? I know a lot of people want games, but a lot of people want applications that take some burden off their everyday life.

And hey, it's a developers conference. How about showing apps geared towards developers? Like a nice project management tool, or a cool time/billing app that does invoicing. How about a new PB app that lets me manage my apps on App World and view sales/statistics?

The Citrix stuff was cool though. Maybe they should have led with stuff like that instead of making games the forefront.

[Chrisy]

I think they need more apps also. I'm surprised at the major apps not available on a Blackberry! Like Orbitz and Trip advisor.

The browser used to be the weak link in my opinion but that's way improved.

They need apps, and a front facing camera.

[undone]

I agree, games shouldnt have been the 'focus' but one thing games do is highlight how powerful a platform is. If you cant get someone to develop a business app that shows off the exception strength of the hardware/os then get a game to do it. RIM is in a spot...a tough one. Everyone looks at them as the dirty old man of the group (and they are) that cant do a dang thing to save it self, but I say, they need this pain, to flush out the old and bring in the new. Will they die as a company, who knows. People are fickle. But without moving off BBOS they would definitely have died.

[TgeekB]

Apple's commercials are so simple yet effective. A person finds themselves in a certain scenario in everyday life. They pull out their iPhone. A closeup of the iPhone shows the person pushing the button to an app. The app makes their life easier. End of commercial. It seems to have worked pretty well. I'm sure Blackberry can come up with something similar which shows their strengths without wracking their brains too much.

[Accidental Post]

It's almost like RIM is afraid to do anything. Just do something a least make a move. All that BBM advertising now look what they got themselves into. They can't have BMM on two devices with the same pin. They definitely are not forward thinking. Say what you want about iMessage but someone at apple has vision. Totally agree with tgeekb Apple's advertising is so simple but so effective. RIM was even handed real world scenarios on how their phones work during disasters (BBM) but still won't capitalize on it. What a bunch of 1D10Ts

[laurah2215]

I think RIM needs to first decide what kind of company they are going to be. There's no shame in not being competetive with Apple. The Apple brand is one like no other because I was designed like no other business at the time. They need to decide what they want to be as a company and do the best job they can fulfilling those requisites. There's no such thing as the RIMpire anymore, but they can still deliver innovative products to their loyal consumers and maintain a viable business for their shareholders.

I not going to say I could run the company any better than they could. Just my two cents.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Exactly. At one time, they were the smartphone. It used to be the device you had if you were a business user who needed email on the go. They're losing that competitive edge. They need to decide what they can/want to do better than everyone else and do it!

[ichat]

Blackberry was and always will be a BUSINESS product. Whatever you say since the Curve 8520 release every third grader I see carries a BB. Everyday life? Pfffttt. Business people care about BIS and BES. Yea sure I would love it if they kept a BBOS line and a BBX line to cater to both needs but what your saying is wrong. There is NO device which can be better than BB in business. Yes they advertise security. Without them showing that off, the prez might have just had an iPhone and have his every second email hacked. I'm sorry. Don't wanna bash. I just don't agree with you except for the fact that whatever unique feature BB has should be marketed. Period.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Accidental Post]

Yeah well they have done a grandios job so far haven't they? Like I said the consumer does not give two craps about BIS/BES or security. They want apps and if RIM can't give them apps they will go somewhere else SEE: APPLE AND ANDROID...

[meshell024]

i agree i think bb should market why people would use it like bbm, bbm music, and all the apps and email ect most general public who are not already users of blackberry know nothing about bes or bis or anything else its not even often you see an add for blackberry apple is all over the place

[ichat]

Yeah well they have done a grandios job so far haven't they? Like I said the consumer does not give two craps about BIS/BES or security. They want apps and if RIM can't give them apps they will go somewhere else SEE: APPLE AND ANDROID...

Exactly what you said. But if BB becomes like Android then who's gonna serve the businesses? Big company heads use BB. If they become like iOS then who's going to cater for those needs? Politicians use BB. Corporations use BB. The world NEEDS BB. You can't stop it. If I was Mike L., I would have stopped the BBX project and work on the BBOS 8 project. With more apps. Not for games like the playtoys but pure, functioning apps.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[psufan32]

Blackberry was and always will be a BUSINESS product. Whatever you say since the Curve 8520 release every third grader I see carries a BB. Everyday life? Pfffttt. Business people care about BIS and BES. Yea sure I would love it if they kept a BBOS line and a BBX line to cater to both needs but what your saying is wrong. There is NO device which can be better than BB in business. Yes they advertise security. Without them showing that off, the prez might have just had an iPhone and have his every second email hacked. I'm sorry. Don't wanna bash. I just don't agree with you except for the fact that whatever unique feature BB has should be marketed. Period.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I'll point this out regarding BB and their place in business:

In the Fall of 2009, only two years ago, BBs had 50% market share amongst consumers. Today, that number is in the mid-teens and falling.

I wouldn't be shocked to see a similar, though not as severe, free fall in the business/corporate sector.

As for marketing, here is one of the problems that RIM has:

iPhones/iPads, Android phones and even Windows Phones, are each a part of a much larger ecosystem of software and/or hardware. iPhones/i/Pads are tied into iTunes, which is THE dominant music organizer and music store. Android phones are tied into Gmail, which is THE dominant personal e-mail/contacts/calendar. Windows Phones are tied into Microsoft services, which are on most PCs, which are still the dominant computer in homes and businesses today. Beyond that, there is a myriad of software and/or hardware that lends credence to those devices and their place within our computing and mobile computing lives.

BlackBerrys don't have any of that. There is no other software and/or hardware to draw folks in and to keep them, aside from BBM, which has minimum draw at best.

As the tech sector continues to pace along, RIM is likely to get left further and further in the dust as simply a hardware/phone builder, and little else.

[Accidental Post]

Not asking them to leave corporate at all. RIM needs consumers. Not saying become iOS although I love my iPhone and have all the business apps I need. Still can't VPN with a BB over 3g but hey thats a different story. RIM stop hyping games and get some business apps moving if you have to build them yourselves.

[ichat]

Not asking them to leave corporate at all. RIM needs consumers. Not saying become iOS although I love my iPhone and have all the business apps I need. Still can't VPN with a BB over 3g but hey thats a different story. RIM stop hyping games and get some business apps moving if you have to build them yourselves.

Correct and that's why I'm saying that we need to keep JDE and BBOS running. Make BBX extraordinary. Make it compete while BBOS cater to those who run our lives such as politicians

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Accidental Post]

Yep. I see it this way RIM had their start in the Enterprise and did well. Then they ventured into the consumer world and lost their way. I think RIM needs to figure out what they are an enterprise driven business or a consumer driven business.

Android and Apple started in the consumer world and the consumers are bringing them into the enterprise all the while they are giving the consumers what they want.