Unless you live in a remote log cabin somewhere and communicate via smoke signals, you’ve been well aware as to how Canada’s own Research in Motion (RIM) has been taking a pounding in the last year or so. Much of the blame has been directed at RIM’s founders and co-CEO’s Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, and after months of pressure they both fell on their swords last night and stepped down from their positions. Early indications are that this move hasn’t seemed to quell discontent much as stock prices for RIM are down on the first day of trading after the announcement.
Without re-hashing many of the explanations as to why RIM has faltered so much of late, I have to tell you that this entire public spectacle of tearing apart a Canadian hi-tech giant has me rather pissed. What’s really been bugging me is not so much that a Canadian leader is being pummeled, but rather the reasons WHY they seem to be slowly falling by the wayside.
What really bugs me is the fact that consumers, the business and hi-tech media, investors and just about everyone else are dumping on RIM because…well, because they just aren’t making new “Stuff” fast enough.
As an environmentalist the hi-tech race that we see all the time in the world of consumer electronics is something that agitates the crap out of me. It seems that unless you are a company that can create an entire new product, filled with supposed “must-have” enhancements every six months or so, then you just aren’t a company worth supporting. RIM and it’s BlackBerry smartphone’s have been building quality and reliable personal communications devices for years now. They have become a vital business tool for me and so long as the BlackBerry I own keeps me connected, I see no reason to dislike it or want to change it. However it seems though that in this regard, I’m in the minority.
Thanks to companies like Apple, who apparently feel that they need to build a new version of their much-lauded I-Phone every few months and then market the snot out of it, things for BlackBerry have not looked so good of late. Somehow Apple and now others like Samsung, Nokia, etc have made consumers believe that unless you have the newest version of essentially the same damn thing, you are nothing short of a modern techie doufus! It doesn’t matter that the version you bought only a few months ago does essentially all the same stuff as the new one, but just a few microseconds slower. No, what matters now in the eyes of all those who can make or break a hi-tech company is that you just aren’t making newer or prettier versions of the same thing fast enough.
Why should we attack a company because they aren’t spitting out more “stuff” as fast as their competitors? Why is it suddenly business suicide to not find ways to sucker consumers into believing that they need to be able to flood themselves with the latest apps that tell you how to find good szechuan food, balance your cheque book and eminate fart noises at the same time?!
When did it get to the point that consumer electronics is all about how fast you can sucker people into believing that the six month old smart phone in your hand is now essentially an out-of-step piece of e-junk? It annoys me to no end that this frenetic pace which we have come to demand from companies like RIM exerts an environmental and economic toll that nobody seems to care about!
All I know is that RIM produces products that work and keep me in command of my business operations no matter where I am. I also know that RIM has provided tens of thousands of Canadians with well-paying jobs, yet they somehow now are at risk because consumers want glitzier and more precocious “stuff”. Our frantic demand for some sort of personal gratification by having the latest and greatest is causing both environmental and economic harm that we’d better start caring about, or else we’ll soon be dealing with consequences that nobody either expected or wanted.
RIM has heard your concerns, and it seems that they will try to make more “Stuff” to keep everyone happy. In the mean time, just deal with the fact that you can’t organize your dream holiday from the comfort of your commuter train seat, and let’s turn down the frenetic e-hype for just long enough to get a better grip on reality!
Posted January 31, 2012 at 3:55 AM
Good points for pondering – however I have to admit that RIM missed the boat in the past 2 years. The writing was on the wall, and they delivered poor products, didn’t get to know their customers ( not the senior executives, but the people that actually use the products), and didn’t bring in new leaders when needed. I have used a Backberry since 1998 and have only been disappointed in the past year. The product fails to deliver, and yet my husband’s iPhone has been able to while side by side. App Dev is a sore spot for developers , as once again RIM didn’t listen. I wanted to support the Playbook, but it failed my requirements – I own an iPad2 as result.
I don’t ask for a new device more than every 3 years – but do expect each to better than the last. I expect to be ble to browse without lockups, or frequent battery pulls and wireless synchronization is a requirement now.
I don’t want to switch to an iPhone – I want a superior Blackberry. My contract expires in September so maybe I will get my wish?
Good points for pondering – however I ave to admit that RIM missed the boat in the past 2 years. The writing was on the wall, and they delivered poor products, didn’t get to know their customers ( not the senior executives, but the people that actually use the products), and didn’t bring in new leaders when needed. I have used a Backberry since 1998 and have only been disappointed in the past year. The product fails to deliver, and yet my husband’s iPhone has been able to while side by side. App Dev is a sore spot for developers , as once again RIM didn’t listen. I wanted to support the Pkaybook, but it failed my requirements – I own an iPad2 as result.
I don’t ask for a new device more than every 3 years – but do expect each to better than the last. I expect to be ble to browse without lookups, or frequent battery pulls and wireless synchronization is a requirement now.
I don’t want to switch to an iPhone – I want a superior Blackberry. My contract expires in September do maybe I will get my wish?
Wow, talk about being off the mark. The problem with RIM isn’t that they aren’t making enough products, they probably make too many as far as I’m concerned. It’s that RIM was too egotistical to change course, or understand what direction the market was going. Apple created a device in 2007 that changed the entire smartphone landscape, 5 years ago, and RIM have been playing catchup ever since because they were so flat footed on the matter. The expectation that the business enterprise segment wouldn’t change is what is going to kill them. And typically it’s not the hardware that is RIMs problem, it’s the fact the software is what lags behind competitors.
Also, your assessment of Apple was way off base. Apple makes essentially 3 portable products, the iPhone, iPad and iPod. They are refreshed on an annual basis, not once every few months as you claim. Other manufacturers do release devices a lot more frequently, but that isn’t a claim you can level at Apple. Also with iOS devices they have a substantial after market as they retain their value. I bought an original iPhone a year after it was released, used it for 2 years and was still able to sell it for $150 on Kijiji. Try selling a 3 year old Blackberry and see what type of return you get. These devices aren’t just being used then thrown into a landfill, they are passed down to other family members or sold to other people who will extend their life.
Thanks for your comments. Perhaps I’m off on my Apple release calendar as you suggest – but the overall point I was making should be clear.
And as to the original Apple I-Phone creating a whole new landscape, that’s partly what I’m saying. We managed just fine before Apple demonstrated that we apparently could have so much more. Is the problem rooted in hi-tech companies desire to build better, faster…or is it in societies apparent limitless appetite to be fed stuff like this?
No right or wrong answers here, but certainly a point of discussion seldom brought up.
Thanks again!
Unfortunately, most of RIM’s revenues come from the sales of their devices. Their model requires users to keep updating their hardware. Apple has some big supply chain issues, but I like their model better because free software updates keep older phones in use and they get lots of money from their iTunes and App Stores. Nokia is definitely the leader in recycling the e-waste from their phones, but unfortunately the stock market undervalues their large market share in emerging economies while levying a high discount because they’re lagging in smartphone sales.
FYI, Apple is making less than one iPhone per year at the moment. RIM makes far more phones and sells more models concurrently. They also don’t upgrade the software on older models very often.
I don’t think RIM’s issues are not enough new stuff. They have serious usability issues, which they have done little to address. If you just want email, contacts and calendars they do OK, and perhaps they are ideal in their home market where data plans are already outrageously expensive. The other things that smartphones do, BB devices struggle with. Add to that the overly complex development process for app developers compared to both Android and iOS, and you have a recipe for not keeping up with consumer demand.
Their hardware is normally solid, it is their software that lets them down, and that can be released often without sending phones to the landfill.
Thanks John for your comments. You raise a good point that also raises a rhetorical question in response: Is the problem rooted in RIM’s usability issues or alternately in societies frenetically paced expectations of what we expect these devices to do? Maybe it’s an old-fashioned thing to say but we complain about the phones not being able to do things that until recently we never knew we needed to do.
I see both sides, don’t worry but is it completely fair to blame RIM on the usability issue? Just asking aloud…
Thanks again!
Not sure anybody is blaming RIM for everything. I write software for mobile devices, I have Android, iOS, Blackberry and Symbian devices here, and I can tell you there is a world of difference between the first two and the last two in terms of both usability and ease of app development. RIM has been working on making it better, but they have the same problem Nokia had: too much legacy that they are unwilling to shed, and that is holding them back (and this is all about software – the hardware is fine).
In many ways smartphones, and all the extra things they do, can be good for the environment. Given frequent software updates, they can carry on living longer than regular phones – less inclination to upgrade the hardware if you get most or all of the same features for free with an upgrade. Of course, companies like RIM, Samsung etc won’t like that since they make money selling new phones – Apple has other revenue streams too which is why they are less concerned about this (although they do always keep one feature for the newest model as a teaser for those who must have the latest). The other thing about the smartphone market is that there is a thriving second hand market for them – meaning those who do have to have the latest often sell their old phone to somebody who is less concerned with that. Again, keeping the handset out of the landfill.
Finally, they can also be tools to make our lives more efficient. That might mean more time with the family, or it might be as simple as less miles driven (using the navigation functions). If the telephone companies would accept it, it can also mean getting rid of the huge tree wasting phone directories. They’re already making coupons electronic (reducing the junk mail hopefully as more companies choose to email electronic coupons). And then there are receipts – another massive waste of paper that can be removed by electronic payments using a smartphone.
Lots of good in the widespread adoption of the smartphone. RIM needs to get over their corporate-only mindset and accept that the smartphone is now for everybody, not just folks with an IT department to configure them and operate them. Hire some folks who know about usability and produce something revolutionary, or follow the Nokia path and just buy the software from somewhere else.
I agree. We live in such a fast-paced consumer driven society. What ever happened to the repairman (or woman)? We just throw out something that’s perfectly good in order to get something with a few new features.
Reminds me of that episode of the Simpsons where Malibu Stacy makes women look like ditsy morons for saying things like “don’t ask me, I’m just a girl te-he-he te-he-he”. Lisa goes into all the trouble of building Lisa Lionheart who shows girls that you can be a woman and be intelligent. Right on the release date of Lisa Lionheart, Malibu Stacy releases a new model that’s exactly the same as the old Stacy, but she has a new hat. The crowd rushes to grab the new doll and just one girl picks up the Lisa Lionheart doll. Lisa says “You know, as long as we reach that one little girl, this has all been worth it.” (I can reference the Simpsons for anything).
Long story short – slow & steady wins the race. Appreciate quality and RIM will “come back” strong!
Thanks Greg for your comments.
Now I need to go and see if I can find that Simpson’s episode online somewhere to watch it again… 🙂
lol ask and you shall receive.
Season 5 Episode 14: Lisa vs Malibu Stacy
http://www.simpsonsepisodes.com/viewer/514a.php
Enjoy!