Times are tough for BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion (RIM). But maybe there are some reasons why it’s still too early to count RIM out?
LI professionals have different opinions on this point:
«I’ve lost faith in them – look to be a “one-hit wonder”. They dominated the business device market for over a decade with their one trick of really effective email to a handheld device, but they have failed to really move forward with the rest of the Smartphone market, and I think they are done as a major player.»
Bernard Gore
Programmer, Project & Change expert
«I think that RIM will eventually focus on the enterprise market and the consumer space will not be a priority. Many corporations have a huge investment in BB tech and I do not believe there is a solid interface between Lotus Notes and iPhone. They will no longer lead the market but will have an emphasis on security etc. as we have seen with the Playbook being the first tablet certified for use by US government. So keeping the faith depends on what markets you are in…»
Steve McKenna
Government Solutions Executive
«Blackberry is number one in the business market, what I do see at the moment is people with a work Blackberry and a personal iPhone (or every now and than an Android device).
Will that change fast? Not if the other come up with security of the BB.»
Ronald van de Meent
Financial Systems specialist
«In terms of a company they are not listening to the shareholders. They are keeping the same management staff that is not viewing Google/Apple as a competition and altering their model to compete. Right now RIM is laying off workers thinking that will solve the issue. RIM is headed down the toilet until someone can rescue them soon or they are going to be irrelevant just like Palm was before it got bought out.»
Ryan Donnell
Associate 2 at State Street
«There are two viewpoints to consider here, business and consumer.
First, from the business viewpoint. Blackberry is historically (and still is, according to the latest comparisons), far more secure than any other Smartphone available. For some businesses, that is sufficient reason to stick with Blackberry. However, business that aren’t as concerned with security can consider other options. Then, other factors, such as application availability, network integration capability, and employee happiness, come into play. Other phones can easily compete in these areas, giving serious market competition to the Blackberry.
Now, from the consumer viewpoint. For most consumers, security is a minimal factor when selecting a phone. That puts Blackberry at a serious disadvantage in the consumer market.
My opinion is that the two markets will slowly merge, as we move slowly towards a society that sees the phone as an extension of the person. The consumer viewpoint will infiltrate the business viewpoint, and more businesses will either give their employees a choice of Smartphones or allow them to integrate their personal Smartphone. Whether this will be good or bad is difficult to say.»
James Tullos
Engineer at Software and Engineering Associates, Inc.
And what are your reasons for still believing in BlackBerry?
