Ah RIM.
The once beloved Canadian tech company, a beacon of technological excellence and innovation poised to lead the mobile tech world into the new century, along with single handily creating a ‘Silicon Valley of the North’ in an area that used to be known more for their Farmer’s Market’s and its huge celebration of all that is German and beer also known as Oktoberfest (prost!).
But then, almost overnight, RIM has become the loser that everyone, from analysts to bloggers to shareholders, started beating up on as because they ‘weren’t being competitive enough’, that they ‘weren’t being innovative and forward thinking’.
RIM may have suffered a bad year, but it is far from being down and out.
Now, before any company and person can say that any tech company can and always be around need to face the facts: nothing is ever certain. Not success nor failure.
Remember Netscape Navigtor? Remember ICQ? Yahoo? Palm? Ya me neither.
But with that being said, you have to take a step back and ask: why are people beating up on RIM?
Of the many posts about the ‘fall of RIM’, all of these reports point towards RIM’s declining market share (most in the North America, not so much rest of the world) and their apparent lack of innovation to stay competitive with the likes of Apple and the newest Droid-Nexus-Prime-Evo-4G-Galaxy-Gingerbread-Icecream-Transformer phone.
But the thing that frustrates me is that all these analysts, and reviewers especially, forget is that RIM has first and foremost been a business that caters towards the Enterprise market. Consumer market has always been secondary.
Of course, I think it’s safe to say that the very distinct line between the Enterprise and Consumer markets that used to exist is ever blurring, but suffering in the one market does not automatically mean the end of a company, especially one that that has dominated the Enterprise world.
With that being said, the notion that the Blackberry is old, out of date, and didn’t know what the definition of ‘innovation’ meant if it slapped them across the face with an iPhone is looking at RIM with the wrong lenses.
Dual core processors, a kickstand for your phone, a super duper high res screen (because text messages always seem to have more meaning in HD) does not equate to innovation in all markets. Just because a Blackberry doesn’t have the flashiest features doesn’t mean it isn’t being innovative.
Want innovation? How about RIM being government approved and certified by governments and multinational corporations around the world, from the US and Canada, to NATO and exotic countries and states. Like Australia and the UK. Last time I checked, neither Apple nor Android has been able to tout the same qualifications.
How about the Playbook (yes, they’re still around) being the one and only tablet approved for use by the US Government via receiving the FIPS 140-2 certification (which is mumbo jumbo for “President Obama can now add a Playbook to his certified Blackberry if he so chooses”).
How about Blackberry’s being too tough to crack that certain governments are up in arms because they CAN’T get access through the phone’s strong encryption.
Are these forward facing features that the consumer Joe cares about? Not really. But just because your average consumer doesn’t see the flash doesn’t mean it isn’t being innovative. Just being innovative within different domains.
RIM was never a consumer first device maker. They are trying to move into the consumer market and have no doubt been met with many challenges, some of it self made.
But difficulties amongst the consumer doesn’t take away from the large number of companies that utilize BES servers and give Blackberry’s to their employees.
A strong presence in the consumer market can help with sales towards the Enterprise market, and yes there have been difficulties on that front. But it isn’t the end of the world for the company when it is still the phone to use in companies, governments and IT departments around the world.
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