Is Blackberry & RIM Doomed?

[Kouen Hasuki]

Its been reported that rim has had a very bad quarter losing $1 billion and having to lay off employees I'm curious as to peoples thoughts on this.

The problem I see is that RIM never focused on the consumer market really early on and that is still felt now with BIS still a requirement for some features and as such apple, google and later microsoft grabbed that market growing enough dominance that even companys took note, then they scrambled to get into the consumer market with little luck.


While the z10 and q10 are solid the marketplace is barren for apps and the 2 major companys have left little rrom which microsoft has taken up.


I wouldn't like to see the Blackberry die as phones and communication devices they are great and the hardware normally solid and reliable not to mention keeps the others on there toes. Realistically I think the only way things will pick up for them is a hit device somehow (maybe dropping bb os for android) or someone buys em out.


Posted via my Bold 9700 for added irony

 

[Foxi4]

RIM and the Blackberry brand was gradually losing their ground since Windows Mobile properly took off then the iPhone popularized smartphones among the "mere mortals" and now Android takes over the show - there's no room out there for RIM and its Blackberry. Their designs are outdated and their system is no longer globally supported.

We already know the story because it happened with PalmOS and with Symbian - those OS'es were pushed to the margin by other superior platforms.

If RIM wants to continue making hardware, they need to forget about their reservations and start making Android-based phones adapted to "look" Blackberry-ish - Android is flexible enough to allow this and there has to be a time when you let go of the old and outdated and embrace the new and exciting.

 

[J-Machine]

I have a blackberry and hope the company finds it's stride soon. these phones are great and the ability to unlock them easily makes them hard to beat though to be honest i see a fair few people with blackberry's in my city and believe it's apples popularity and how its expanding into school and civic buisiness' that's hurting them more than anything.

 

[Kirito-kun]

Blackberry will never be able to regain their formal position in the smartphone business. They've fallen back way to much. Not enough apps, not enough developer support, and not powerful enough hardware. Plus, they only market towards business users, which most smartphone users nowadays aren't.

 

[Kouen Hasuki]

Speak of the Devil

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24214301

 

[Kirito-kun]

Blackberry trying to make a comeback is like when Atari tried to reenter the market with the Atari Jaguar. Too insignificant, no software, expensive, and just poorly designed. It's gonna all be Samsung and Apple leading the market, followed by HTC, LG, Huawei, and a few others. Blackberry is dead.

 

[Harsky]

Kinda funny how owning a Blackberry is the equivalent of, "don't meet your childhood hero". When I was younger, I thought of a Blackberry as, "LOOK AT ME, I'M A SERIOUS BUSINESSMAN WITH AN AWESOME DEVICE" so I was super hyped when in 2009, I bought a second hand Blackberry Storm from a friend. Novelty only lasted for a week before I realised that it needs mobile signal because it has no Wi-Fi. Combined with a terrible camera and just that feeling of Blackberry trying to play, "me too" with the iPhone, I was happy to ditch it for an Android phone a year later.

I think the last shred of respect I had for Blackberry was gone when they promised to put BB10 on the Playbook but then right at the last second they said, "NOPE".

 

[Kouen Hasuki]

I think the last shred of respect I had for Blackberry was gone when they promised to put BB10 on the Playbook but then right at the last second they said, "NOPE".

Check for a leaked rom

Blackberry trying to make a comeback is like when Atari tried to reenter the market with the Atari Jaguar. Too insignificant, no software, expensive, and just poorly designed. It's gonna all be Samsung and Apple leading the market, followed by HTC, LG, Huawei, and a few others. Blackberry is dead.

I wouldnt go that far though I do say they need to go through more of a transition then they have already. If they drop BBOS and go with Android they will be better off IMO

 

[Harsky]

Check for a leaked rom

I wouldnt go that far though I do say they need to go through more of a transition then they have already. If they drop BBOS and go with Android they will be better off IMO

Highly unlikely they'll drop the BBOS. They already spent too much time and money to suddenly just junk it. It would be interesting to see what a Blackberry with Android looks like (probably just a Z10 with the OS slapped on) but they would just be fighting against Samsung/HTC/Sony/ LG/Motorola who already has the Android market.