The Death Of RIM
If one function devices could continue to triumph, the iPod would not be supplanted by the iPhone.
A friend just asked me if I was on BBM. That’s BlackBerry Messenger for the uninitiated. And many may never be initiated, because BlackBerry is so 2001. Or 5. Or maybe even 6 or 7, but certainly not 11.
BlackBerries do one thing incredibly well, process e-mail.
And that’s it.
If you think BlackBerries surf the Web well, then you don’t, or have never used an iPhone.
Sure, RIM sells a touch screen BlackBerry, but that’s like the Beach Boys doing disco music, or Elton John rapping. The Beach Boys actually tried that. Didn’t work too well. If you’re a musical act, you can’t follow trends, you’ve got to be you. But in both tech and music, you only survive if you’re ahead of the curve, and not if you’re behind.
It’s all about software. And software can have no glitches. The reason Apple is triumphing is because their gear just works. Sure, it looks cool. But that’s just icing on the cake. People didn’t buy all those Toyotas because they looked cool, but because they didn’t break.
It’s utterly fascinating watching the tech landscape. It’s truly either innovate or die. Once upon a time, I’d pay extra and buy Sony with almost no research. Now Samsung makes a better television and Microsoft makes a better motion detection gaming system. I can’t even remember the name of Sony’s wii-style competitor, but everybody’s testifying about Kinect.
You’ve got to read David Pogue’s 10th anniversary tech column in the "New York Times":
He talks about the littered landscape of deceased items but also states that he too is overwhelmed, with the sheer plethora of tech products.
Just like we’re overwhelmed with the sheer quantity of music.
But make a great tune and it lasts forever.
A mediocre, trend-following track may be a hit today, but it’s as useless in the future as a Motorola StarTac.
I know, I know, you’re Canadian, you beat your chest for RIM.
But it’s over.
Because RIM looked for a day it could dominate, but once it reached that peak…nothing.
Google’s making inroads in the mobile world because of Android software. Doesn’t matter the handset, they all work well enough.
Sure, iPhones work better, but Apple is proving you don’t have to dominate to be profitable. Look at their Mac sales. And whatever dominance they had in MP3 players is about to become irrelevant, as a result of not only smartphones, but on demand streaming. Isn’t it interesting that the best-selling iPod is the Touch, which is basically the iPhone without the phone (but it does have FaceTime!)
It’s confusing. Just when you get up to speed in one area, time passes and you’re passe. You can stay where you are, in the backwater, but please don’t try and tell everybody else to live in your ancient village. This has decimated the major labels and is now impacting newspapers and movies and… It’s tough to be dominant in the old world but start over in the new. But that’s what you’ve got to do. The only way to triumph these days is by being cutting edge. There’s no way you can corral people into living in the past.
I’ve probably bought my last BlackBerry. I’ve got app-envy. There are whole issues of "Macworld" and "MacLife" that don’t apply to me. Media is fascinated with apps, and I’m left out. I’m not a shopper, but all I read about are apps that help you navigate Black Friday sales.
RIM is a one hit wonder. That is now chasing trends, poorly.
This doesn’t work in music and it doesn’t work in tech.
