As a Canadian IT news publication, we’re very interested in what’s happening at one of our most famous companies, one that made the word “BlackBerry” into a household word. Naturally, some of it has been good news and some of it (especially recently) has been bad news.
Our readers tend to have strong opinions about Research and Motion Ltd., but it wouldn’t be accurate to say that they’re divided on the subject of whether RIM is going to rebound from its current slump. For the most part, commenters are highly supportive of the company’s efforts to roll out its new line of BB10 smart phones and sometimes bristle at coverage they see as slanted against RIM.
Last week, one of our guest bloggers, Tim Collins from Stafflink Solutions Ltd., wrote an opinion piece about why he believes that despite everything, RIM will succeed in the new year. Some readers were in vehement agreement.
Samuel Koh wrote about his frustration with the endless stream of bad news headlines:
“Kudos to you for making a really rare post that’s sorely needed for people to know the truth and not be constantly brain washed by Apple/Google,” he wrote
“For more than one year, I’ve been reading nothing but reports of how RIM is buried. Yawn… Look, if RIM is really nothing more to be desired, leave it alone and it’ll just be gone. Only thing is, it isn’t. Truth is, BB10 will make iOS/Android look like game consoles for grown-up kids. I’m still waiting for a writer to give the world more insights about what QNX is and the technical difference it’s going to make. RIM will thrive for sure.”
Commenter Raffi also expressed similar feeling and a belief that RIM has turned over a new leaf:
“I’m with you. Despite all the haters who don’t seem to care about healthy competition, I think the mobile market needs RIM as much as RIM needs it. And as someone who has seen and played with the new BB10 builds, I can assure you it will make an impact when it launches. This is a new RIM.”
John D. also pointed out some of the specific reasons why he thinks RIM will have an advantage over its competitors:
“Good points,” he wrote. “I would also add that BB10 is being optimized for speed and workflow, particularly for messaging and anything related to that, so people who value their time and who want to get more done in less time will see the advantage in using one of the new Blackberrys.
“That will be the main selling point — that and a respectable number of apps (now easier to do with one system to write to and a good set of tools for several skill sets). Time savings are a huge consideration in a busy world – even just 10 minutes a day adds up to 60 hours over a year, and the value of this time far exceeds anything that one would pay for the actual phone.”
But others said that RIM was too far gone for any hope. Reader FishWisperer wrote that RIM is simply no longer a player in the smart phone market:
“I think RIM waited for too long. Many of the points you make would have been valid at the beginning of the year, but not now. Apple, Samsung and Nokia are becoming the main players. Windows Phone 8 will get a lot of attention this year end, and those who don’t like iOS or Android will end there.
“As a side note, my teenage daughter used to be a rabid BB fan but got tired of having to reboot her BB by taking the battery out and the small screen, and when she got an iPhone as replacement while her BB was repaired she just got hooked. Now she will get an iPhone 5 for Christmas, and she is saving to buy it.”
Finally, one opinion that was echoed by several commenters was that the media itself is hindering RIM’s chances of success. For example, reader March commended Collins for straying “from the bewildered herd”:
“Media is driving this down. People are not stupid. They don’t react for no reason at all; they instinctively know something is wrong with the BS that is being spewed. Call it underdog syndrome, or whatever: there needs to be some objective perspective, which you accurately pointed out.”
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