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Where does one begin to talk about the problems plaguing Blackberry and its parent company Research in Motion? Here’s a quick recap:
Power Outage – For 3 days, RIM’s 70 million customers across the globe had no access to their email. Talk about a “black out” for Blackberry!
The Worthless Apology – For the disruption of service, RIM’s mea culpa was $100 worth of free apps. The problem? It wasn’t all apps; instead just 12 apps were offered as options.
Tablet Operating System Delayed – If you actually bought a tablet from Blackberry vs. Apple, your tablet couldn’t even access your email! An upgrade was due October, but wait, wait, and continue to wait: current announcements put the upgrade’s estimated time of arrival as February!
Naming Snafu – The name of the new operating system for its eponymous smart phone was just announced as BBX. Of course, Basis International claims to hold the trademark for a slight variation named BBx – apparently this move was not so smart.
To avoid being blacklisted and blackburried, RIM must:
Get On The Fast Track – Enough with the delays; now is the time to move with better operating systems, applications and back up network.
Explore a New Platform – Perhaps the Blackberry is just too 1999; sometimes the best revision is a brand new product.
Make It Cool To Develop Apps For Blackberry – The firm hired Alec Saunders in August to woo more designers with a fat new budget. But, only last week did he make its first hire!
Work Fast AND Smart – Goofing up on the name is inexcusable; RIM should have exercised more due diligence and DUH! Diligence.
What would you do? I welcome your comments.