It’s going to be a long five or six months ahead for RIM and fans of BlackBerry. There will be negative stories, because negative stories are so easy to write these days. There will be at least one more disappointing earnings call — and even if RIM does get BlackBerry 10 devices out before the end of its fiscal second quarter, chances are it will be too late in the period to make much of a difference. Thankfully, there will be some optimism mixed in there. Take CrackBerry Kevin, for instance. Dude is all pep and hype when it comes to the BlackBerry, and it’s often refreshing to read if you spend time scouring sites such as BGR. This week he and his staff produced a pretty definitive list of 10 things RIM needs to solve for BlackBerry 10 to succeed. Allow me a moment to simplify his list. There are good ideas contained throughout. Kevin, Adam, Bla1ze, and Simon have been around the BlackBerry scene for quite some time now, and they know what makes it tick. So while their point-by-point suggestions resonate well with many BlackBerry fans, there’s still one overall point to make about the chances of BlackBerry 10′s success. RIM needs to fix all those issues, yes, but they need something bigger. They need a tipping point. That might be oversimplified. In fact, I know it is, because Malcolm Gladwell oversimplified the point in his book of the same title. But we can still look at this from a general perspective and see that what Gladwell describes can work for RIM. Where RIM really needs help is with the first part of the tipping point, the Law of the Few. Here Gladwell describes three types of people who can help spread an idea far and wide: connectors, mavens, and salesmen. Connectors are social butterflies: people who bring ideas to people from all walks of life. Mavens not only burst with information, but also possess a burning desire to share that information with others. And salesmen persuade people of things they might not have previously considered. Of course, RIM does need a top of the line product first. But even if they solve every issue on CrackBerry’s list, they need a lot more in order to succeed. They’re not going to be Apple; they don’t have the influence. They’re not going to be Android; they don’t have the pure geek factor. But they can find their own spot in the market. It’s going to take a lot of work on non-device items, which could stretch them thin. But with the fate of the company on the line, they should settle for no less.
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Blackberry (RIM) can become successful but not in one step. They have to start small and work up. Trying to have just one knockout punch won’t work. They must have leading edge tech in the phones. Anything else will be received with lost sales. Once the devices have the tech then they have to have the human interaction (UI) in place. Perception is key to selling products. I didn’t quite like some of the commercials they felt like RIM is trying to use humor to sell and thats not what people expect from a company that sells devices to governments and businesses that rely on its security. RIM should take the approach from a unique angle since they have products that are great. Combine great products with great marketing can be the first step in recovery. Now, getting RIM to believe they can do it is another story…….I don’t even hear RIM in the United States. I see commercials for almost every other manufacturer of cell phones but RIM is nowhere to be found. I’m looking for a reason to upgrade to BB10 from my outdated Tour phone and all I see is Apple and their Iphone. I want to upgrade to a great RIM product and am still waiting…..
Yeah, completely agree with you. RIM mast do more then just releasing a bb 10 device. It has to be something really big, so that can grab the attention and shut all these negative writer’s mouth.