This month has seen the release of Blackberry 10, at least to the developer community. If that’s what RIM intend to release later in 2012 then I’m afraid we may be all bidding adieu to the familiar sight of Blackberry in Legal and beyond.There is no way that a touch screen OS from Blackberry will break the Android and iOS dominance, nor keep Windows Phone from being the #1 challenger to the top 2! These other three are slowly chipping away at the “risks” that ActiveSync technology supposedly brings compared to the BES infrastructure and a copycat OS isn’t going to save RIM.
The Blackberry wasn’t a successful business device because of a touchscreen, a big colour display, a large app store, browsing ability etc. No, the Blackberry was a success because it did two things very well. One, allowed me to make phonecalls and two, allowed me simple and quick access to my email. If RIM had stuck to what it did very well rather than chase the success of Apple then it could still be a player in the corporate world.
My business plan for RIM would have been:
One : The new Blackberry should have gone back to basics. Simple old style Blackberry handset with the keyboard that made composing and replying to emails so easy. Then replace the full colour display with a a Kindlesque e-ink display. This would allow the device to have a battery life that blitzed everything on the market (ever seen how long a WiFi Kindle can last!!). A lot of lawyers would love the basic functional aspect and being able to leave weeks without charging! It would be the perfect successor to the Nokia 6210 for a lot of lawyers.
Two: Focus BES on a management console for ALL smartphone devices. Embrace the security and risk fears of the personal device brigade and control it. There will always be those that want to use their iPhone or Windows Phone, they’ll never switch to a BlackBerry but from a corporate point of view you allow it and control it using the BES software. That way you’re in place to be the device provider for all those that want a functional device with outstanding battery life!
Two simple steps to get back in the game. Yes, for the smartphone loving crowd they’d never go basic e-ink device. But then they’d never swap their iOS, Android, WP7 handset for a Blackberry 10 handset either! Go colour touch screen RIM and we’ll be talking three players in the market in 2013.
Jason I was with some telecom types last week and they implied Fusion was coming and it would be free to BES enterprise users, we shall see.
http://uk.blackberry.com/business/software-and-services/mobile-fusion/overview.jsp?CPID=KNC-kw193361_p8&HBX_PK=rim|2180dbcf-7c71-e5a8-0397-0000304872dd
Hi Jason,
They did say that the handset released to developers was not in any way indicative of what BB10 would be, and have also committed to keeping the physical keyboard – which, I agree, is one of its strongest features for people who do a lot of emailing.
Also, re: the other comment, Fusion does what you’ve suggested – single interface for managing multiple devices. The server side is free, but you have to pay for the CALs for each device you connect (around the same price as BES CALs I believe). We’ve got Fusion installed and running the Universal Device Service to protect iPads and iPhones and it works well with not too much difficulty. Haven’t tried BDS for Playbook yet though.
Really interesting article and there may have been a time when I would have agreed with you about going back to basics and keeping it simple but I think that horse has bolted.
The problem is that many (perhaps most) people want a smartphone and for many they don’t want or need to separate their personal and business phones preferring instead to just have one device.
Several firms are now embracing other mobile devices and BYOD is only going to increase that trend. How many lawyers would choose to buy a simple Blackberry if they could have a more fully featured device from somewhere else?
I don’t think that firms in turn will be able to force lawyers to adopt a simple device when there are more interesting toys out there.
I am a big fan of Blackberry but the lack of apps is beginning to annoy me. It won’t be long before I switch. I just can’t decide what to switch to.
I agree Mark. I see the simple device for those lawyers (and there are many) who aren’t bothered about smartphones and just want their email and calls on the move. For everyone else BYOD and have it managed. Sounds like on my point 2 BES is headed this way, need to take a look at Fusion.
I’m in two minds on this. I agree that if RIM concentrated on delivering a simpler device combined with better software (and I say that having spent 4 hours last night recovering my Blackberry from a botched upgrade) then they would win back some support.
However I agree that the preference (or maybe just the fashion) is towards a single device that does everything. A lot of people want to be seen to have the “latest” all singing, all dancing toy. Having said that the success of the Kindle is undeniable and proves that a simple device can still be popular.
The BYOD trend is an interesting one, maybe they’re on the right track with Fusion. Perhaps the future for RIM lies in moving away from the handsets and concentrating on the management systems instead?
An alternative would be for RIM to license the messaging (email and BBM) infrastructure to the likes of Microsoft, Apple and Google in much the same way that Microsoft has licensed ActiveSync to these same companies.
This way, the technology and features that made RIM devices so popular (and secure) will live on in other devices which keeps tweens, rioters, freedom fighters and law firms happy and it’s a potential revenue source for RIM.
I know the former CEO’s refused the license the technology, maybe the current CEO will have a change of heart.
Having had the chance to use a Playbook with OS 2.0.1 there are some encouraging things to consider, notably the stability of the OS, the impressive multitasking/taskswitching and the ability to update apps without rebooting all the freakin’ time. Bridge Remote Control is very nice. Since Playbook will get BB10 one presumes BB10 is really Playbook 3.0.
As a BES admin my main gripe is the lack of a clear roadmap and the lack of clear answers from RIM over the last few months to what should have been nobrainer questions like “can BES CALs be migrated to BDS CALs” (the answer to this one is ‘maybe’ according to my rep – for me it should have been YES, if under support, no ifs, ands etc.), “will BB10 Activesync work via the NOCs” (the BDS topology makes me think this is a yes), “will there be a 10″ PB” (I’d own my own already if they had sold one but the 7″ is hard to commit to).
The RIM reps need to get out from behind their phones and get into boardrooms with product and a plan, because “Apple sales reps” aka “users who own iPhones/iPads” are already there and now Microsoft are on the other flank with Surface.
RT @planty: This was my plan for BlackBerry 18mths ago, should have focussed on TCO of device for firms & device mngment http://t.co/kFbAc6…