RIM is past the point of being in hard shape as a company — they are in dire need of change and it has to be done now.
BlackBerry
∞ RIM employee writes a passionate plea to senior management
You know things are getting bad at your company when your senior managers publish pleas in the press to get you to change. That’s what happened today at RIM.
∞ RIM has to rearchitect entire system to get email on PlayBook
RIM co-CEO Jim Balsille publicly stated that email was not a core component that its customers wanted on the PlayBook. We all knew that was hogwash, but now the real reason has come out.
∞ RIM's mismanagement fallout begins as layoff notices go out
Not even a week after RIM reported disappointing financial results, the company started handing out layoff notices to some workers.
∞ RIM executive exodus continues
The Wall Street Journal reports that Research In Motion (RIM) has lost another executive: this time it’s Brian Wallace, VP of Digital Marketing and Media. Wallace has left RIM for Samsung, which confirmed he’s joined the company. “Mr. Wallace’s departure … Continued
∞ Seesmic drops BlackBerry support to focus on iOS, Android
Mobile app-maker Seesmic on Monday told its customers that it would stop developing its BlackBerry app as of June 30, 2011.
∞ A history of RIM infographic
With everything that’s been happening with RIM in the past little while, I thought this infographic was kind of cool. It was put together by the folks at Geekaphone and used with permission.
∞ RIM pressuring carriers to approve bug-ridden BlackBerrys
If you’ve noticed more problems with BlackBerrys than usual, there may be a very simple explanation — RIM is forcing carriers to overlook major issues with the devices.
∞ Dolby sues RIM for patent infringement
Dolby Laboratories filed a patent infringement lawsuit against RIM late in the week, adding to RIM’s already bad week.
∞ Analysts downgrade RIM, shareholders dissatisfied with co-CEOs
After reporting disappointing results for its fiscal first quarter, four analysts downgraded the company. One analyst said “it appears RIM has slipped into eroding mismanagement.” Large shareholders of the company’s stock are also demanding RIM split the CEO and chairman … Continued
∞ RIM co-CEOs praise themselves as the company burns around them
It’s hard to tell how executives will react after delivering poor quarterly results, but praising themselves probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
Unfortunately for RIM shareholders, that’s exactly what happened last night. After announcing weaker than expected shipments of BlackBerrys, weak PlayBook shipments, poor financials, and a lower outlook for next quarter, co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis praised their leadership of the company, according to quotes from the call posted on AllThingsD.
“Mike and I would like to address some of the concerns that have been expressed surrounding the executive management structure at RIM and, specifically, the joint nature of our leadership,” said Balsillie. “Mike and I have been partners in this business for almost 20 years, and during that time RIM has grown to $20 billion in annual revenue. We are currently approaching the tail end of a significant transition in our business, that, frankly, few companies would have survived. But we have. And I believe, and I think Mike would agree, that neither of us could have taken RIM this far alone.”
∞ RIM needs to shut up and get a new CEO
It is a sad day for many employees of RIM. During the company’s disastrous first quarter results, they learned some workers would be laid off. But it’s not the workers that are responsible for this mess.
I first came out against RIM back in February when the company was the darling of the media and the PlayBook was the device expected to kill the iPad. At that time, I wrote a story called “RIM needs to shut up and ship,” chastising the company for announcing three generations of PlayBooks before they even shipped one.
RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie said, “I think the PlayBook redefines what a tablet should do.”
Ultimately, RIM released a device that doesn’t even have email or calendaring. This from the company that made its mark in the mobile arena based on secure email. What’s even worse is the response that RIM’s CEO had to the lack of basic features.
∞ RIM implodes: announces layoffs, 500,000 PlayBooks shipped
According to the company’s results, net income for the quarter was $695 million, or $1.33 per share diluted, compared with net income of $934 million, or $1.78 per share diluted, in the prior quarter and net income of $769 million, or $1.38 per share diluted, in the same quarter last year.
∞ Law firm investigating RIM for violating federal securities laws
Georgia-based law firm Holzer Holzer & Fistel on Monday said it was launching an investigating into RIM.
According to the law firm, the investigating is focusing on statements made by the company between December 16, 2010 and April 28, 2011. The investigation will try to determine if the statements “were materially false and misleading at the time they were made.”
∞ Analyst says RIM has 'no clue' and is 'inept'
Respected financial analyst Charlie Wolf on Wednesday issued a note to clients and slammed RIM for its recent missteps.
“RIM’s skills as a hardware manufacturer have been more than offset by it ineptness in software development, the focus of competition today,” wrote Wolf. “The blame must be laid at the feet of the company’s Co-CEO’s who in their actions and words, appear to have no clue on how to mount a successful response.”
∞ RIM and Microsoft sitting in a tree…
I imagine as the world changed millions of years ago, Dinosaurs gathered together for comfort — yesterday proved the tech industry isn’t much different.
Not knowing how to deal with their changing world, two tech dinosaurs — Microsoft and RIM — joined forces on Tuesday to fight for their survival. So what is it these two monoliths came up with to fight off Apple and Google?
From the Bing blog:
∞ RIM cuts profit outlook, stock price plummets
RIM on Thursday issued a warning to Wall Street that the company would not meet guidance for the first fiscal quarter of 2012.
RIM said the cause for the projected shortfall in Q1 is because of lower shipments of BlackBerrys. The company said shipments are now expected in the lower end of the 13.5 million to 14.5 million forecasted in March.
∞ Apple vs. RIM: Who sells more smartphones?
Apple has clearly been upping its game when it comes to making the iPhone the most popular device on the market, but RIM is still making noise saying how good it is. I decided find out who was selling the most smartphones.
I looked at the last four fiscal quarters for Apple and RIM and get a feeling for which company was on the way up, or down, and who really did have the bragging rights.
Of course, fiscal quarters do not run like calendar quarters, so they are a bit off based on dates, but they are still pretty close. This isn’t meant to be scientific, but rather a look at four quarters to see how smartphone sales are trending.
∞ AT&T blocks BlackBerry Bridge from PlayBook users
When RIM introduced the PlayBook, it did so without an email client, but not to worry you can download BlackBerry Bridge and tether the PlayBook to your BlackBerry. Or maybe not.
It seems that AT&T may be blocking the BlackBerry Bridge due to tethering restrictions, according to CrackBerry.com. Even a note on BlackBerry’s App World says the BlackBerry Bridge software is supported by all carriers, except AT&T.
∞ Pictures of the line-up for the RIM PlayBook
Today is the big day for RIM. They are betting the company on the PlayBook tablet, and today it’s available in stores.
I’ll admit that where I live isn’t a hotbed of technology like Silicon Valley, but we know our devices like most other communities in North America. I live in a city of about 450,000 people, so there should be lots of interest in a new tech gadget.
∞ RIM CEO defends PlayBook, says email 'really isn't a core element'
RIM is on an all out blitz to defend its PlayBook tablet after negative reviews began hitting the Web on Wednesday.
Among the major criticisms from reviewers was the lack of a native email client for the PlayBook — a strange omission from the company that made its name on secure email.
RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie said that people are “overplaying one aspect that really isn’t a core element that we’ve seen from our enterprise customers or webmail people.”
Did RIM’s CEO just say that email isn’t a core element of the BlackBerry PlayBook.
∞ An email to RIM
I sat last night reading reviews of the RIM PlayBook and wondered what the hell the company was thinking releasing this product. I’d email the company, but they wouldn’t get it, since the PlayBook doesn’t have an email client.
Yes, you read that right. The mobile company that built its name on being the email company doesn’t have an email client on its tablet. That is one of the most asinine decisions I’ve seen of any tech company in a long time.
The only thing that could be worse is if they left their users with no way to do calendaring and contacts too. Yes, you guessed it — you can’t do calendaring and contacts either.
∞ PlayBook reviews hit: It's not good news
RIM’s PlayBook is due to hit stores next week and the first reviews from the big gadgets sites are in. It doesn’t look good for RIM, so far.
Before we take a look at the reviews, let’s take a quick look at how RIM views the PlayBook.
“The BlackBerry PlayBook is an amazing tablet. The power that we have embedded creates one of the most compelling app experiences available in a mobile computing device today,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion.
Okay, there is our starting place. RIM thinks it’s amazing. Now let’s see what the reviewers say. I’ll take a few quotes from the reviews, so I recommend you go to each site and read the full review. Both reviewers had a few positive things to say too.
∞ RIM CEO has another interview meltdown
RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis wasn’t impressed with the way an interview was going with the BBC and terminated the interview.
As soon as the interviewer started asking Lazaridis about security issues with the governments in India and countries in the Middle East, the interview started to fall apart.
“That’s just not fair,” said Lazaridis. First of all, we have no security problems.
Lazaridis went on to explain why he feels people are focused on RIM.
∞ BGR: BlackBerry Bold Touch hands-on
Jonathan Geller had a look at the BlackBerry Bold Touch today over at BGR.com. I used the BlackBerry for a couple of years before the iPhone came out — once I made the switch, I never looked back. This one looks a lot like the phone I had years ago, except with a touchscreen.
The BlackBerry Bold Touch also uses a new battery from RIM, so hopefully the addition of a touchscreen to this famous BlackBerry form factor won’t have too much of a negative impact on battery life.
∞ RIM has two CEOs and three COOs
Purchasing a product from any company shows a level of trust by the consumer, but how are we supposed to trust a company like RIM.
I had a look at RIM’s executive team over the weekend and was surprised to find the company has three Chief Operating Officers. Of course, we all know they already have two Chief Executive Officers, which adds up to a corporate structural mess.
Seriously, how is the buying public supposed to trust a company that can’t even decide who the hell is running the place? It’s like the hierarchy of the company is a straight horizontal line.
∞ BlackBerry PlayBook to run Android apps, too
While it runs Research In Motion’s (RIM) QNX operating system, the soon-to-be-released BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will also be able to run apps made for Android. That’s the word from RIM, which announced the new capability on Thursday.
∞ BlackBerry PlayBook to ship April 19, starting at $499
Research In Motion (RIM) announced Tuesday that its long-discussed PlayBook tablet will begin to ship on April 19, 2011, at prices starting at $499.
∞ Apple's iPhone tops customer satisfaction list, RIM is last
For the fifth consecutive time, Apple’s iPhone has topped J.D. Power and Associates list of smartphone customer satisfaction.
∞ BlackBerry is the new Palm Pilot
I have had my share of rants about how RIM has handled its PlayBook introduction and the fact that they can’t seem to ship anything, but the non-existent tablet isn’t the only problem the company has.