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.
RIM
∞ 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 slashes PlayBook sales targets
It just keeps getting worse for RIM, but when you rush a product to market that isn’t finished, you have to expect a backlash.
∞ 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.
∞ PlayBook is the 'herpes of tablets'
RIM may want people to compare its PlayBook tablet to the iPad, but journalists have a less complimentary comparison for the device.
While I was attending WWDC last week, CNN said the PlayBook was the “herpes of tablets.” Apparently the news organization was trying to return the PlayBook to RIM and got no response.
∞ J.P. Morgan: iPad competitors failing
After the release of the original iPad, companies crawled out of the woodwork to announce a tablet of their own. However, those companies are finding that consumers don’t just want a tablet, they want an iPad.
A report released on Thursday by J.P. Morgan Chase says that demand is not what Apple’s competitors had hoped for. In fact, production of tablets has dropped by about 10 percent, according to NYTimes.
∞ 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.”
∞ PlayBook vs. Etch A Sketch: A head-to-head battle
I was surprised with how many PlayBook fans were upset when I compared the device to the iPad 2. So I thought I’d try again.
According to the emails I received, a comparison between the PlayBook and iPad 2 wasn’t fair. These comments came despite the fact that RIM’s co-CEOs blathered on about how much better the PlayBook was than the iPad.
So if comparing the iPad 2 isn’t fair, what is? There aren’t very many modern devices that don’t allow its users to send email or work with calendars.
∞ PlayBook returns high, misses sales targets by 90%
The news just keeps getting worse for RIM’s PlayBook tablet. Not only is the company missing targets, but return rates for the device are quite high.
Citing a source from a big box retailer, BGR on Friday said the PlayBook missed the retailer’s internal projected sales targets. RIM didn’t just miss the targets by a little — according to the source, the PlayBook fell short of the targets by over 90 percent.
∞ Fail: RIM sells 250,000 PlayBooks
It’s almost a month to the day that RIM’s PlayBook tablet went on sale and according to one analyst’s prediction, the company sold 250,000 so far.
RBC Capital Markets General Manager Mike Abramsky said in a note to clients on Wednesday that according to his channel checks, sales have been steady since the launch of the device. He also predicted that RIM would sell 500,000 PlayBooks during its first quarter on store shelves, according to BGR.com.
∞ RIM blames faulty OS for PlayBook recall
RIM issued a recall over the weekend for about 1,000 PlayBook tablets. Until now, we weren’t sure of the reason for the recall.
RIM’s PR firm contacted The Loop and said the recall was issued because of an operating system issue. It also wasn’t known whether the PlayBooks in question had made it into customer’s hands or whether they were still in distribution.
∞ RIM recalls faulty PlayBooks
RIM executives argued that its PlayBook tablet would change the way people viewed the devices. Apparently they meant it would be the first to be recalled.
RIM has reportedly issued a recall for over 900 faulty PlayBooks. At least some of the PlayBooks were shipped to Staples stores, but it’s not clear that they were the only location to receive the faulty devices, according to Engadget.
∞ 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 declares 'Amateur Hour is Over'
I saw a link on Twitter to a new ad campaign from RIM that states “Amateur Hour is Over.”
My first thought was that RIM had given up and taken the PlayBook off the market. Afterall, that is the only “amateur” tablet on the market. Turns out they are still selling it.
∞ 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.
∞ Apple grabbed 85 percent tablet market share in 2010
Apple’s iPad garnered 85 percent of the tablet market share in 2010, according to new research released on Wednesday.
ABI Research said that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab came in second place with a distant 8 percent market share. Archos’s Internet Tablet came in with just 2 percent of the market.
∞ A solution for PlayBook users who want email
It’s called the iPad 2 and it’s really cool.
∞ 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.