RIM Might Be Bruised But Far From Broken

07/08/2011 Comments Off on RIM Might Be Bruised But Far From Broken Blackberry Like

In light of all the hype surrounding RIM as of late I feel it is fitting to address my 2 cents on the matters at hand for the mobile giant. Let’s face it, you don’t even have to be entirely in the loop to be made aware of all the recent bashing towards RIM in the almighty blogosphere during the past few weeks.

Just for the record, I am not being endorsed by RIM to share the following comments, I’m simply stating my view on the issues RIM is currently facing. So let’s begin with some of the facts.

During the past few weeks RIM stocks have dropped in value significantly
BlackBerry’s share of the smartphone market has recently dropped to 24.7%
BlackBerry’s PlayBook tablet could have been better planned
RIM is currently dealing with management issues
Even BlackBerry fans are disappointed with PlayBook shortcomings

Well, I’ll be the first (or 1 millionth person) to admit it, there’s no denying that Research In Motion is going through some difficult times right now. The real question is, are they really heading towards bankruptcy or are they simply dealing with a few temporary setbacks and bumps in the road? I’m aware that RIM has certainly seen better days but I believe their glory days are far from over. Here’s why…

First of all I agree the first generation PlayBook tablet is definitely lacking in some very critical areas but it’s not exactly a total write off. It may not be the #1 most popular tablet on the market due to shortcomings with things such as lack of common email functionality and carrier delays but the issues surrounding it are none that cannot eventually be fixed. Would it really be a false expectation for these issues to be sorted out and addressed by the time the PlayBook 2 arrives? I don’t think so. For example, when the first generation iPad came out last year several people were outraged that it did not support Flash and did not come equipped with a camera. Well, it still doesn’t support Flash but there are reasonable alternatives available and as we all know the iPad 2 has not 1 but 2 cameras.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that it baffles me to witness countless people implying that RIM is slowly but surely going out of business. Based on so many comments that I’ve read about the topics related to recent events involving RIM, it seems that so many people are making it sound like RIM has less of a chance of moving past this than an iPad being compatible with running Android Honeycomb.

It’s just a matter of time before the PlayBook 2 is launched and let’s not forget that RIM is making great headway internationally as well. On a lighter note compared to some recent numbers, they have officially announced the addition of more than 1 million new subscribers during the past 3 weeks alone in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. These numbers are nothing to frown upon. If nothing else this proves that RIM is still in the game and in fact never left in the first place.

It’s true, RIM is dealing with some major setbacks at this time but in my opinion, just like the title says, I believe they might be a little bit bruised but far from broken. If there’s any mobile company which has the ability to prevail and move past such incidences it’s definitely RIM. It’s fair to say they are more innovative and capable then many are currently giving them credit for, but of course that’s just my opinion. They may not have always had the most desirable results as far as things like the first generation PlayBook are concerned, but at the same time no such company exists where all choices have been perfect. The amount of successful business decisions by RIM over the years far outweigh any failures and all great companies experience the odd bad quarter or quarters from time to time.