Skip to main content

Ongoing Challenges for RIM Blackberry

According to iGillottResearch, there is little doubt that Research in Motion (RIM) has enjoyed considerable success with the BlackBerry -- both the push-email experience and the range of devices. At the end of 2005, the company announced that the email service had more than 3.5 million users, and while the majority were in North America, penetration is increasing in overseas markets.

According to the press, BlackBerry users are fiercely loyal and will seemingly tell anyone who will listen about their addiction � in fact, the term �crackberry� is often used to define the user who simply cannot get enough. Look on any plane, in the car rental bus, in the airport or at any major business convention and you will see all manner of shape, design and color of BlackBerries. BlackBerry is now offered by all of the major operators in North America, although several have just begun marketing the products recently and quite reluctantly.

But things are not completely rosy for RIM:

-Recent failures in the email service have been well-publicized and most unwelcome. RIM has always promoted the reliability of the service � the recent problems have shown them to be fallible.

-All of the major device OEMs have devices designed to unseat BlackBerry. While none have managed to do so, it can only be a matter of time. Palm has enjoyed some success with Treo, while Motorola�s Q may be the strongest competitor yet.

-Several companies are increasing the pressure on the BlackBerry push-email service, including Visto, Seven, Good Technology and, of course, Microsoft. Nokia recently stated that it had no plans to acquire RIM (as has been rumored for some time) instead preferring to develop its own internal solution.

-The patent dispute with NTP seems further from resolution than ever and the press is increasingly full of stories about the impending disconnection of the BlackBerry service.

Popular posts from this blog

How Cloud Fuels Digital Business Transformation

Across the globe, many CEOs invested in initiatives to expand their digital offerings. User experience enhancements that are enabled by business technology were a priority in many industries. Worldwide end-user spending on public cloud services is forecast to grow 21.7 percent to a total of $597.3 billion in 2023 -- that's up from $491 billion in 2022, according to the latest market study by Gartner. Cloud computing is driving the next phase of digital transformation, as organizations pursue disruption through technologies like generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), Web3, and enterprise Metaverse. Public Cloud Computing Market Development "Hyperscale cloud providers are driving the cloud agenda," said Sid Nag, vice president at Gartner . Organizations view cloud computing as a highly strategic platform for digital transformation initiatives, which requires providers to offer new capabilities as the competition for digital business escalates. "For example, generativ

Mobile Device Market Still Awaiting Recovery

The mobile devices market has experienced three years of unpredictable demand. The global pandemic, geopolitical pressures, supply chain issues, and macroeconomic headwinds have hindered the sector's consistent growth potential. This extremely challenging environment has dramatically affected both demand and supply chains. It has led to subsequent inflationary pressures, leading to a worsening global cost of living crisis suppressing growth and confidence in the sector. In tandem, mobile device industry stakeholders have become more cautious triggering market uncertainties. Mobile Device Market Development Operating under such a backdrop, the development of mobile device ecosystems and vendor landscapes have been impacted severely. Many of these market pressures persisted throughout 2022 and now into 2023, borne chiefly by the smartphone market. According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, worldwide smartphone shipments in 2022 declined 9.6 percent Year-over-Year

Digital Talent Demand Exceeds Supply in Asia-Pac

Even the savviest CEO's desire for a digital transformation advantage has to face the global market reality -- there simply isn't enough skilled and experienced talent available to meet demand. According to the latest market study by IDC, around 60-80 percent of Asia-Pacific (AP) organizations find it "difficult" or "extremely difficult" to fill many IT roles -- including cybersecurity, software development, and data insight professionals. Major consequences of the skills shortage are increased workload on remaining digital business and IT employees, increased security risks, and loss of "hard-to-replace" critical transformation knowledge. Digital Business Talent Market Development Although big tech companies' layoffs are making headlines, they are not representative of the overall global marketplace. Ongoing difficulty to fill key practitioner vacancies is still among the top issues faced by leaders across industries. "Skills are difficul