RIM has been a flash point of conversation throughout my business program. Almost every tech and business focused writer has had some criticism for the ill fated company.
Quite simply, the Blackberry was the worlds entry to text messaging, push mail and security. Perhaps they were caught sleeping at the wheel, while Apple design began to revolutionize interface and capability, lackluster revisions of old hardware continued at RIM. In a delayed reaction, the tablet (Blackberry playbook) was released (and more recently the 16gig version pulled) to combat the Ipad. It’s a shame the ecosystem for RIM lagged behind the unstoppable power of iTunes and the development community behind it’s app store. At this point, its safe to say RIM will probably never have the opportunity to catch up… So let’s leave that issue alone for a moment and focus on core competency and target demographic. You aren’t going to convince the teens, gamers, or hipsters to convert to BB from their Iphones and Android devices.
But Business users, particularly older ones probably still have a soft spot for BB and it’s high level security. They don’t need access to millions of silly apps, they need focused reliability.
This is where RIM can still shine. Notwithstanding, I firmly believe RIM needs to take a new direction with it’s design to produce a more capable phone then its competition.
Features and horsepower aside, the one thing plaguing the entire smartphone/portable tech industry is battery life. RIM could acquire a specialized company and perhaps be the first to market with a hydrogen fuel cell powered device with double digit days of power in between charges. This would probably require a larger handset design however this would benefit RIM’s older, business focused customers who probably find the Iphone screen a tad to small for their fingers and their eyes.
So there you have it, Battery life could be RIM’s savior.
What do you think? If Blackberry had a phone that lasted for 2 weeks without needing to be plugged in, would you ditch your current cellphone?
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