Rim's phones were some of the first really popular messaging devices, and the first to really bring push services (specifically email and messaging) to the general public.
They've had a lot of issues the past couple of years, but that doesn't mean their products were never revolutionary.
That's history.
Looks like they want to stay in the secure Email server market. At least that is something the others don't excel at.
Smart move if you ask me. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Really this only helps RIM continue to do what they do best. Their phones were never revolutionary, they were just extremely reliable and now RIM is showing that it can bring that reliability to any mobile device/system.
Well, they have no choice. You know, resistance is futile and all that.
But it must gall those guys to be forced to make such accommodations for a competitor who they know full well will Eat Their Lunch.
1) I think it's smart for BB to do this. It will strengthen their ties with existing customers who were already looking at ways to migrate. Now the customers can simply upgraded BES and offer multiple devices, not just BB, rather than leave BB cold-turkey.
2) My company would probably allow me to use my personal iPhone, but there ain't no way in hell I'm letting them dictate security policies on my phone. I'm also not going to carry 2 phones again. With that said, if my company wants me to access company email on the go, they'll have to develop an app that contains the company email with the security they want or allow it to be on a device of my own making.
Wait... RIM wants to allow someone else to remote wipe my entire personal device just because they have a sandboxes corp email app on my phone -- that I pay for?
I don't get RIM. They keep going on like they are going to take on Apple and conquer the smartphone/tablet market, yet at the same time they are clearly preparing for a world where Blackberry no longer makes hardware. They've already looked into making Android and iOS BBM clients, and now the server will be compatible as well?
Why don't they just announce they are leaving the hardware market entirely and just get it over with?
I totally agree with you. BES is a big competitive advantage for BlackBerry devices. Enterprise customers like BlackBerry because of BES. If BES works for other devices, then people don't have much of a reason to buy BlackBerry phones.
Also, what's so great about the new Bold? It's the same as the old Bold except that the screen is a touchscreen and it has a keyboard, except that you have half the screen real estate that you'd normally have on full-size touchscreen phone (e.g. Droid).
What they need to do is go with the flow and start using another OS. They should make android phones or WP7 and install blackberry essential apps on them and they would make a killing. They don't need to crash burn and become a soft where only company. They never had bad hardware. They just don't notice people don't want Blackberries they want Androids and iPhones.
Yeah, but their only differentiator as a company is the plastic keyboard and BBM messenger. The plastic keyboard enthusiasts are already fading fast.
Making BBM available on all platforms is actually the smart move for them and kind of the only way out if their hardware continues to not sell well. But it kills their main differentiator (BBM), so it kind of telegraphs the "end of the hardware business" or at least the beginning of the end of the hardware business.
What I'm saying is that if BBM is available on different hardware, then there is no reason for anyone to buy their hardware (because of it's relative suckage).
Totally true. But what's happening here is that companies no longer want to pay for and maintain a service- BES, that only works with BB devices. Most all business already use exchange servers, why not just use it with activesync for mobile? Recently some firms are giving into requests for offering other devices, ie iPhone. And since so many switch to or want an iPhone, firms don't see the need to continue to play for BES for only a portion of its employees with BB's. So, firms are killing their BES which means everybody has to switch to iPhone or Android and nobody can keep BB even if they want to. I believe Clorox did this and I know of another large firm that is killing BES this summer when contract expires.
The result of this is harsh. RIM loses the BES service revenue as well as all potential device sales including replacements. RIM is basically locked out now.
By offering BES for non-BB devices, corporations can still keep BES servers and just use them for all devices. Sure, RIM will lose hardware sales, but it will still retain some hardware sales in addition to the BES service revenue. This is much better than no hardware and no service revenue.
most companies will kill BES if they could just so they don't have to pay the licensing. i can see it now, CIO's are just waiting to pay $75 or so per user for BES to manage iphones and android devices. just so some power crazed IT people can fee fuzzy that they control everything.
Comments
Rim's phones were some of the first really popular messaging devices, and the first to really bring push services (specifically email and messaging) to the general public.
They've had a lot of issues the past couple of years, but that doesn't mean their products were never revolutionary.
That's history.
Looks like they want to stay in the secure Email server market. At least that is something the others don't excel at.
Smart move if you ask me. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Really this only helps RIM continue to do what they do best. Their phones were never revolutionary, they were just extremely reliable and now RIM is showing that it can bring that reliability to any mobile device/system.
Well, they have no choice. You know, resistance is futile and all that.
But it must gall those guys to be forced to make such accommodations for a competitor who they know full well will Eat Their Lunch.
2) My company would probably allow me to use my personal iPhone, but there ain't no way in hell I'm letting them dictate security policies on my phone. I'm also not going to carry 2 phones again. With that said, if my company wants me to access company email on the go, they'll have to develop an app that contains the company email with the security they want or allow it to be on a device of my own making.
I don't think so.
Glad my corp elected to use Good Tech
I don't get RIM. They keep going on like they are going to take on Apple and conquer the smartphone/tablet market, yet at the same time they are clearly preparing for a world where Blackberry no longer makes hardware. They've already looked into making Android and iOS BBM clients, and now the server will be compatible as well?
Why don't they just announce they are leaving the hardware market entirely and just get it over with?
I totally agree with you. BES is a big competitive advantage for BlackBerry devices. Enterprise customers like BlackBerry because of BES. If BES works for other devices, then people don't have much of a reason to buy BlackBerry phones.
Also, what's so great about the new Bold? It's the same as the old Bold except that the screen is a touchscreen and it has a keyboard, except that you have half the screen real estate that you'd normally have on full-size touchscreen phone (e.g. Droid).
it kind of telegraphs the "end of the hardware business"
Agreed. They just signed the death warrant for BlackBerry hardware.
Yeah, but their only differentiator as a company is the plastic keyboard and BBM messenger. The plastic keyboard enthusiasts are already fading fast.
Making BBM available on all platforms is actually the smart move for them and kind of the only way out if their hardware continues to not sell well. But it kills their main differentiator (BBM), so it kind of telegraphs the "end of the hardware business" or at least the beginning of the end of the hardware business.
What I'm saying is that if BBM is available on different hardware, then there is no reason for anyone to buy their hardware (because of it's relative suckage).
Totally true. But what's happening here is that companies no longer want to pay for and maintain a service- BES, that only works with BB devices. Most all business already use exchange servers, why not just use it with activesync for mobile? Recently some firms are giving into requests for offering other devices, ie iPhone. And since so many switch to or want an iPhone, firms don't see the need to continue to play for BES for only a portion of its employees with BB's. So, firms are killing their BES which means everybody has to switch to iPhone or Android and nobody can keep BB even if they want to. I believe Clorox did this and I know of another large firm that is killing BES this summer when contract expires.
The result of this is harsh. RIM loses the BES service revenue as well as all potential device sales including replacements. RIM is basically locked out now.
By offering BES for non-BB devices, corporations can still keep BES servers and just use them for all devices. Sure, RIM will lose hardware sales, but it will still retain some hardware sales in addition to the BES service revenue. This is much better than no hardware and no service revenue.