Research In Motion is in slow motion competing with other players in the smartphone market – Part 3

5. Android as an option

Heins needs to make a decision and he needs to make it fast. BlackBerry 10 is still months away. And even if it was available tomorrow, the platform has little to no support from developers. Much like Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop did when he took over at Nokia, Heins might want to cut his losses with BlackBerry 10 and build BlackBerry phones using Google Android software.

The biggest benefit out of the gate is that BlackBerry users would finally get access to hundreds of thousands of apps. The apps issue shouldn’t be underestimated. Just look at Microsoft’s struggle to make Windows Phone relevant. The software has been out for more than a year, and Windows Phone has made only small gains in market share. By the time, BlackBerry 10 comes out, Apple and Android will have even more momentum. And Microsoft might have some momentum, too. Heins might want to consider cutting his losses to leverage a better established software platform.

6. Focus on the mainstream customers

Remember those suit-wearing “crackberry” addicts? The company’s rock-solid security and messaging services won the hearts and minds of executives, lawyers, bankers, and Congressional leaders. Even the President of the United States said that the Secret Service would have to pry his BlackBerry from his fingers if they threatened to take it away from him.

Somewhere along the way, RIM got lost. It lost its focus. The company needs to get back on track by once again appealing to these core business customers. But now, the company needs to realize that it’s competitors Apple and Android have redefined the market. And business phones aren’t just for emailing and messaging. People expect a lot more from their smartphones. And many really want to carry one device that can help them manage both their professional and personal lives.

If RIM is serious about a come back, it needs to go back to its roots. This means keeping aspects of its devices that its core audience love: superior QWERTY keypad, security and strong messaging services. At the same time the company needs to add elements it has been missing: a good touch screen, easy-to-use interface, plenty of apps, and a good browser.

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Posted by Usman Khalid on Jan 24 2012. Filed under Business, Sci-Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.