I am relieved that both Jim and Mike have shown deep emotional attachment to RIM. That is key, since management is what needs to fix the mess. As a software developer and RIM shareholder I am bullish on the future.
TOP REASONS TO LOVE RIM:
1. Great suppliers who continue to give RIM products a durability not matched by many "plastic rivals".
2. QNX, this is the diamond in RIMS future. With the launch of the PlayBook using QNX and Toyota Entune™ Multimedia System which also will use QNX, RIM's small device OS is light years ahead of Android.
3. The future is not in smart phones or tablets, the future is in highly available immersive technologies that rely network connectivity. QNX is a champ, Apple's iOS is truly aging badly and that is about to become generally apparent in the next 12 months.
4. RIM users have high loyalty for the brand, and why not? BlackBerry products consistently score best for reliability and that shows in the fact RIM is still a very very profitable company.
5. Emerging markets are embracing the RIM Products in a way not seen yet for Iphone or Android. This includes developer acceptance. (See the next point to see why).
6. OTA or over the air and RIMS underdeveloped "App World" is its blessing. Unlike say IPhone, APPS for BlackBerry can be acquired directly from the Publisher. This has a protective value for RIM and its customers because it ensures freedom to manage their smartphones as they see fit. When ATT and now O2 made the BlackBerry Bridge for Playbook unavailable, those customers were able to directly download the Application bypassing the Cellular Providers.
NOTE: APP Ecosystems are JUNK and we are about to see their decline as more and more publishers look to get back to the Browser for delivering applications. A recent peer of mine has an IPhone App with more than 14million downloads, yet when I discussed revenues, I was quick to discover that they were thus far less than $100,000. Some quick math on what Apple is taking with 30% cut and well: Yikes you can't build and empire on that.
Oh well let the sell-off begin, I'm ready to buy.
