Good things come to those who wait.
But how long is too long to wait?
In this day of hi-tech, marketing and media blitzes, its easy to make the masses want everything now! This is what i believe made RIM years ago so successful. And whats killing them now. We all want it NOW. Thats the key word. Now. Thats all the masses care about. It can become total crap later but its ok to them. Its like the old saying "patience is a virtue. Good things come to those who wait". Well my good people, i live in NYC. I was born here. I'm one to agree that theres nothing faster than a New York minute. But at risk of throwing in one more cliché, "Rome wasnt built in a day".
This year at CES, RIM is showcasing the next OS update for the BlackBerry PlayBook, OS 2.0. And ima tell you, from all the reviews, videos, and some turnaround views by previous PB bashers, this can be a great 2012 for RIM. Its just all about timing.
Even the New York Yankees went through their times of hardships (1980's).
I'm seeing the ridicules of RIMs presence at CES. The size and location of their booth. The rumors of PB discontinuing, bankruptcy and/or sale. The overall view of them playing catch up. Granted, delays have cost RIM credibility, but wasn't it RIM that started it all basically? Isnt Rim still aroind with its 75 million users worldwide. Welcome to America, pals. Where media and socially trendy fabs rule. And its working for Apple.
RIMs stake in CES this year, however small it may be, shows me that the RIMpire is about to strike back! (I loved it when Crackberry Kevin of Crackberry.com came up with that!). They seem to be taking a new approach and i hope they stick with it. Whats he approach? Well, with all the negative publicity, and the delays, and the promises that comes way later than told, they may have taken a few tips from the ancient texts of Master Sun Tzu:
"A military operation involves deception. Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective."
Theres a reason why "The Art of War" is required reading in many asian-based companies. Its not just about war. It can also be about smart business.
RIM knows how they are perceived. They know marketing can be a huge factor. And marketing is something they have been lacking. Hence, Apple's 10" monstrosity of an iTouch. In today's age, if people cant recognize it, they mostly wont care. Everyone knows Apple. Everyone recognizes one out on the streets and on the subways. No one spots the android tablets nor the PlayBooks. But ive learned that the experience of using either of those to are far more productive and enjoyable compared to the iPad. No one cares about the iPads beginning to collect dust as the PB starts to chug down the railroad of success. Does one not remember "antennae-gate" of the iPhone not long ago? Nope. They'd rather focus on "no native email" on the PB and call it junk. They are having too much "fun" listening to their iPod, surfing on their iPad while on their iPhones talking to their carrier's customer service wondering why their bill is way higher this month because they HAD to download that app that makes their poo smell likes roses. Do they know what one can do with just BB and a PlayBook? Or how thats about to get better? They compliment each other, working as one, tonalways stay in touch and connected. Sure you can teather via bluetooth, but will your device's emails and such get pushed to your tablet? If your listening to music on it while reading an ebook will you hear your phone go off when you get a call? Will a pop up window appear on your tablet showing whos calling your phone? Yes, these are just a few of the small, but appreciated features the PB has now, and will expand on even more with 2.0. Ill be able to use my BBs physical keyboard to type on the PB soon. Ill be able to use the apps from Android soon. In fact, during a recent debate i was having with a friend about which is better, my PlayBook or his iPad, he stopped BBM-ing me, (yes, this debate happened on BBM!!!!), when i told him while he can record in 720p HD, i can record on 1080!
I see Android as great for a few reasons. Like Rim, they try to cater to individuals. Different handsets, tablets and formfactors. Marketing thats just right and just enough. "this is what we have, this is what you can do". Apps one can use and not just to make fart sounds. And the homescreen widgets are cool and usefull. Neither BB nor Apple has this. Android came out of the gates as the everyday user OS. But it lacks things that can add productivity that can make it a true "smartphone". Apple claims to do both, but all I hear from iPhone/Pad users i know are complaints. Email too slow, phone bills getting higher the more they use it. Heres a good one i hear "I can do a lot of things at once". Blackberry has had multitasking for as long as anyone can remember. And its not just for business people. Do you know that i personally have watched hundreds of hours of shows and movies and listened to massive amounts of music with BB? And communication. Everything is in real time. Its not just what you can do but how you can do it? Inwatched a techcrunch vid from this years CES that was not only hilarious, but from a reporting standpoint, quite unprofessional and very misunderstood. One of their reporters along with someone who was obviously very drunk, desided to check out the Blackberry booth. While walking their, they begin to tease in their own way how they must be doing bad because of the size and location of their booth. While asking the RIM rep about the showcased PB OS 2.0, the drunk "gentleman" quirked that no sales of the PB are present. Has he not seen the numbers in recent months? While the rep began to explain the native messaging app and its integration, the quick mention of the word twitter, made the ignorant gentleman jump and say that he can twitter from his iPhone. Um, he does know you can also access twitter from a basic cell phone right? The whole industry now is not about what you can do but how. And the new OS 2.0 not only puts all of those features(linkedin, twitter, email,etc) in one native app, but you wont have to even leave that app to go into the source's app! If you get a message on twitter for example, you can read it, and respond, without ever having to leave that app and go into twitter! Not even the BB phones can do that yet! Add that with BB Bridge for the ones coming from the device adds to the unification of what RIM wants between their tablet and smartphones. And that unification is only the beginning of the potential of their products and its almost limitless.
Overall, I see RIM finally focusing on doing and not just promising. While Apple floods the sheeple with apps for nothing usefull and overbloated excess, RIM will be building an infrastructure around it tablet so "Star Trek Borg-like", that even the Apple faithful will be saying "resistance is futile" while theyre purchasing new RIM devices. Like the PlayBook.
....and being able to put their new tablet in a pocket. Like the way tablets were first imagined!!!!
Now i dont know about you, but im willing to wait a couple of NY minutes to be happy in the long run.
Btw, as I wrote this using my PlayBook, ive read countless emails, had 2 BBM convos, one involving looking up directions on google maps, and got to ignore a call on my BB, all with my BB never leaving my pocket!!! Thats what i call thinking different, and all with my PlayBook!
