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RIM Responds to Apple’s ‘Distortion Field’

42 points by clark-kent 16y ago

jsz0 16y ago
He's doing a little reality distortion of his own here. Not a single RIM device on the market supports Flash 10 including the new BB Torch. It's a bit strange to call out a competitor for lacking something you also do not have. He's dangerously close to suggesting you go buy an Android phone instead.
- gecko 16y ago
  "Dangerously close"? I think he just did. Well, in fairness, he might've told me to buy the new Samsung tablet or a Palm Pre 2. Just...not a BlackBerry.
- sprout 16y ago
  He didn't say RIM has any of those things. He just said that he's not going to pretend they're unimportant or even actively bad choices just because he hasn't implemented them (which is precisely what Apple does, and why I think they rightly deserve criticism for distorting reality.) It's one thing to say that they made some trade offs in designing the iPad, and the screen size is clearly a good choice. It's another thing to claim that 7" screens are categorically a bad design choice, which is just absurd.
  - tjogin 16y ago
    If Flash on a mobile device is important, why haven't they implemented that themselves? Actions speak louder than words.
    - potatolicious 16y ago
      To be fair, what he could be saying is that the BlackBerry (and iOS) internet experience sucks right now, and he's trying to fix that with the Playbook. On the other hand, looking at the progress of Flash on mobiles (read: lack thereof, and the completely pathetic state it's in), it's pretty bloody unlikely that RIM will be fielding anything that isn't horrifyingly broken by the time the Playbook launches. So, at best, Jim Balsillie will be launching a painfully, horribly broken version of the "real internet experience".
dasil003 16y ago
It probably makes them feel better that they responded, but is anyone actually listening?
jat850 16y ago
I'm not sure how Jim Balsilie is ever, ever allowed to make a public statement of any kind, or why PR representatives around him don't reign him in a bit. Anyone who follows hockey news has probably seen him in action in the same light, rubbing a lot of people the wrong way, and I honestly can't understand why those around him don't protect him from himself a bit. (edit: spelling)
frou_dh 16y ago
RIM's fake-ass promo video for their upcoming tablet, the Playbook, might also be considered distortion of the reality of that product.
lzw 16y ago
Well, since Jim has taken it upon himself to speak on my behalf ("developers want more options ") allow me to rebut: No, Jim. Developers do not want more options. Developers want a well engineered, single platform with excellent development tools and support, so that their code can target hundreds of millions of devices without any customization. Specifically, developers do not want more "options", because every "option", which from what I can tell is code for yet-another-me-too-iPhone ripoff with a random screen size and configuration and very limited storage capacity means an order of magnitude more headaches for anyone doing anything more significant than a twitter client (excluding, of course, the really well designed twitter clients who would also have this problem, such as twitteriffic.) Developers want an appstore with reliable terms. Developers don't want to pay outrageous fees for the "privilege" of selling software on your platform. You may have reformed, by copying apple's better terms, but at least this developer-- who you purport to speak for-- remembers when your terms were disgustingly hostile. Some developers have a memory. Developers want a store where there are a lot of customers, happy to buy apps, and happy to do business with us. I can't count the number of happy letters I've gotten from satisfied customers. As a developer, I recognize that, while you may copy the appstore, and provide an SDK, you are not providing a developer experience anywhere close to the one Apple provides. Higher quality tools mean higher quality products and more letters from satisfied customers, and lower developer stress. What me-too products don't understand is that Apple products are not popular because they look good (the easiest thing for you to copy) they are popular because they work well. IF you're serious about developers, (and this goes for android as well) you'll start making good developer tools. I do find it hilarious that people try to bash Apple by talking about how Apple doesn't have flash on their platform. How does? As far as I know adobe still hasn't managed to deliver a version of flash for mobile devices that doesn't suck, and it has been half a year since Steve called them out for it. As to "customers want to fully access the overwhelming majority of web sites that use Flash", I have flash blocked in my browser, so this consumer doesn't want access to flash. I must also be navigating the web very carefully since the "overwhelming majority of websites" don't seem to have any flash on them at all! "We think many customers are getting tired of being told what to think by Apple. " Apple has never told me what to think. Apple has simply told me what they think. You are now purporting to tell others what I think, without doing the courtesy of contacting me. "even people inside the distortion field will begin to resent being told half a story." I've been a fan of Apple since I got an Apple II nearly 30 years ago, and I am pretty sure I first heard the phrase "reality distortion field" sometime in the 1980s. Yet the reality is, I've never heard Apple distort anything. Apple has never promised me a product that didn't live up to the hype. Apple has never blatantly ripped off another companies product and pretended like they were innovating, like you have, RIMM. But of course, what is so great about the "reality distortion field" phrase is that it is designed to denigrate and marginalize anyone who thinks different. Anyone who appreciates the extra-ordinary, and apparently beyond duplication effort of Apple to deliver a great customer experience is just a cult member incapable of thinking. So, you'd have us believe that this reality distortion field has caused us to break with the majority, and go seek out a company that your kind has spent decades saying is a failure? Was I imagining it yesterday when an Apple employee went above and beyond the call of duty to fix an issue for me that he didn't have to? Was it Steve's "reality distortion field" that has left me unhappy and feeling dissatisfied with so many competitor products that were purported, and even pretended to be the same thing? For instance, your poor quoality touch screen devices that you design to look like the iPhone but then cheap out on the hardware and software so it works nothing like the iphone. Who was it engaging in distortion of reality, again? One thing I will say about RIMM. You did a fantastic job when you named your company. Perfect name. Don't ever change it.
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
corin_ 16y ago
I love RIM, I've been a blackberry fan for years and they're the only phones I want to use (currently have two Bold 9700s and one Bold 9000). But... a.) Jobs pointlessly decided to bash a few rivals in his speech on Monday, which I thought made him look pretty petty (roughly speaking I agree with the author of http://www.betanews.com/joewilcox/article/What-is-Steve-Jobs-so-afraid-of/1287515970 http://www.betanews.com/joewilcox/article/What-is-Steve-Jobs... though I wouldn't make the conclusion that his comments mean he is 'afraid'). Why did Balsillie have to jump in the same boat, rather than taking the high road and letting Apple have this argument all to themselves? b.) "We think many customers are getting tired of being told what to think by Apple. And by the way, [here's what you should actually think]." Really? Was that written by a 12 year old? c.) "We know that 7inch tablets will actually be a big portion of the market." Just saying the opposite of what someone else said isn't an argument... d.) As much as I love everything about their phones... developing for them sucks. Hell, I don't think I've ever heard an opinion of a developer who prefered creating BB apps over iPhone apps. So why are they claiming to be the champion of developers? As much as I love this company and their products, reading this blog made me cringe, and not in a good way. edit: On a positive note, they slightly redeemed themselves by the fact that comments on that blog need to be approved before becomming visible, and they haven't decided to censor comments such as "Forbes should instate a new award category: Most Arrogant CEO of the decade. No points for guessing who the winner would be..."
froo 16y ago
TDLR: RIM -> Jobs "7 inches is enough"
superk 16y ago
"And by the way, RIM has achieved record shipments for five consecutive quarters and recently shared guidance of 13.8 – 14.4 million BlackBerry smartphones for the current quarter." What does shared guidance even mean? And why doesn't he know whether the number is 13.8 or 14.4 - a small 600,000 discrepancy?

42 points by clark-kent 16y ago

jsz0 16y ago

He's doing a little reality distortion of his own here. Not a single RIM device on the market supports Flash 10 including the new BB Torch. It's a bit strange to call out a competitor for lacking something you also do not have. He's dangerously close to suggesting you go buy an Android phone instead.

gecko 16y ago
"Dangerously close"? I think he just did. Well, in fairness, he might've told me to buy the new Samsung tablet or a Palm Pre 2. Just...not a BlackBerry.
sprout 16y ago
He didn't say RIM has any of those things. He just said that he's not going to pretend they're unimportant or even actively bad choices just because he hasn't implemented them (which is precisely what Apple does, and why I think they rightly deserve criticism for distorting reality.) It's one thing to say that they made some trade offs in designing the iPad, and the screen size is clearly a good choice. It's another thing to claim that 7" screens are categorically a bad design choice, which is just absurd.
- tjogin 16y ago
  If Flash on a mobile device is important, why haven't they implemented that themselves? Actions speak louder than words.
  - potatolicious 16y ago
    To be fair, what he could be saying is that the BlackBerry (and iOS) internet experience sucks right now, and he's trying to fix that with the Playbook. On the other hand, looking at the progress of Flash on mobiles (read: lack thereof, and the completely pathetic state it's in), it's pretty bloody unlikely that RIM will be fielding anything that isn't horrifyingly broken by the time the Playbook launches. So, at best, Jim Balsillie will be launching a painfully, horribly broken version of the "real internet experience".

dasil003 16y ago

It probably makes them feel better that they responded, but is anyone actually listening?

jat850 16y ago

I'm not sure how Jim Balsilie is ever, ever allowed to make a public statement of any kind, or why PR representatives around him don't reign him in a bit. Anyone who follows hockey news has probably seen him in action in the same light, rubbing a lot of people the wrong way, and I honestly can't understand why those around him don't protect him from himself a bit. (edit: spelling)

frou_dh 16y ago

RIM's fake-ass promo video for their upcoming tablet, the Playbook, might also be considered distortion of the reality of that product.

lzw 16y ago

Well, since Jim has taken it upon himself to speak on my behalf ("developers want more options ") allow me to rebut: No, Jim. Developers do not want more options. Developers want a well engineered, single platform with excellent development tools and support, so that their code can target hundreds of millions of devices without any customization. Specifically, developers do not want more "options", because every "option", which from what I can tell is code for yet-another-me-too-iPhone ripoff with a random screen size and configuration and very limited storage capacity means an order of magnitude more headaches for anyone doing anything more significant than a twitter client (excluding, of course, the really well designed twitter clients who would also have this problem, such as twitteriffic.) Developers want an appstore with reliable terms. Developers don't want to pay outrageous fees for the "privilege" of selling software on your platform. You may have reformed, by copying apple's better terms, but at least this developer-- who you purport to speak for-- remembers when your terms were disgustingly hostile. Some developers have a memory. Developers want a store where there are a lot of customers, happy to buy apps, and happy to do business with us. I can't count the number of happy letters I've gotten from satisfied customers. As a developer, I recognize that, while you may copy the appstore, and provide an SDK, you are not providing a developer experience anywhere close to the one Apple provides. Higher quality tools mean higher quality products and more letters from satisfied customers, and lower developer stress. What me-too products don't understand is that Apple products are not popular because they look good (the easiest thing for you to copy) they are popular because they work well. IF you're serious about developers, (and this goes for android as well) you'll start making good developer tools. I do find it hilarious that people try to bash Apple by talking about how Apple doesn't have flash on their platform. How does? As far as I know adobe still hasn't managed to deliver a version of flash for mobile devices that doesn't suck, and it has been half a year since Steve called them out for it. As to "customers want to fully access the overwhelming majority of web sites that use Flash", I have flash blocked in my browser, so this consumer doesn't want access to flash. I must also be navigating the web very carefully since the "overwhelming majority of websites" don't seem to have any flash on them at all! "We think many customers are getting tired of being told what to think by Apple. " Apple has never told me what to think. Apple has simply told me what they think. You are now purporting to tell others what I think, without doing the courtesy of contacting me. "even people inside the distortion field will begin to resent being told half a story." I've been a fan of Apple since I got an Apple II nearly 30 years ago, and I am pretty sure I first heard the phrase "reality distortion field" sometime in the 1980s. Yet the reality is, I've never heard Apple distort anything. Apple has never promised me a product that didn't live up to the hype. Apple has never blatantly ripped off another companies product and pretended like they were innovating, like you have, RIMM. But of course, what is so great about the "reality distortion field" phrase is that it is designed to denigrate and marginalize anyone who thinks different. Anyone who appreciates the extra-ordinary, and apparently beyond duplication effort of Apple to deliver a great customer experience is just a cult member incapable of thinking. So, you'd have us believe that this reality distortion field has caused us to break with the majority, and go seek out a company that your kind has spent decades saying is a failure? Was I imagining it yesterday when an Apple employee went above and beyond the call of duty to fix an issue for me that he didn't have to? Was it Steve's "reality distortion field" that has left me unhappy and feeling dissatisfied with so many competitor products that were purported, and even pretended to be the same thing? For instance, your poor quoality touch screen devices that you design to look like the iPhone but then cheap out on the hardware and software so it works nothing like the iphone. Who was it engaging in distortion of reality, again? One thing I will say about RIMM. You did a fantastic job when you named your company. Perfect name. Don't ever change it.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

corin_ 16y ago

I love RIM, I've been a blackberry fan for years and they're the only phones I want to use (currently have two Bold 9700s and one Bold 9000). But... a.) Jobs pointlessly decided to bash a few rivals in his speech on Monday, which I thought made him look pretty petty (roughly speaking I agree with the author of http://www.betanews.com/joewilcox/article/What-is-Steve-Jobs-so-afraid-of/1287515970 http://www.betanews.com/joewilcox/article/What-is-Steve-Jobs... though I wouldn't make the conclusion that his comments mean he is 'afraid'). Why did Balsillie have to jump in the same boat, rather than taking the high road and letting Apple have this argument all to themselves? b.) "We think many customers are getting tired of being told what to think by Apple. And by the way, [here's what you should actually think]." Really? Was that written by a 12 year old? c.) "We know that 7inch tablets will actually be a big portion of the market." Just saying the opposite of what someone else said isn't an argument... d.) As much as I love everything about their phones... developing for them sucks. Hell, I don't think I've ever heard an opinion of a developer who prefered creating BB apps over iPhone apps. So why are they claiming to be the champion of developers? As much as I love this company and their products, reading this blog made me cringe, and not in a good way. edit: On a positive note, they slightly redeemed themselves by the fact that comments on that blog need to be approved before becomming visible, and they haven't decided to censor comments such as "Forbes should instate a new award category: Most Arrogant CEO of the decade. No points for guessing who the winner would be..."

froo 16y ago

TDLR: RIM -> Jobs "7 inches is enough"

superk 16y ago

"And by the way, RIM has achieved record shipments for five consecutive quarters and recently shared guidance of 13.8 – 14.4 million BlackBerry smartphones for the current quarter." What does shared guidance even mean? And why doesn't he know whether the number is 13.8 or 14.4 - a small 600,000 discrepancy?