4 ms·

It's almost sad watching RIM flounder and thrash around so sadly. It's kind of like watching a coworker slowly succumb to dementia. Although, in an odd way tha

It's almost sad watching RIM flounder and thrash around so sadly. It's kind of like watching a coworker slowly succumb to dementia. Although, in an odd way that clashes with the metaphor, it is kind of enjoyable watching them crash and burn.

astrodust 15y ago
Maybe they'll go as whack crazy as Corel and buy a stadium or a football team, then forget about making phones altogether!
cryptoz 15y ago
> it is kind of enjoyable watching them crash and burn. I have very much enjoyed watching their fall...it's a strong case of schadenfreude. For some reason, their refusal or inability to innovate has me giddy. I suppose they represent (to me) a large corporation run by old guys who don't "get it" - and they're failing. Microsoft is in the same boat, but it's tougher (only slightly) to argue that they are falling. I'm halfway through this bag of metaphorical popcorn, I hope I don't run out before RIM dies completely.
- mitchty 15y ago
  Somewhat agree, but more due to my frustration in general with RIM products. Their user interface was completely abhorrent. If there is at least one thing that the iPhone ushered in, it was to demonstrate that the ability to use it without some arcane "click on the wonky button with 9 dots, then go to settings, obscure word that has nothing to do with fonts, pixel depth or some other odd entry" path will likely succeed. I cannot stand using my blackberry to do anything substantial as it just seems to want to discourage me from using it. I can't imagine how these devices appear to a non-techie.
  - jarek 15y ago
    BTW the button has 7 dots... and buttons on RIM products in general aren't and weren't wonky.
    - mitchty 15y ago
      I couldn't remember how many dots there were, but I'll disagree about my perceived "wonkiness" of their buttons. I much much much prefer touchscreens, but thats mainly due to personal preference and needs to type things like /, diacritics, umlauts, etc...
- dredmorbius 15y ago
  You'll be happy to hear that I've just invested in a metaphorical popcorn maker.
technoslut 15y ago
>it is kind of enjoyable watching them crash and burn I always temper that emotion with the knowledge that many are going to lose their jobs because of two incompetent CEOs.
- montecarl 15y ago
  Those employees are wasting there time. If you work for a company that should go out of business and it doesn't (or takes a very long time to) then you are wasting your time producing a product that isn't valued by the market. I want to make things that people need/want.
  - technoslut 15y ago
    It's not like there is a terrific economic climate. These people have families to think about, saving up for retirement and paying the bills. People that depend on them. This is real life. Not all of us get to have our own successful startup or become the next Jobs, Gates, Bezos or Zuckerberg. It's very easy to assume you know what people want. The four people I mentioned above were as much a success because of timing as much as they were because of their genius.
    - ghshephard 15y ago
      Well - except for the fact that Jobs was successful over, and over and over (Apple Round 1, Pixar, Apple Round 2) - and took over Apple at a time when it looked like it's best days were behind it. I'd suggest that Jobs was successful with Apple Round 2 _despite_ his timing.
lambersley 15y ago
>enjoyable watching them crash and burn. As a Canadian, technology enthusiast and former RIM employee, it actually saddens me. A company with so much potential, so much talent quickly fading into the mist. I wouldn't mind seeing Jim B removed and Mike L as Chairman of the Board. The shake-up they desparately need must occur at the top level. In the most recent layoffs, I've had friends and former colleagues in mid-management and lower positions let go. I'm not sure who thought that was an effective strategy to turn the company around. FAIL!
- bmelton 15y ago
  There's a difference between turning the company around and buying enough runway to do it in. RIM's profits are down, due to the fact that they aren't selling as many devices as they used to. This means they don't need as many people to make and support the devices, as well as that they don't have as much money to keep paying them to do things that aren't needed. Layoffs are always a touchy subject, and the corporate adage is usually that they have to challenge the remaining employees to "do more with less". The unspoken side of that is that they honestly don't have as much to do as they did before, and so in reality, they're doing the same with the same, proportionally.

astrodust 15y ago

Maybe they'll go as whack crazy as Corel and buy a stadium or a football team, then forget about making phones altogether!

cryptoz 15y ago

> it is kind of enjoyable watching them crash and burn. I have very much enjoyed watching their fall...it's a strong case of schadenfreude. For some reason, their refusal or inability to innovate has me giddy. I suppose they represent (to me) a large corporation run by old guys who don't "get it" - and they're failing. Microsoft is in the same boat, but it's tougher (only slightly) to argue that they are falling. I'm halfway through this bag of metaphorical popcorn, I hope I don't run out before RIM dies completely.

mitchty 15y ago
Somewhat agree, but more due to my frustration in general with RIM products. Their user interface was completely abhorrent. If there is at least one thing that the iPhone ushered in, it was to demonstrate that the ability to use it without some arcane "click on the wonky button with 9 dots, then go to settings, obscure word that has nothing to do with fonts, pixel depth or some other odd entry" path will likely succeed. I cannot stand using my blackberry to do anything substantial as it just seems to want to discourage me from using it. I can't imagine how these devices appear to a non-techie.
- jarek 15y ago
  BTW the button has 7 dots... and buttons on RIM products in general aren't and weren't wonky.
  - mitchty 15y ago
    I couldn't remember how many dots there were, but I'll disagree about my perceived "wonkiness" of their buttons. I much much much prefer touchscreens, but thats mainly due to personal preference and needs to type things like /, diacritics, umlauts, etc...
dredmorbius 15y ago
You'll be happy to hear that I've just invested in a metaphorical popcorn maker.

technoslut 15y ago

>it is kind of enjoyable watching them crash and burn I always temper that emotion with the knowledge that many are going to lose their jobs because of two incompetent CEOs.

montecarl 15y ago
Those employees are wasting there time. If you work for a company that should go out of business and it doesn't (or takes a very long time to) then you are wasting your time producing a product that isn't valued by the market. I want to make things that people need/want.
- technoslut 15y ago
  It's not like there is a terrific economic climate. These people have families to think about, saving up for retirement and paying the bills. People that depend on them. This is real life. Not all of us get to have our own successful startup or become the next Jobs, Gates, Bezos or Zuckerberg. It's very easy to assume you know what people want. The four people I mentioned above were as much a success because of timing as much as they were because of their genius.
  - ghshephard 15y ago
    Well - except for the fact that Jobs was successful over, and over and over (Apple Round 1, Pixar, Apple Round 2) - and took over Apple at a time when it looked like it's best days were behind it. I'd suggest that Jobs was successful with Apple Round 2 _despite_ his timing.

lambersley 15y ago

>enjoyable watching them crash and burn. As a Canadian, technology enthusiast and former RIM employee, it actually saddens me. A company with so much potential, so much talent quickly fading into the mist. I wouldn't mind seeing Jim B removed and Mike L as Chairman of the Board. The shake-up they desparately need must occur at the top level. In the most recent layoffs, I've had friends and former colleagues in mid-management and lower positions let go. I'm not sure who thought that was an effective strategy to turn the company around. FAIL!

bmelton 15y ago
There's a difference between turning the company around and buying enough runway to do it in. RIM's profits are down, due to the fact that they aren't selling as many devices as they used to. This means they don't need as many people to make and support the devices, as well as that they don't have as much money to keep paying them to do things that aren't needed. Layoffs are always a touchy subject, and the corporate adage is usually that they have to challenge the remaining employees to "do more with less". The unspoken side of that is that they honestly don't have as much to do as they did before, and so in reality, they're doing the same with the same, proportionally.