RIM Struggles to Compete with Apple & Google
There’s no doubt that recent reports of RIM’s recent launches and positioning as a company shows the struggle it has to maintain relevancy in a world dominated by Apple and seeing large segments of market share also get eaten up by Google. In both cases, the competition is offering more than what RIM currently has on its side and it aims to make changes, but is it too late?
After Google acquired AdMob, and Apple acquared Quattro, now known as the iAd platform, RIM is actively seeking a company to add to its arsenal of offerings to make their Blackberry platform seem more appealing to users. Unfortuately, according to AppleInsider, Millenial, the company they are looking at, looks to remain independent, not wanting to be exclusive to RIM and lose out on its offerings to the Apple platform. It’s a tough place to be no doubt, and while RIM may have scoffed at Millenial’s request of 400-500 million as the price of acquisition, they are only looking to cover their costs in possible lost revenue from no longer being able to offer anything to Apple’s products.
At this point, RIM needs a hail mary play to stay in the game it seems. They’ve been unable to match Apple’s extensive growth and Google’s Android phones have taken over as Verizon’s flagship phones, a spot once held by Blackberry. The BlackBerry Storm, Storm2, and the recent debut of the BlackBerry Torch, which reportedly shipped just 150,000 units at launch, all consistent failures in terms of sales. Globally RIM has suffered a slip in market share from 19.1 to 17.8 percent.
It will be interesting to see where things go. I don’t wish RIM to fall off the planet; I’m a firm believer in the spirit of competition and understand that it’s the only way to keep companies innovating. If you’re a Blackberry user, I’d love to hear why you switched or why you stay loyal. Leave a comment below.
