RIM is trying to recover from last week's disaster. They finally explained why it happened, although nobody really understood it (a software upgrade??). What I know is that our phone has been ringing uninterruptedly for days... At the end of the line, disgruntled IT Managers looking for an alternative to BlackBerry. Why do you want to lock you in with a single-point-of-failure when there is an open source alternative you can deploy in-house for zero dollars? No lock-in, open standard bases, huge community... You do the math.
Today, RIM is trying to get out of his unexpected misery with an announcement which signals more trouble. RIM is planning to roll out "Virtual BlackBerry" software for Windows Mobile 6.0 in fall. In a nutshell, it should be an icon on your WM; you click it and you enter a BlackBerry world, with all the common apps you are familiar with, if you are a BlackBerry user. I am guessing email and address book, with calendar.
Let's put aside that virtual apps usually do not work (try reproducing the push email experience on a device you do not control...) and that RIM has one of the worst developer team for client applications (good on networking, do not get me wrong, but really lacking on UI skills). Who is the target for this new fantastic app?
New customers? I do not think so. Who in the world wants to have another email client, another address book and another schedule, when you already have them in Windows Mobile? Why would I ever buy a Windows Mobile to run a virtual BlackBerry?? I would buy a BlackBerry instead...
Old customers? Are we talking about people that own a BlackBerry, that decide to throw it in the trash because the service sucks, and then move to Windows Mobile to get a virtual BlackBerry? Isn't it insane? If you realize BlackBerry sucks, you just want out of it...
OK, maybe I got it: it is for IT Managers that need to manage a transition away from RIM. Buy Windows Mobile for everyone, get the CrackBerry addicts on them, give them the same environment they are used to, then finally move them to WM as everyone else and say good bye to RIM.
Who could be pushing RIM to do this? The mobile operators...
Doesn't it sound like trouble? You are investing R&D dollars on giving Microsoft a path to take customers away from you. You are building a solution to move people on a different platform, while your revenues are all on hardware. You are pushing all the revenues on software, where you lose your lock-in...
Please keep calling, RIM is not looking good.
