What makes it so very depressing is that 2013 was supposed to be the year of the big BlackBerry comeback. With the all-new Z10 and Q10 smartphones lurking behind the scenes ahead of their respective arrivals earlier this year, hope was high that Mr Heins and Co. could and would defy all expectations with a blistering success story…or two.
And it seemed to be going to plan, but as the year moved forward it became painfully clear that two smartphones alone cannot possibly have the kind of power needed to turn the tides for such a huge business in peril. What followed was the announcement of billion dollar losses, plans to sack no less than 40% of the firm’s entire workforce and confirmation form T-Mobile USA that they wouldn't be stocking BlackBerry phones ever again.
Painful stuff to say the least.
But these haven’t been the only nails in the once-RIM’s coffin and nor are they the latest. Just this week, we’ve now been passed confirmation that the biggest mobile phone network in all of Canada – the firm’s home turf – will not be stocking the new BlackBerry Z30. The device that will in all likelihood be the firm’s tragic swan song – at least in its current capacity anyway – has been described by Rogers bosses as too niche to be of any real interest to its customers.
What BlackBerry appears to be doing with the Z30 is trying to appeal to something of a hardcore business and productivity crowd, by offering a device that’s not only of no real interest to the average consumer, but also way too expensive. Sadly, what this amounts to is ruling out the millions of sales that could have been generated by coming up with something that did indeed appeal to the masses and could be afforded by them.
From the moment the Z30 was announced, most of us were grimacing behind gripped fingers. Considering that this will not only be the company’s flagship but also the device that could determine how fast things fall apart or otherwise, the idea of a dual-core processor and a 720p HD touchscreen should have been ludicrous for such a device. But no – it’s a sort-of upper-mid-range smartphone that’s essentially no different from the Z10, apart from its screen size.
So does it really come as any surprise that BlackBerry is crumbling before our very eyes? Not for a minute, but it also doesn't make it any less tragic to watch what was once one of the world’s most impressive pioneers being effectively destroyed by the competition.
Time is running out for BlackBerry to stage a comeback, if it’s even possible at all at this stage.
By Lisa Morton
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