I launched the first blackberry for a leading Canadian Operator back in 2003 as a product specialist. I was so much in love with this device that I ended up getting an ulcer due to lack of sleep and stress to be a perfectionist and almost 20 hours of work each day for several months….So much has changed over the last 12 years…..we saw the rise and fall of one of the greatest technology stories of Canada. The topic today is whether Blackberry sucks and with almost 1% global market share what is in store for this brand. Should we get over and agree with Knowlton? As users and opinion makers – Your opinion matters to put things in perspective for all of us. So I highly encourage you to comment.

              I love the start of the article by Knowlton……Those who shout the loudest often have the least to say. But I don’t agree with this comment – yes Blackberry has been shouting but they have effectively re-positioned themselves to be an enterprise player only which was there key to success initially. The question is whether this is the right strategy with things like BYOD (Bring your own device), MDM (Mobile Device Management), Application Management and other several other security products in market today. Most importantly, most enterprise globally are under duress to cut costs and improve productivity. Is security such a huge play anymore with so many options. What trumps – security, design, price, features, ease of use??

              Jacob Serebrin’s article,Falling Out of Love with Blackberry, tells the tale of a man once mightly impressed with the Canadian brand’s smartphones, only to realize that today, better options for consumers at exist. True that Haters are shouting loud and clear.

            The first “smartphone” I ever got my hands on was a BlackBerry 5000 series. I still have it in my cupboard as one of the 25 products I launched in last 12 years for an operator. Glorified feature phone though it was, I decided, at the time, and gave me the email and phone capability – I found it to be the coolest thing ever. I then got the iDEN capable Blackberry 6510. The first smartphone I bought was a Torch. After switching to an iPhone 3 which is another device i launced for an operator on the B2B side, I dabbled with a Andriod Samsung S3 briefly before trying a Z10, which I used for six months.

           Now, under CEO John Chen, BlackBerry is pursuing, albeit half-heartedly, the enterprise side of things (as it should, in my opinion). The other ship sailed a long time ago, and Chen knows this.

             Currently, I own an iPhone 6 Plus. Am I satisfied with it – NO – as the screen broke on me despite having a protection and I have visited their Apple Store atleast three times to find they don’t have the machine to replace the glass on the screen. Will I switch to another phone if it gives me the features I am looking for. Absolutely.

            For me – I used to be an enterprise stakeholder but I have a different perspective since leaving my job – I’m an educated consumer and a previous user of Blackberry. I do marketing and technology consulting and implementation for a living. I’ve tried every smartphone out there, and I’ve used multiple BlackBerry’s as my primary mobile device for years. I’ve been following BlackBerry closely for more than half a decade. No one can say I haven’t given the company’s products a fair shake. I cared enough about BlackBerry to get an ulcer for it, launch it, defend it, to justify my ownership of its products, to believe in its future. The question for me today after seeing the article from Knowlton Thomas is whether I agree and you agree with his comments.

           See, here’s the question for consumers and enterprise users, Does BlackBerry really suck?  Is RIM sinking? Does it have a chance to recover to its past glory? Has the ship sailed? Would love your opinion and thoughts on this?

Sincerely Marketing Technology consultant, Technology Marketing Implementation Expert, Consumer, Small Business Owner and ex- Enterprise.