Following up their BlackBerry PlayBook cartoon, the Joy of Tech is back this time taking a little shot at RIM's Co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie following last week's earnings call. It's good for a chuckle, but seriously, I agree with cartoon Mike L... Clunky BlackBerrys never became uncool! I still love my BlackBerry 8700. if they'd update that bad boy with a higher resolution screen I'd so rock the trackwheel again. Talk about a rock solid messaging device. :)
Reflecting on the past five years of CrackBerry, I can't help but almost laugh at the difference between where things were at then, where things are at now, and the change of sentiment we're seeing out there in North American media (for the most part internationally people still seem pretty stoked about BB). Back in June 2006, the month I bought the CrackBerry.com domain name, RIM announced during their quarterly earnings that they moved 1.3 mllion devices. That was awesome news to me then and I, and everybody else seemlingly, was stoked! Now in June 2011, they announce they moved over 13 million devices in a quarter and it's treated it like it's the end of the world for RIM. Sure, I'm a glass half full kind of guy, but I still think those are pretty awesome numbers in comparison to where we were when CrackBerry Nation was more like CrackBery Villlage. And CrackBerry Nation is always rooting for ya RIM, even when we do our occasional vent (like our last podcast).
Source: Joy of Tech
Reader comments
Joy of Tech takes on BlackBerry again... funny cartoon!
GOOD JAB AT RIM!!! They need it! It's a strong wake up call, if they haven't already woken up to the reality. Their new phones are waaaayyyyy overdue. Even if they come out with new phones this month, they would have already lost a fair share of their current customers looking to upgrade but being lured away by Apple and Android manufacturers who are DELIVERING!
This delay is a very serious misstep and RIM is already becoming the laughing stock of the smartphone community. RIM is taking a beating on the stock market and from financial analysts who now see their stock as underperforming. Folks are pulling them from mutual funds and other investment
I needed a new phone in January and I'm hanging onto a 2-1/2 year old phone with hope, but seriously my patience is quickly running out. Sad, but my hope is fading...
This. Is NOT funny at all
Maybe so if you can't take a joke.
I can take a joke myself, but the comic itself is not funny. Sure, I see the humor attempted, but it's cheap like the other straight-forward, lack of depth, "jokes" they illustrate. Like this: http://www.explosm.net/comics/1023/
This. Is NOT funny at all
I agree with the article and that's where RIM has problems. If 8700 never becomes uncool, how does it expect to sell newer Blackberrys?
I think RIM needs to comes up with a radical hardware and OS that is so cool that makes current line up obsolete.
To be honest, I was a Bold 9000 user and moved to 9780 2 years later only to find same functionality and marginal improvements on hardware and OS. And, that is sad.
I think this pretty much sums up the BlackBerry user experience lately.
"I think RIM needs to comes up with a radical hardware and OS that is so cool that makes current line up obsolete."
They have. Now they just need to release them and they will be right back in the game.
I love it. This cartoon really sums it up. Dumb and Dumber running a sucessful company into the ground, and doing a fine job of it. Blackberry is not going out of business by any means, but they are being put in the number 3 and maybe 4th position in the market. This is very sad for the company that invented the market, and then sat back on their laurels and watched the competition eat their breakfast, lunch, and soon to be dinner. They do have good market share in 3rd world countries mostly because of bbm. But, competition is not letting this go unnoticed and I'm sure they will come up with something that is serious competition. Apple now has imessage, but their devices are still to expensive for these markets. I'm confident someone in the sphere of andoid os will come out with something in the very near future and then it could be more doom for BB. Meanwhile, I'm following Mike & Jim's suggestion and still using my retro Bold 9000, cause it works!! However it is getting worn out and needs to be replaced but RIM does not have a better alternative. I also have a Torch but it is junk as a work phone. Maybe RIM can come up with a service to keep these antiques working!!!!
Blackberry hasnt done anything innovative since they first came out. Push Email. Now every device has it and RIM has not done anything. Their devices are so behind the competition its amazing how they still exist.
Slow reaction to a faster growing smartphone market is killing RIM. I am not an Apple fan, nor a Steve Jobs fan, but Apple reacts with speed and decisiveness to market changes. IOS 5 will fix so many complaints consumers had with the Iphone, plus a few wishes. I bet the Ipad 3 will have multitasking and finger swiping gestures. RIM still has stuff bugging consumers since OS4. Instead of fixing some stuff and moving forward with more speed, all I hear is excuse after excuse. Its carriers fault; we are waiting for faster chips that have better battery life; the playbook will get native apps and games soon. The list can go on and on. While I don't see my 9780 as an old clunker, I had to buy a second phone because I got a little tired of waiting and hoping for RIM to get better phones. I can only hope that next year I will see a brand new OS.....not an OS 6 refresh, plus some new hardware from RIM. I really hate having to have 2 phones again after 4 years with one blackberry.
The more a Blackberry looks like a Blackberry--and not in any way shape or form an iSmudge--the better. The 8800, for instance, while not old or clunky, had a great look: black, square and manly. Newer models that bring in feminine silvery curvy applejacks filigree not only appear to be aping the great Satan, but in and of themselves don't look as good as ANY of the "old clunky" models.
The space age look is for school gals and gadgetards... BlackBerry: BE BLACKBERRY and maybe you'll save the ship.
I feel like I am the only one that does not find Joy of Tech funny. I equate it to the comic Brevity and it has its place with cheap, straight-forward, "comedy." Honestly. Zero dimension to it.
Jim and Mike have been great. HAVE been great.
I think they would do very well in giving their titles over to 1 CEO and staying on as advisers. But I mean.. Who could take that responsibility?
... I'll do it!
(btw, great comic!)
Absolutely agree with ya.
A pair of HAS BEENS if ever there were. Their time is over and RIM needs new blood at the top.
My vote goes for one Kevin Michaluk.
I loved when my BB was a rock-solid device. Now my 9650 gives me hourglass writing emails.
Seriously, today I rebooted, then didn't open any apps. An hour later I write an email, and it stops for the hourglass. Only the most basic system software is running, and I'm seeing the hourglass. MY GOD, Rim! Your phones are so underpowered they can't run the OS!!!
Since I started noticing crap like this, I've moved quickly into the camp of people very frustrated with RIM.
-Stephen
And let's not mention the way the phone can't decide what reception it's got. Leave it sitting on a table, and it alternates between 3 bars and 0 bars. Yeah. SITTING IN THE SAME SPOT.
I loved BB initially because it just WORKED. Flashy? Not so much, but it worked like a Mo. Not anymore. Now it can't run the OS or the radio.
I'm really depressed about this, people! I love the basic idea of a BB, but I can't put up with this nonsense. BBs are TOOLS, and when my tools don't work...I find new tools. I don't wait a year for a new version of my tool that (might) works better to be released. That's no argument. They can't get the basics of their Current phones to work.
No kidding, it is oddly sad how many people revere these cell phone tools like they are a significant other and defend it blindly and often irrationally if someone says anything other than glowing praises for it.
It is very
It is very odd.
And that ladies and gentleman is exactly why RIM is in the shape that it is. Antiquated and out of date and slow to react.
dunno whats funnier, the cartoon or the fact the artists believe mike and jim share an office lol
...agree with cartoon. they need to update the look, dump the storm, curve, pearl, and torch design. keep the bold because far to many people like the whole "ohhh like i haz a real keyboard i can touch keys and junk". in place of the dumped phones release one phone, a slate style phone with no physical keys on the face of the device like the playbook, use gesture swipe controls for everything and make it the bugotti veyron of the mobile phone industries. give it all the bellls, whistle, looks, and make give it the absolute best hardware you can get your hands on. then put the same hardware in the bold to make it like the slates unattractive brother.
Remmeber when computers were all about hardware specs... Now look, half the consumers couldn't care less as long as they can do the things they love: surf, chat, porn. It won't take too much longer for the phones to reach that point where functions are standard and hardware doesn't matter as much. Bells, whistles... Won't make a difference in a couple years.
"It won't take too much longer for the phones to reach that point "
You are right. Phones reached that point for myself, and many others, a while ago. My 8830 did everything I wanted and the Torch does more than I need.
You nailed it. That is the touch screen phone device they need.
That is great
LoVe ur optimism, but its just a matter of time. I dont feel bad for RIM at all, they did this to themselves. While the market continued to evolve RIM's devices/OS didnt. They kept feeding us with that "well if aint broke dont fix it" bS, and everyone fell into it. If you still love ur BB thats cool and theres absolutely nothing wrong with that but dont try and front like you dont know whats about to happen them within the next few years.
I think RIM will surprise you. They are not dead yet. They are not having nearly as many problems as Nokia. There will always be room in the market for a more serious, functional phone.
Yep, anyone who thinks RIM is going to go bankrupt any time soon or be subject to a take-over is an idiot. If you have any, whatsoever basic knowledge of business/finance you would realize this. RIM is still experiencing growth, not to mention are sitting on $3 Billion in cash...with a B. Don't hold your breath on a RIM take-over. They'll rebound.
I'm surprised the Joy of Tech people put that much detail into these comics. That's actually what the Columbia/Phillip street intersection looks like behind them. Right down to the gas station/Tim Hortons. Neat!
"And CrackBerry Nation is always rooting for ya RIM, even when we vent do our occasional vent"
Agreed. Long live Blackberry! :D