"Hello, my name is Tom and I am a former Blackberry user."
"Hello, Tom, welcome to the meeting."
"I'd like to start off by saying I became addicted to Blackberrys early in my professional career... when email was all the rage and my full QWERTY keyboard was like my own little piano. I was Chopin and my audience was my customer base - who appreciated my quick email and text responses. Those were the days. Who needed anything else? I could make phone calls, text my friends, set appointments, add contacts and with the use of our company BES (Blackberry Enterprise Server) we had an extra level of security that helped our IT staff sleep better at night (they were fully aware that some of our absent-minded employees were leaving devices in airports or dropping them in places meant for other things - problems easily resolved through the use of the BES and an attentive wireless account rep).
I started running into problems when some of my counterparts mocked me for carrying what they perceived to be an industrial-looking device. While they took delight in viewing full documents and web-pages on their new phones like the iPhone and anything Android, I struggled to view the screen on my Curve or Bold like I was 110 years old and lost my reading glasses. They downloaded new apps, while I played Brickbreaker. They watched YouTube, while I could view only a limited amount of a web page.
I persisted. I stuck by my Blackberry, like a good friend who had carried me through tough selling days and helped me to close deals. Besides, I hated touch screens for typing and loathed predictive text. No, I meant "business appointment", not "busy apples". I argued that I had moved away from using the device as a phone and primarily used it now for email and text - which the QWERTY keyboard made so easy to do.
Then the media began to echo the same sentiments that my friends and business clients had murmured - Blackberry was in trouble. It was losing market share for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the limited ability for app developers to work with their OS (Operating System). ABC News reported: "The Canadian firm posted a net loss of $US125 million for the fourth quarter to March 3, compared with a profit of $US418 million a year earlier." (March 30, 2012- "Blackberry Admits Defeat in the Consumer Market"). However, RIM's (Research in Motion) newly appointment President and Chief Executive, Thorsten Heins closed the article "I have confirmed that the company has substantial strengths that can be further leveraged to improve our financial performance, including RIM's global network infrastructure, a strong enterprise offering and a large and growing base of more than 77 million subscribers." Apparently, their intention is to shy away from the youth market and focus on their strength - the enterprise space.
While I understand RIM's stance, I'm not convinced it will sustain them over the long-haul. That youthful generation will soon become their future market and the reality is - consumers are looking for a single device that can meet their needs throughout their entire day, not just business hours. They want the ability to respond to text messages, to answer emails, set appointments, but after hours they'll play their music, download apps, look at pictures, watch videos and surf the web. In fact, faced with the prospect of carrying two devices (business phone and personal phone) consumers are opting to carry a single device and pay for their own services. According to Forester Research - 48% of employees pay for their own equipment and 40% pay for their own services. This shift away from the company assuming all costs is similar to years ago when employers were willing to pay for employees' internet services at home to help them be more productive while away from the office. Today, we pay our own way because we may use the internet as much for pleasure as we do business. Respective to wireless, the fact that an employee is willing to pay for their own services (minimum of $480 + annually) in exchange for use of their own device is testament to the infatuation/reliance consumers have to their personal phones.
From a security standpoint, I do wonder what the future will bring with operating systems that are more prone to attack than my Blackberry despite claims to the contrary. Whether it's through a downloaded app or visited website, companies need to be more proactive in their approach to protecting company data. My Blackberry in conjunction with the BES afforded a better level of encryption, but even that wasn't full-proof.
I said "wasn't" as I have since moved on to a Samsung Droid. I gave up my friend after eight years for the prospect of something sexier, more compelling. The screen is crisp and three times the size of my Bold screen, I can navigate through the device with ease, I can download far more apps (security anyone?) and admittedly I'm enjoying it. Although I have to say, I still struggle with the touch screen and predictive text. I just sent my wife a text telling her I would stop at the Supreme Matchmaker on my way home to pick up milk and bread. Hope she's still home when I get there".
Tom Huegel is a Senior Partner with the Wireless Business Group, LLC located in North Syracuse, New York. He can be reached at (315) 701-0855 or at t.huegel@wirelessbusinessgroup.com
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق