“Qantas will replace 1300 BlackBerry phones used by employees with iPhones.”
“Oh dear. Even as Yahoo’s appointment of Marissa Mayer as its chief executive was sending an electric jolt through Silicon Valley on Monday, her husband Zachary Bogue was sending his own sort of jolt in the direction of embattled BlackBerry-maker RIM. Yes, he’s dumping it.” (He purchased an iPhone.)
“A northern California jury recently found that [RIM] infringed upon Mformation Technologies’s patent covering a remote management system for wireless devices. [RIM] must now pay $147.2 million in damages …”
How can I put this delicately? RIM, you’re in the crapper.
In case you don’t keep up on the news, Apple now owns pretty much all of the Northern Hemisphere. And most other smartphone manufacturers are pretty much are on even keel.
Which brings us to Blackberry. While red is a vibrant, brilliant color, you don’t really want to see it on your ledger. And if it should appear, it shouldn’t begin with any number followed by an unfathomable amount zeroes. In accounting jargon – “This is not a good thing.”
And I feel for you, I really do. But haven’t you noticed that you have become the technological equivalent of the Black Plague? Any Silicon Valley executive stays around only until nausea kicks in.
Perhaps it’s time to step back and reassess exactly what you do. There’s this great book, “The $100 Start-up,” written by Chris Guillebeau. It’s a must read for businesses, small or large. I kept thinking of the late Steve Jobs as I read it.
If you were asked ‘What do you sell?,” and you answered business-centric, stylish smartphones, you’d be wrong. The same question posed to Apple regarding their iPhone would illicit a response probably like, “Simplicity.”
You see, what Apple is selling is an experience, not a smartphone. People achieve that experience (simplicity) by purchasing Apple’s product (iPhone).
Do you see the difference? If not, perhaps your board members should start filling out “Greeter” applications at local WalMarts.