Techdirt. Stories about "blackberry" Easily digestible tech news... http://www.techdirt.com/ en-us Techdirt. Stories about "blackberry"http://www.techdirt.com/images/td-88x31.gifhttp://www.techdirt.com/ Fri, 3 May 2013 05:11:00 PDT Blackberry CEO Predicts Tablets Will Be Obsolete In Five Years Mike Masnick http://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20130502/09425322915/blackberry-ceo-predicts-tablets-will-be-obsolete-five-years.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20130502/09425322915/blackberry-ceo-predicts-tablets-will-be-obsolete-five-years.shtml didn't really want iPads, but that they craved the Surface much more instead. While you have to respect a CEO believing strongly in his own company's product, there's also something to be said for CEOs who can be realistic. It seems that Blackberry CEO Thorsten Heins is going the Ballmer route on tablets. In a move that appears to be an attempt to pre-defend the company's likely exit from the tablet market (which has not gone well for Blackberry), Heins argues not that Blackberry screwed up, but rather than the market for tablets is dying:
“In five years I don’t think there’ll be a reason to have a tablet anymore,” Heins said in an interview yesterday at the Milken Institute conference in Los Angeles. “Maybe a big screen in your workspace, but not a tablet as such. Tablets themselves are not a good business model.”
That's the sound of denial that you're hearing. It is actually okay for a CEO to admit that his company screwed up (especially when, as in this case, he can dump some of the blame on its strategy on the previous leadership). But to argue that the need for tablets is going away without a more detailed explanation? That just sounds like rationalizing.

To be clear, I could easily see a world in which a tablet does become obsolete, but it would likely be one where we see a rise of eye-displays like Google Glass or further advances beyond that -- and there's no indication that that is the direction that Heins is taking Blackberry. Instead, this just looks like him covering up for the failure of Blackberry to offer a compelling product by claiming that the whole space is going to go away.

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]]> i'd-bet-more-on-him-being-obsolete-by-then http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20130502/09425322915 Fri, 1 Feb 2013 09:44:39 PST Still A Dumb Trend: Pop Star Endorsements Pretending To Be 'Creative Directors' Mike Masnick http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130131/01412021836/still-dumb-trend-pop-star-endorsements-pretending-to-be-creative-directors.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130131/01412021836/still-dumb-trend-pop-star-endorsements-pretending-to-be-creative-directors.shtml mocked the ridiculous trend of big companies hiring famous pop stars as "creative directors." Polaroid had hired Lady Gaga to be "creative director" while Intel had named Will.i.am as "director of creative innovation." The latest example of this trend is Blackberry (they're no longer RIM!) announcing that known iPhone user Alicia Keys has been "hired" as "Global Creative Director." She claimed that she'll be working with app developers and providing various ideas.

As we said two years ago, it is a good thing that celebrity endorsers actually become more involved with the products they're endorsing, but it's somewhat insulting to suggest that these pop stars are actually being hired on as "creative directors." In fact, it's insulting to actual creative directors and the amazing work that they do on a daily basis. The value from a Lady Gaga, Will.i.am or Alicia Keys is in the publicity they bring, not in any sort of creative direction they provide (if any). It's also insulting to the intelligence of the public and the press who follow these things. If these were, say, music services, the position might be real, but in the three most high profile cases, it seems abundantly clear that this is just a way to make an endorsement seem like a bigger deal than it really is.

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]]> how-often-will-she-be-at-the-office http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20130131/01412021836 Thu, 31 Jan 2013 20:09:35 PST Phone No One Uses Will No Longer Carry Game No One Plays Dealbreaker http://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20130131/16551121846/phone-no-one-uses-will-no-longer-carry-game-no-one-plays.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20130131/16551121846/phone-no-one-uses-will-no-longer-carry-game-no-one-plays.shtml Cross-posted from
New versions of the BlackBerry mobile device won’t come equipped with BrickBreaker, a simple game that for years was installed on every BlackBerry and at its peak developed a cult following among traders and Wall Street executives. Richard S. Fuld, the former Lehman Brothers chief executive, became so addicted that in 2006 he had his technology department remove the game from his device in an effort to break his habit. Nick Manning, a spokesman for BlackBerry, on Wednesday confirmed the company’s decision to remove the game from new devices. [Dealbook]

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]]> but-what-about-those-angry-birds http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20130131/16551121846