Before the Canada Day holiday, the Canadian technology community gazed into an executive tennis match with alternating lobs between executives – from the anonymous “Open Letter”on Boy Genius Report and the return volley from Inside Blackberry.
There is a real problem when so-called senior executives feel compelled to appeal to our voyeuristic interest through a gutless public kvetch, rather than actually exercise their executive duties to fix the company. But what is the right long term solution for Canada’s technology leader?
A round of golf is generally a good way to lubricate the mind and stimulate non-linear thinking, perhaps since we generally follow a non-linear route to navigate each hole. This morning’s perfect weather was especially well suited to developing ideas for merger candidates for RIM. One thought was that RIM missed opportunities a few years ago when it could have merged with Motorola’s handset division; perhaps a Blackberry / Microsoft marriage would have made sense then as well?
My brother, who is not in telecommunications, but plays in the software world, chimed in with the best idea. He admonished the rest of us for thinking as telecommunications professionals – I observed that this is an occupational hazard for us telecommunications professionals. In any case, he observed that Apple’s real success is less in the technology and more in the content and how it is delivered to its users.
Who, he asked, would be the best match to bring content to Blackberry?
Amazon. They have had trouble working with Apple and they have gone so far as to develop their own device, the Kindle. Put Amazon’s content and distribution networks to work for Blackberry; get Blackberry technology to deliver Amazon content. There is a match.
Hmmm. With that, he drove his next shot to just short of the green.
Something to ponder over your steaks and beer this holiday weekend. Talk among yourselves.