They have left the building!

Frankly, I can't say I didn't see this coming.

Co-CEO's Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis are now done being the CEO's.
I am a huge fan of RIM.
Their QNX and BB10 (too bad they can't get the bbx trademark) os is really good. A strong contender to Android and iOS in terms of UI and UX. Definitely failing in the ecosystem department though.
I really applaud RIM's move of porting QNX into car tech (http://cnettv.cnet.com/qnx-puts-apps-web-your-dashboard/9742-1_53-50118126.html). This is, in my opinion, the next innovation from mobile solutions manufacturers (smart phones, tablets etc) is the "Connected Life" concept (more on this in an upcoming post).
In a nutshell, it is all about integrating all aspects of your life with your mobile devices. From waking up in the morning and being able to access the information you need such as weather, emails etc. then to the drive to work and then in the office. All is being connected to your mobile solutions. The goal is to create a more wholesome and integrated experience for the user.


Who knows what will become of RIM?
I do hope that there are no more delays in their release schedules. With a shake up at the top management level, I feel that the company structure down to the individuals level will need to be redefined and streamlined. Processes and practices will need to become more efficient if they are to compete with the "big boys" such as Microsoft, Apple and Samsung.
I'm gonna make a bold prediction here.
Putting this on record as well.
RIM, assuming releases are back on schedule and app porting becomes easier for Android developers, will regain some of the lost market share at the expense of Windows Phone 7 Mango and Apple's iOS.
Android will undoubtedly remain in a dominant position in terms of market share.
This is for the next two-three years.


I still love this video ad:



The winning factors for RIM in the battle of the OS's and ecosystem is two-folds, BB10 and the ability to port Android apps into BB10 and QNX.
If they can get the next generation phones out (and on time), the company will be able to move forward and start to be able to compete in the smartphone and tablet space.


ps. Licensing BBM is not a good move.
pps. I'm pretty sure the quality of this post isn't that high, but cut me some slack... I have blogger rust.
Cheers


EDIT:
I came across this cool article: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/23/rim-new-ceo-thorsten-heins-still-in-trouble/
Did a tl;dr


But I do agree with the sentiment that CEO swap-out isn't the be-all, end-all saving grace that RIM needs.
It needs a shake up at the process level and re-evaluate why products aren't ready as scheduled.
If there are some kind souls out there, it'll be great if you can summarize what that article's about for me.
Thanks!