ABSTRACT
There was a time in the 1990s when BlackBerry cell phones were the must-have business accessory. In fact, the phones were so essential to processes of business communication—voice communication, composing and reading e-mail, scheduling and tracking appointments, storing and retrieving contact information, and the like—that users coined the term “Crackberry” to highlight the addictive relationship that often developed between themselves and their BlackBerries. The company that made them, Research in Motion (RIM), had a stranglehold on the business communication market up until in 2007, when Apple introduced the touchscreen iPhone and a deluge of specialized business apps. Soon after, Google launched its Android operating system and “Droid” smartphones from such manufacturers as Samsung, HTC, and Motorola. By 2012, Apple had surpassed RIM to become the top seller of company-issued cellular devices, and Android phones were quickly closing the gap. By its own admission, RIM was no longer the dominant provider of cell phones for the business market. In an effort to regain lost ground, in 2013 RIM changed its name to BlackBerry and introduced a new product, the BlackBerry Z10, intended to appeal to touchscreen users and restore the company’s competitive position. Meanwhile, Microsoft introduced Windows Phone 8, its latest touchscreen operating system designed to run on phones manufactured by Nokia and others. Whether BlackBerry can survive, let alone regain its former position of dominance, is considered highly questionable by industry experts. 1
