RIM's Playbook: The Conspiracy.....Thickens

There is no simple way to get around this. So we will just drop this
conspiracy by theorists
as to why RIM playbook seems to be faltering.

The Playbook is being slowed down because RIM is not an American company.

Even the issues that were raised from the onset, before the Playbook
was launched was a calculated and concerted effort to derail its
acceptance, The reason behind this particular conspiracy theory is
based on a couple of things.

The Apple effect
This was a company that started out as an underdog because it was
pitched against the 90's monster Microsoft. People generally tend to
have a soft spot for the underdog and this helped build up a
followership that is now famed for its cult-like status.
It is no longer an underdog but rather than be seen as a monster, it
is being regarded as something that every one joined hands to make.
That is, from its underdog status we made it become numero uno.

If RIM's Playbook was pitted against Microsoft, it may have fared better.

So the first thing was that its major competition was the big apple
and not Microsoft.

The second issue had to do with its humongously successful corporate
app; the Balck Berry coupled with the fact that they were going to use
this to levearage on the Playbook's early adoption.

The American tech world is used to having all the major players and at
times all the players in a particular field coming from within the
shores of America. Just look across the landscape of the ICT industry
and you can go as far as seeing only American companies in the top
five and in some cases, they occupy the top ten if not the whole
industry. The American tech world would like to keep it that way.

This was not the case with RIM that created a power app that served a
market where there was practically no one competing with their
Blackberry. They were not going to allow them to come into the tab
world and over run.

In retrospect, the strategy of 'hooking' the Playbook with the
Balckberry can be understood. It would compel Blackberry users not to
see it as a case of either-or. And if half the Blackberry users would
go for it i.e even if half of that half would go for it, the Playbook
would have been a success at launch and would have enough momentum to
turn the tab world on its head.

Momentum
The first thing was to break that momentum from inception. So the
operative word was attack, attack, attack. And attack they did. From
the shape and size to the fact that the owner's school is just a stone
throw from his company. And everybody joined in from the blogger to
communication companies who would have otherwise just go with the flow
when it came to adopting it but they started giving reasons why there
is one delay or the other.

They got their critical mass as far as negatives were concerned and
they managed to break that early momentum which RIM wanted to build
and the rest as they say is history.

For the Playbook to get back on its feet, RIM would need to dig the
trenches and re-strategize. The would have to be bold enough to
overlook the American market. The real market is in Asia and if they
can join Europe to it, the Playbook would bypass 'their' ipad.

Innovation respects no one and they have an innovative product. They
won't have any excuse if the Playbook fails.