[kwlug-disc] Orion Electronics

[CrankyOldBugger]

Well, the story of RIM is legendary, but here's the truth:  when I worked
there in support, stock prices were $160.  Then I left to take another job,
and the stock price shot through the floor to unheard-of lows.
Coincidence?  We may never know...


On 16 July 2018 at 11:39, Khalid Baheyeldin <kb at 2bits.com> wrote:

> Business, local or not, deserve criticism when they have practices that
> warrant
> it. Being local does not give a business immunity from criticism just
> because they
> are local, or there is a lot of nostalgia for them.
>
> The big example is RIM/Blackberry: they had a large majority of the smart
> phone market, but became overconfident, arrogant, complacent and oblivious
> to market changes. They saw Apple in 2007 introduce a new paradigm (no
> physical keyboard, interaction by touch only, short battery life) and saw
> all
> that as a fad that is going to fail. They missed the App Store concept.
> Then
> a year later Android was released by Google with similar concepts (App
> Store,
> many free apps, free SDK) and still talked themselves into : businesses
> will
> never stop using our BlackBerry, we are the most secure, ...etc.
>
> At that time, they were so popular, kids would send their BB ID to message
> each other. Governments around the world (including the US Congress) were
> dependent on them.
>
> Mike Lazarides was so focused on the hand sets, he bought an Apple iPhone
> when it first came out and dismantled: he always thought users would want
> physical keyboards and a battery life of several days. He missed the
> ecosystem
> part.
>
> I had friends who jumped from whatever company they were in to RIM at the
> height of their dominance, only to be laid off or jump back after their
> demise.
>
> Where are they today? Last I checked they had 0.4% market share, and that
> was a couple of years ago.
>
> A reporter wrote an article, and later a book, on how this once dominant
> company declined in the span of less than 5 years.
>
> https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/the-
> inside-story-of-why-blackberry-is-failing/article14563602/
>
> On Sun, Jul 15, 2018 at 5:57 PM, Chamunks <chamunks at gmail.com> wrote:
> > I'm all for trashing local business if they're taking you for a ride.  I
> > have fond memories of being a youngin working on PCB kits with my Dad in
> > grade 3/4[ish?] making little alarm things etc that we got from Orion.
> Also
> > my first TV was purchased with a Toonie I had available in my change jar
> > down the street it was a black and white little tv on a swivel stand and
> it
> > only had a dial for 13 channels.  We bought a coaxial to RF adapter and
> a TV
> > channel box thing so I could watch cable on it eventually.  I think my
> dad
> > thought it was absurd so he eventually bought me a 20"(ish) color tube
> TV so
> > I could play my Nintendo in my room in color :P I bought the little
> black n
> > white so I didn't have to share my consoles with my sisters, very
> different
> > times.
>
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