BlackBerry failed because it was stubborn. Apple could be next.

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the decline of BlackBerry and the potential for a similar decline of Apple, due to their stubbornness and unwillingness to adapt to changing market trends.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Apple's Potential Decline

1. What are the key reasons cited for BlackBerry's downfall?

• BlackBerry was stubborn and did not adapt to the changing smartphone market, ignoring the shift towards touchscreens and the app economy
• BlackBerry continued to focus on the "business consumer" market and dismissed the importance of the everyday consumer
• BlackBerry's technical missteps, like the failed BlackBerry Storm, also contributed to its decline

2. What parallels are drawn between BlackBerry's downfall and Apple's current situation?

• Like BlackBerry, Apple is stubbornly holding onto its brand philosophies and making controversial decisions (e.g., removing the headphone jack, resisting right-to-repair)
• Apple is justifying its actions with buzzwords like "privacy" and "security" but is facing increasing legal challenges (e.g., antitrust cases, Epic Games complaint)
• The article suggests that Apple, like BlackBerry, is growing in the wrong direction and may be redefined by new startups that fundamentally change how we interact with technology

3. What other startups on the horizon are mentioned that could impact how we interact with tech? The article mentions Humane as an example of a startup that could redefine portable consumer technology, similar to how Apple redefined the smartphone.

[02] BlackBerry's Downfall

1. How did BlackBerry's market dominance and eventual decline unfold?

• BlackBerry peaked in 2008 with a market cap of nearly $80 billion, dominating over 50% of the US smartphone market and 20% of the global market
• However, in a few short years, BlackBerry fell into irrelevancy, as it failed to adapt to the new direction the smartphone market was heading towards
• BlackBerry believed the iPhone would only appeal to customers who "cared more about YouTube and other internet escapes" rather than the security and efficiency it was known for
• BlackBerry mistakenly assumed that "business consumers" would drive the smartphone market's growth, without accounting for the rise of everyday consumers

2. What were some of BlackBerry's key missteps that contributed to its downfall?

• BlackBerry continued to focus on physical keyboards, even as touchscreens became the new industry standard
• BlackBerry was extremely slow in responding to the app economy that the iPhone had enabled
• The BlackBerry Storm, a major technical disaster, further eroded the company's reputation
• The fact that BlackBerry had two CEOs at the time also contributed to its ill-advised strategic decisions

3. What options did BlackBerry have, and how did its failure to choose a path contribute to its decline?

• BlackBerry could have either adapted to the new smartphone industry standards and competed with iPhones, or it could have focused on retaining a smaller segment of the market
• However, BlackBerry continued to build its products as if they were still in the lead, without adapting to the changing market
• This failure to choose a path and adapt ultimately led to BlackBerry's downfall.