Blackberry Problems: Is an Apology from RIM Appropriate?

For anyone using a Blackberry in 2011, a core switch failure, as well as failure of the back up switch at the same time, presented a number of problems in terms of e-mail and Internet connections. Note that the problem appears to have been effectively resolved.

For a person using a Blackberry for business purposes, this presented an inconvenience, as well as the possibility of financial loss. This reality was recognized and publicly acknowledged in terms of an apology from Mike Lazaridis, from Reasearch in Motion (RIM).

For anyone using a Blackberry on a regular basis, the temporary malfunction presented a concern, because no one wants the inconvenience of experiencing a break down in a system that normally works well on a day-to-day basis.

Perhaps having a communication system breakdown may appear to place the Blackberry in a position of technological questionability. Is the system undependable, viable and credible? Is this a one-time scenario, or will it happen again in the future? One can only speculate.

No core switches or back-up switches fail in an ideal world. There, technology is perfect.

Unfortunately, imperfection is part of our perfect world.

An apology for the malfunction and imperfection of the Blackberry is appropriate at any time. Even more appropriate is the public acknowledgement that includes recognition of the reality of the possibility of imperfection, in a technologically perfect world.    

What is alarming is the vast extent of the Blackberry malfunction affecting both the eastern world and the western world. While the communication system is back up and running, there appears to be parts of the world where the Blackberry is not functioning fully yet.  

Also alarming is the reality that the competition suddenly emerged with another new product, at almost exactly the same time.

Such is the nature of marketing. An effective marketing system takes advantages of opportunities like this to promote its own new product, which is supposedly more advanced and thus perfect. Again, one can only speculate.

From a more optimistic perspective, one must suggest that RIM was well aware of the competition, as well as the necessity for continual upgrades to its communication system. For anyone to suggest that the competition will never have some degree of failure in the future is a relatively absurd assumption.     

While a temporary communication system problem may result in RIM losing a few customers on the basis, maybe the competition has a better product, there are likely to be just as many or more who remain loyal to RIM. Competition is a good thing, presenting a challenge to everyone.     

Apologies work well, at the best of times. Apology accepted.