There seems to be a theme the dynamic co-CEO duo of Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis are going for in the media lately. Techcrunch just ran an article discussing the somewhat unfavorable early reviews for the playbook where they quote Jim Balsillie, and the BBC is airing clips from an interview with Mike Lazaridis where issues of security in India and the middle east are discussed. In both cases each half of the duo seemed to think they are not being treated fairly with Balsillie responding to statements about the playbook with “I don’t think that’s fair", and Lazaridis responding to questions with "that's just not fair". This comes across to me as somewhat comical. Why this pair thinks that the rest of the world has some obligation to treat them in a "fair" manner is beyond me, and further more why they think the appropriate way to respond is by calling the world out is even more confusing.
Blackberry CEO’s not getting treated “fair”
RIM is clearly facing an increasingly challenging market where they are facing competition from giants where they long enjoyed little or none. The only way they are going to remain competitive in such a market is to take an assertive stance. If reviews for your device aren't what you hoped they should be, then take that as an opportunity to engage in authentic dialogue with your reviewers and customer base. If there are concerns over the security of devices, then use this as an opportunity to advocate for the security of your device relative to your competitors. In both cases by responding with such a weak claim to fairness they are fundamentally failing to control the message.
I have a huge amount of respect for RIM and what they have accomplished. They have established a global brand, and created the concept of the smartphone. I want to see them continue to succeed and show that a Canadian company can compete against the US based gorilla's, but this is not the way to accomplish that.