[GeoffWozniak]

> Where RIM went wrong was underestimating the importance of software and the surrounding ecosystem.

RIM is quickly discovering that it is not a software company -- and never has been. They are also discovering that software is hard and is the future of mobile.

I say this as someone who was happily employed there a little as three weeks ago (I left to join a startup -- and yes, I absolutely loved my job at RIM). They have some good people but the majority of upper management is lost without a map.

They opted to create another mobile OS/ecosystem. The talent is certainly there, but the time is quickly running out. Apple has been working on iOS for years. Microsoft has been in the OS business for decades. Android is based on Java which has countless man-years behind the tools. RIM is working from QNX which is nice, but is not a full-blown OS/toolchain. There's a lot of work to do there; they've really only been at it for less than a year.

And let's face it: BBOS was something only its mother could love.