Prediction of RIM = RIP, confirmed, at least in US

About 18 months ago I got into a heated debate about the future of Blackberry (RIM) in the US market. I claimed back then that Blackberry had already lost the race. That BYOD, the ecosystem built around the hardware, and the convergence of work and play on phones all pointed to Apple and maybe even Android winning the race as top 1-2 players. My friend being a lawyer at a larger company thought I was crazy: "Black berry is secure, the keyboard is fantastic, the apps are all oriented to the business person."

My opinion then has only hardend since. Android and ios devices are exploding in corporations and dozens of startups are helping with the rapid migration from RIM only environments to the multi-device environments that are emerging. RIM, you cannot expect people to have a fun phone at home and use a boring one in the office. People want to use the same device for email and for taking pics of the kids.

The final nail in the coffin is the DOD's imminent approval of iOS 6+ and Galaxy products. Blackberry, if you've lost your only remaining foothold (government), especially in the highly secure DOD environment, you are unfortunately done. At least in the US.