Why companies become irrelevant in an industry they once ruled

March 21, 2011
BlackBerry is the new Palm Pilot
The Loop
Jim Dalrymple addresses the challenge that Research In Motion is currently dealing with.

“RIM products released since the iPhone are remarkably similar in form and function … Even HP accused RIM of copying its WebOS. RIM didn’t deny the accusation, only saying ‘Well, when you’re trying to optimize user experience that juggles multitasking, multiple apps open at once and on a small screen, you’re going to get people landing on similar kinds of designs.’ RIM is hurting right now. It’s having trouble competing with the iPhone and it’s over a year behind on its tablet strategy. This is how companies become irrelevant in an industry they once ruled.”

What’s your opinion?

Google Chrome 10 comes out of beta. Faster, safer, improved settings for all
The Next Web
Martin Bryant writes about Google’s Chrome Web browser, version 10.

“The most visible new feature in Chrome 10 is a revised Settings panel. This now takes the form of a browser tab, offering the interface a bit more space to breathe. The advantages of this are, firstly that there’s now a Search box for quickly finding any setting you’re looking for; secondly, each options page has its own URL making it easier to help others find the right setting when they need it.”

Why Didn’t the New 13-inch MacBook Pro Get a Higher Resolution Screen?
Gizmodo
Casey Chan shares his thoughts on the new Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro laptop.

“Why is the 13-inch Macbook Pro still stuck with a worse screen than the 13-inch MacBook Air? It doesn’t seem to be an aspect ratio problem, the 13-inch MacBook Pro has a native resolution of 1280 by 800 at a 16:10 aspect ratio. The beautifully high resolution screen of the 13-inch MacBook Air has a native resolution of 1440×900 which is, yup, also 16:10 (and the same resolution as the stock 15-inch MBP). We can’t imagine Apple needing to use leftover displays because of an over-order from component companies either. They’re too competent and agile for that kind of mistake. And finally, updating an LCD panel doesn’t seem too hard-it’s arguably as easy as updating any of the other internals. So … what happened? Are they saving it for a future re-design?”