Incumbency can be like a gift from a wicked fairy godmother, one that sounds like a good thing at first, but if poorly managed, turns out to be deadly. In particular, incumbent tech companies have a peculiar tendency to asphyxiate their once innovation-oriented culture after they achieve market dominance. I speak of Microsoft and RIM and their ongoing struggles to master the tablet market.
Last week at the IdeaCity conference I was given a Blackberry Playbook, RIM’s answer to the tablet wars. Not the disastrous first version of the Playbook, but the latest upgrade. Then as if on cue, Microsoft just announced that this fall, after years of sitting out on the exploding tablet market, will finally dip its gigantic toe into the waters. Microsoft will launch a hybrid tablet/laptop called “Surface” to compete with Apple’s iPad.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Incumbency, killing innovation, and the tablet wars
