To give credit where it is due, RIM has offered $100 in free select apps that affected customers can download. Not surprisingly, several Blackberry users have a problem with this.
First, downloads are nice but most people already have what they want. While RIM could not have sent a monetary reimbursement, this is insulting to some who use their Blackberry devices for email and calling, period. That is a huge number of Blackberry users, by the way. Customers who follow premium apps and flash have already moved on to Android or Apple devices.
Second, how well will this appease the customers? Its' a nice gesture, but reality is that users are already asking what good it will do for them to have apps that won't connect to the network, or games to play while their email sits in limbo. Those customers feel insulted and paid off without being heard.
Finally, there are customers who cannot take advantage of the offer. Corporate users are not allowed to have games and certain permissions set on their phones. For those, the customers who depended on Blackberry the most, there is nothing but an empty apology. A free month of tech support or an extension by a month for current subscribers doesn't mean much to the people who were scrambling to get their work done.
I am not sure what apps are included, but I'm a bit skeptical. How much do you want to bet RIM made some profit by selecting which apps were selected? I just know how business works, and to profit from an apology for incompetence (if that is in fact what is happening here) will drive even more customers away who feel their misfortune was sold out.
It looks even worse for Blackberry than it did a few days ago.
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