RIM CEO: We Seriously Considered Android Before BlackBerry 10

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RIM CEO: We Seriously Considered Android Before BlackBerry 10

Research In Motion Limited (NASDAQ:RIMM) CEO, Mr. Thorsten Heins, revealed that the BlackBerry maker seriously considered full migration to Android’s O.S before finally launching BlackBerry 10. The BlackBerry maker’s chief was quoted in an interview with  Matt Warman, of the Daily Telegraph, finally admitting that RIM can no longer keep up the pace with the likes of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Company Ltd, without seeking help from partners like Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Android.

According to BGR.com, Heins is quoted saying, “We took the conscious decision not to go Android,” indicating that the company had a serious thought of switching to Android platforms. However, he then added, ”if you look at other suppliers’ ability to differentiate, there’s very little wiggle room. We looked at it seriously — but if you understand what the promise of BlackBerry is to its user base it’s all about getting stuff done.

“Games, media, we have to be good at it but we have to support those guys who are ahead of the game. Very little time to consume and enjoy content — if you stay true to that purpose you have to build on that basis, and if we want to serve that segment we can’t do it on a me-too approach”, Heins remarked, thereby justifying the basic reason behind the company’s idea to stick with its product.

 So, did the company make a sound decision? Research In Motion Limited (NASDAQ:RIMM) has been facing a stiff challenge from the industry leaders, despite being the founding father of the smart phones industry. In one of our recent posts, we featured the impact of BlackBerry 7 and 10 on the industry, based on the developers perceptions. Ideally, the results were embarrassing compared to Apple and Samsung.

However, according to the latest statistics, and as highlighted in the BGR.com article, even Android O.S has been facing an uphill task of late. The writer notes that Android vendors are currently facing their own kinds of woes, and this has been exhibited by HTC and  Google’s latest acquisition, Motorola. This is one justification of RIM’s decision, and hopefully,a good one. Nonetheless, as the CEO pointed out, the company will still need to find its own niche; something that will differentiate it from the current kings.

At its inception, BlackBerry was merely a business support smart phone; its focus was to assist business people in their undertakings, but, since Apple, Nokia, and Samsung entered the arena, the environment changed, and along with it came consumer behavior and taste.  Entertainment was added to the Smart phone portfolio, something that Apple and Co. are very good at, as well as unique features. This is what has subjected Research In Motion Limited (NASDAQ:RIMM) to a lower place in the industry, and now, having opted against the Android switch, RIM must differentiate itself from the rest in order to survive the calamitous current that befalls it.

Optimistically, Heins said, [BBM (BlackBerry Motion) is] what attracts people to BlackBerry.” “This is our BlackBerry experience we can deliver — there’s no other system out there where you can read, write, and check if you’ve read my message. We want to make it as differentiated as  possible. Going cross platform and opening up would be losing that advantage. I think there’s a huge difference between somebody who just provides the phone and the hardware and someone who provides services.”

At the time of this writing, RIM Stock  was trading at $7.15 per share, up $0.20 or 2.88%.

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