Research In Motion is strategizing to maintain relevancy in the ever-evolving and fiercely competitive smartphone/tablet market with the release of seven new models of smartphones, all of which function on Blackberry’s next-gen OS, a release that has caused delays for the company.
Despite the delays, RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis is optimistic that the new products will help RIM meet its ambitious market goals. “It may have delayed us, but we are going to come out ahead,” said Lazaridis.
A dwindling market share and a drop in profits within the last quarter have done nothing to quell the speculation that RIM is scrambling to maintain a grasp on a market that it once dominated in the pre-iPhone era. But Apple’s seemingly endless barrage of must-have devices and the eclectic app-anarchy of the Android network have left RIM in a precarious position within that market, a market which Lazaridis calls an “arms race.”
Early negative reviews of one of RIM’s new devices, the Blackberry PlayBook tablet, have put RIM under further scrutiny, with complaints being raised against the company’s lack of marketing and its dual-headed management structure.
One new feature, the Blackberry Bridge, which syncs the display of a phone onto the larger PlayBook screen, is touted on the Research In Motion webpage, but specific details on the other seven new smartphones are scarce, though Lazaridis claims the technology in the new Blackberry Bold “jumps a generation,” a claim which RIM share holders must hope holds true, as RIM’s declining share price have caused buzz of a company takeover and a likely restructuring.
[via Guardianand Research In Motion]
