Talk about talking smack. Mike Lazaridis, CEO of RIM (Research In Motion), makers of the addictive CrackBerry handsets, is being quoted as saying that the iPhone is no threat to the BlackBerry lineup. He suggested that people “try typing a web key on a touchscreen on an Apple iPhone, that’s a real challenge. You cannot see what you type” – directly taking a stab at the iPhone’s lack of a hard-keyboard.
“The Apple iPhone has severe limitations when it comes to effortless typing. Of course you have more screen space, with more artistic interactions, but that’s not enough. We’ve seen this before when Palm tried virtual keyboards. When they launched the Treo they licensed our keyboard,” Lazaridis said.
RIM’s co-CEO Jim Balsillie also mentioned that the Microsoft Windows Mobile platform poses no real threat to the BlackBerry lineup. He was quoted as saying that, “Windows Mobile isn’t that big a competitor…They are a modest force to RIM. Microsoft should be working at services, not at distributed PCs, which is what Windows Mobile actually still is.”
Sounds to us like RIM is shaking in their boots and playing tough. We have a feeling that their boardroom convo’s are skewed towards topics about what to do about the looming threat of Apple’s UI-appeal and Microsoft’s new Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 – which takes aim at RIM’s BES server technology. RIM is something of a one-trick pony with their push-email and corporate syncing prowess, and with Microsoft breathing down their necks, they’ve got to be just a little worried. So, how do you show investors that you’re company is still in a strong, leveraged position? Lie and front like you’re good to go. Good luck with that strategy, RIM.
[Via: Tech.co.uk]