A couple of days ago, The New York Times published a piece called “The BlackBerry as Black Sheep,” which contained interviews with BlackBerry owners who are ashamed of their phone. In a nutsell, the general idea of the article is that, as the rest of the world moves onto Android and iOS, those who are left using BlackBerry open themselves up to mockery and ridicule because of their preference for a perceived “outdated” handset. RIM CEO Thorsten Heins has taken issue with that little report, taking the Times to task in a letter that was sent to the newspaper and published today.
In his letter to the editor, Heins says that the Black Sheep article “lacks balance,” touting the fact that BlackBerry has more than 80 million users around the world and stating that his carrier partners tell him there are plenty of people who take pride in being a BlackBerry owner. “While any report of dissatisfaction among our users is a cause for concern that I take very seriously, the comments supporting BlackBerry both online and in calls we’ve received from our customers in response to your article are encouraging to me,” Heins wrote.
Heins continued by reiterating that RIM is on track to deliver BlackBerry 10 in quarter 1 of 2013, and said that the company has received great feedback from developers and carriers on the incoming OS. That isn’t the first time we’ve heard that, but at this point in time, there’s still a lot left to discover about BlackBerry 10. “We appreciate the customers who have remained loyal to the BlackBerry platform and look forward to winning back many who have left,” Heins said at the end of the letter.
RIM is indeed pinning a lot of hope on BlackBerry 10. The company has been struggling quite a bit in recent years, losing a lot of market share with the rise of Android and iOS. RIM made an impressive showing at the BlackBerry Jam last month, showing off some cool new features in the OS. However, it remains to be seen if BlackBerry 10 can bring RIM back from the brink. What do you think of Heins’ response?
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RIM CEO Thorsten Heins sticks up for BlackBerry in letter to NY Times is written by SlashGear.
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