Canada-based Research In Motion Inc initially planned to adopt Android platform before deciding to stick with their BlackBerry 10 QNX based OS, which is the upcoming OS to enter BlackBerry devices.
According to CEO Thorsten Heins "We took the conscious decision not to go Android. 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."
RIM's BlackBerry devices, which were once the dominant force in the handset field, are on route to decline. The company's plunge started from June 2011 onwards as their market stock fell to the lowest point since 2006. Meanwhile, Android and iOS gadgets have played the major role as BlackBerry was unable to catch up with the changing trends.
BlackBerry still seems to hold its stand in Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. The main appeal of BlackBerry is its QWERTY keyboard and business related features which are quite helpful for executives in the business field. Meanwhile, RIM has over 80 million subscribers and BBM remains as popular as ever.
Referring to the fact that RIM plans to draw money from licensing the BB10 OS, Heins said "You could think about us building a reference system, and then basically licensing that reference design, have others build the hardware around it - either it's a BlackBerry or it's something else being built on the BlackBerry platform. We're investigating this and it's way too early to get into any details. We have to also model this from a finance perspective - that's why we're working with the financial advisers to see if we do this where would it take the company. Either we do it ourselves or we do it with a partner. But we will not abandon the subscriber base."
