Research In Motion (RIM) the ailing Canadian manufacturer of the once popular Blackberry device is trying to get back in the game with the new devices that are going to be running the Blackberry 10 OS. The OS is supposed to be unveiled later this year or early next year but RIM is trying to ensure that the phones are released into a strong ecosystem of applications. The company is making every effort possible to ensure that there is an app market in place before it unveils the devices.
The company’s target is to make the new OS the one that is launched into the most number of apps. It appears that there is immense pressure on the executives in charge of maintaining relations with application developers which explains why Blackberry has been hosting several events revolving around developing applications for the platform. RIM’s target of making its platform the one with the highest apps at launch time seems like a big deal but it will be quite easy because neither iOS nor Android had any applications when they were launched. The only opponent for the record is the Windows Phone 8, which was unveiled recently by Microsoft and Nokia jointly.
The battle between RIM and Microsoft is bound to get intense as both companies are vouching for their platform to take the third place in the industry behind Android and iOS. Microsoft reiterated the fact that it has around 100,000 applications in the store already, something that RIM is going to have to work for. The two platforms were never locked in a duel before as the Windows Phone was virtually nonexistent when Blackberry was at its peak. Since the two phones appeal to varied target audiences, it will be interesting to see how they fight it out.
The Canadian company is confident that the new platform is going to be revolutionary in the market but it is impossible to ignore the depressing situation that RIM is facing right now. The company is losing money quickly and is laying off people on a regular basis and the delays related to the new OS have become so frequent that even loyal customers will probably switch to another premium platform. Instead of working on increasing the app count, RIM should focus on developing a device that will beat the Galaxy SIII, the iPhone 5 and the Lumia 920.
