RIM's co-CEOs quit in top exec shake-up

A Research in Motion management shake-up has swapped out its co-CEOs for a new top exec following a challenging period for the gadget maker. Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, RIM's co-chief executives, have stepped aside after 20 years at the trouble biz, and the company on Monday named Thorsten Heins as president and CEO. …

[Anonymous Coward]

No fat lady singing yet

Whilst not a earth shattering move, it is certainly not a bad one. Be interesting how much noise the new chap makes. Ironicly this is probably the only good news RIM has had in a year, at least from the internet-marketing perspective. Though for a company to be in such a position and for people to expect things to change just because a CEO was replaced are expecting too much. It's the changes he makes now and is alowed to make that will define were things go from here. But I feel he realy could can do no wrong with the current perceptions abound. Growth in Asia being the news that will turn that shareprice back up and I dont think anything has to change for that to happen. They also need to get there marketing sorted in the damage control area, also were are the posters everywere showing how much extra data charges you pay to read your emails on other phones perhaps.

Still, shame Mike didn't get the exit fanfare Bill Gates got, but at least there not putting a Steve Ballmer in charge.

[GeorgeTuk]

Its a step in the right direction...

...but I see that he is still Chairman and a few other things, so will just be tugging at different strings.

Thats what happened at our business, CEO became Chairman but still very much in charge behind the scenes.

[Darryl]

More a sleight-of-hand than a step.

Heins was the COO, now he's the CEO, on the recommendation of the old CEOs, who are both staying on the board. I can't see anything changing - they're still being run by the same delusional management team, and I think the stock markets seem to feel the same way, judging by the sharp drop in RIM share prices again.

[faichai]

Innovation Committee

'Chair of the new Innovation Committee' says it all really. RIMs fucked.

[ItsNotMe]

@faichai

Exactly what I thought. Isn't he one of the reasons RIM are so far behind everyone else in "innovation" right now?

[Giles Jones]

They need another new idea. Push email isn't a unique selling point for them now. They might also want to invest in improving usability as what they have now is pretty terrible.

[Anonymous Coward]

RIM, whatever you do...

...hang on to the guy who designs your hardware.

Every time I get angry at the OS on my Torch, I consider the other options - and can't think of one that can take bangs, slams, drops, long drops, partial immersions, impacts large enough to pop the battery off, and gouges, and still have barely a scratch on the screen... or one that goes two days on a charge with heavy data / phone usage... or one with a camera light brighter than most flashlights... or a speaker - oops, stereo speakers that actually function - loud enough you can prop it on the window sill and listen to trance music while doind the dishes...

Or a camera that doesn't suck...

Oh, and a physical keyboard on which I can type 30wpm.

The playbook hardware is equally excellent, and the speakers are better than any laptop speakers I've heard. And -its- OS is very good; bezel swipes are so natural to me now I can't imagine using a tablet otherwise. It just needs better third party software... which, of course, requires success, which requires third party etc etc...

It's really too bad. Put a decent OS in the phones and decent apps on the playbook, and you'd be golden. Assuming anything could possibly override he selffulfilling 'doomed and sucks' perception now.

[Anonymous Coward]

Odd

My HTC Desire Z fufills all those requirements AND its not failed to work for almost a week because the manufacturer dropped the ball. Ok No stereo speakers but can odd its also petrol proof, husky proof and frequently gives me over two days.

[Atonnis]

Apparently...

...from what I hear Heins is a full-on company man, completely immersed in the historical delusions of RIM's supremacy and in full belief of every lie told to them by their marketing team.

I really hope RIM sorts itself out.

[keithpeter]

Strange isn't it...

I'm in Cafe Gusto in Birmingham's MailBox shopping corridor thingy, just having a late lunch before teaching an evening class. The joys of sessional work, three hour lesson in the morning and a three hour lesson in the evening and just not enough time in between to get home and back...

I've just been using my humble blackberry 9300 to txt the missus. I bought it on payg for the hardware keyboard. I won't be using the Blackberry mail service once I solve the puzzle of how to access the authenticated smtp server my web hosts provide me with in the logicmail app. I quite like NOT getting push e-mail.

There is a table with three young ladies all texting away and sharing the jokes, Two blackberrys and an iPhone. Some chaps behind have an android looking large flat phone and a blackberry. So, mid afternoon thats four blackberrys and two other phones. Check any College canteen and the blackberrys will outnumber the rest by a similar ratio (leeching the public access wifi and sending Really Important Messages using BBM).

Opps, another two blackberrys have just walked in. One in a pink sleeve and the other in a leather wallet thing.

How are they failing? Do we think they will be able to work out how to sell cheapo phones in Asia?

[ItsNotMe]

@keithpeter

RIM have lost massive Enterprise market share in North America to the Jesus Phone & Android phones, to a lesser extent.

They have gained CONSUMER market share in other parts of the world, however, but the Enterprise loss has hurt them badly financially.

And then there is the cockup with the Playbook...and the long delay for BB 10. This all should have been out 18 months (or more) ago.

[Lunatik]

...and the problem with fickle low-ARPU consumers is that there is little 'stickiness' to keep them around come the next contract refresh. Nokia is finding this out to its peril.

Enterprise spend a lot more and have investment in BES & admin to keep them on BlackBerry for a little bit longer, but this won't protect RIM for long.

To my eyes the horse has long since bolted and from the looks of things this new chap's only job will be to close the stable door.

[JohnsonVonJohnson]

They have a LOT to fix

I also work at a University, but don't think I'm in some sort of bubble where everyone in the world uses the same devices I see every day.

Here iPhones and androids are the top gadgets we see. Blackberry kind of has an old-guy/government worker reputation around here. The handsets are kind of big, and feel like plastic junk.

Sure, that makes them durable, but god they need to update their design to be more modern and portable.

The OS is what REALLY stinks though, unless you've used BB a lot, you can't find anything in the menus, and many walkthroughs tell you to do things, but the menu option isn't in the place they're telling you to go. Very unintuitive interface. Email support is spotty at best, haven't they heard of Exchange? Support nightmare.

Wireless issues with both BB and Android are often creeping up here, as we use security certificates with our WPA, and only half the androids support it, while blackberry doesn't at all. iDevices and Windows phones work well, as do Mac/PC/Linux laptops.