Smartphone inventor RIM “well equipped for the future”

Blackberry manufacturer “Research in Motion” (RIM) seemed to be left behind by well-known competitors such as Apple, Google and Samsung with cell phones, tablets and operating systems. But in the end cautious optimism replaced the worries. RIM Germany boss Axel Kettenring answers the questions of absatzwirtschaft about the future viability of the company and the heated battle of the manufacturers in the market for private users.

Mr. Kettenring, why is your company competitive and sustainable?

AXEL KETTENRING: Because we are well positioned for the future. We are very competitive and have a solid foundation, not only financially but also in terms of our customer base. After the successful launch of our Blackberry 7 products, RIM is currently setting the strategic course to take an important step towards an excellent future with our new Blackberry 10 operating system and new devices at the end of the year. As the inventors of smartphones, we are still convinced of our great potential and will continue to have a decisive influence on the market in the future.

Samsung has overtaken Apple when it comes to smartphones in this country. Where does RIM stand?

KETTENRING: We are at the forefront in the business and enterprise business; We certainly still have potential in the end customer business, which we would like to exploit with our new operating system and new products.

Why not say goodbye to the heated battle in the consumer market?

KETTENRING: We are still fully committed to the consumer market. However, instead of trying to please every user, RIM will focus its talents and software it has developed on the areas of the consumer market in which Blackberry excels. This includes offering our customers the opportunity to network while mobile and to be productive. We will approach existing and new partnerships in order to provide additional attractive apps and services for customers. Our current Blackberry 7-based product portfolio was a big step in this direction, and Blackberry Playbook OS 2.0 is another vivid example of our commitment to delivering a powerful mobile computing experience. We are convinced that these partnerships, in combination with our core products, provide an extremely attractive experience – for both private and business customers.

Which new products from your company give you the greatest hope?

KETTENRING: With Blackberry 10, which is based on the multitasking-capable real-time operating system QNX, we have a real technological lead over the competition. We recently demonstrated this to over 5,000 developers, customers and media representatives at Blackberry World 2012. One of the strengths of the QNX, which has been tried and tested in the automotive industry, is that it can handle many tasks at the same time with high stability and low energy consumption. These are the best prerequisites for meeting the demands placed on future smartphones. So we are well prepared for the future.

With which marketing strategy do you want to score points in this country?

KETTENRING: The quality of the contacts counts. We will target our target groups precisely and not carry out market initiatives indiscriminately. Every contact with the customer should be valuable, correspond to the customer’s language and provide them with targeted information about the right products and services.

Thorsten Garber asked the questions.

www.blackberry.de