With CEOs Swapped Out, Future of RIM Still Uncertain

BlackBerry fans have had good reason over the past year to be seriously concerned about the company, and with the recent stepping down of both company CEOs and the ushering of a new one, things are not looking much more positive than before. As a whole, it seems that it doesn’t matter who runs RIM… the company just doesn’t “get it”. You don’t need to look any further than the wildly successful iOS and Android platforms to gain an appreciation for why BlackBerry usage is on the decline.

During a conference call held earlier today, new CEO Thorsten Heins is quoted as saying, “I don’t think that there is a drastic change needed.” This contradicts what most BlackBerry users and the media are thinking. A restructuring at RIM has been needed for a long while, and now that one has happened, what’s been gained? A CEO that feels like a drastic change isn’t needed – when it is?

Mike Lazaridis, co-founder and previous CEO, has said, “There comes a time in the growth of every successful company when the founders recognize the need to pass the baton to new leadership“. This hints at the fact that a change was indeed needed, so we can hope that Mr. Heins will see the light and realize what has to be done.

One thing’s clear… BlackBerry usage is plummeting, while iOS and Android usage is skyrocketing. The new CEO and his fellow company leaders need to look hard at the reasons why this is the case. I don’t think I could count the number of people I’ve seen in comments sections over the past year that have stated their desire to move from BlackBerry to iOS or Android after their current contract is up, and it’s highly unlikely at this point that any new customers would emerge given the lack of competitiveness.

2012 looks to be do or die for RIM. If nothing changes soon, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the company get bought out, a la Palm, then become nothing more than a distant memory in the years down the road.