RIM co-CEO apologizes for BlackBerry outages

October 13, 2011 By Jeffrey Van Camp

RIM founder Mike Lazaridis has issued a video apology explaining the recent BlackBerry outages and when service may be restored.

Around the world, and now in the United States, BlackBerry services have been going out for millions of users since Oct. 9. The problem, RIM says, is a “core switch failure” and cascading failures and backlog that have clogged up their system, delaying email and BlackBerry Messenger service for most users. In the last day or so, RIM has gotten around to making apologies and better explaining what’s going on. Today, in a YouTube message, RIM founder and co-CEO Mike Lazaridis apologized and explained RIM’s progress, but says he cannot give a timeline as to when service will be restored for all.

“Since launching BlackBerry in 1999, it’s been my goal to provide reliable real time communications around the world,” said Lazaridis. “We did not deliver on that goal this week–not even close. I apologize for the service outages this week. We’ve let many of you down, but let me assure you that we’re working around the clock to fix this. You expect better from us, and I expect better from us. It’s too soon to say that this issue is fully resolved.”

Lazaridis continued on to say that BlackBerry service levels in India, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East are almost back to normal, but instability will continue until this issue is fully resolved.

For those of you BlackBerry users who aren’t happy, Microsoft is having a field day with the outages, offering 25 BB users free Windows Phones.

Showing 11 comments

minzhu at 8:12pm 16th November 2011 Don't blame anyone of the CoCEO, they may want the company better, but can't reach the target because of the enterprise culture, like I said 3 years ago, RIM is old before really grow up.Strange culture in RIM, and this culture generate self-destroy political environment.In RIM if a new hired person figure out major problem and introduce efficient approach, both manager and his buddy group member will proof their wrong approach works. just like someone point out driving a car is right way, pushing a car is wrong way, then both manager and his buddy group member will hate you, and proof that 3 person can also move the car by pushing it. cheating email will be sent to some vice president, saying like: see, the car moving, pushing a car is a natural part of the process.It is very strange company culture and strange company political environment, it promote stealing and cheating skill. RIM's management may be a typical instance in MBA course.This culture deny or steal hardworking team members' contribution/ innovation, generate strange political environment, destroy RIM. July 7th 2008 when I start to work in RIM ID group, I found RIM's CAD skill in ID group is still in low efficient level of 10 years ago, like ID changes can't be regenerated in mechanical part, so I point out the problem and introduce efficient topdown process, to make sure top level adjustment will always be regenerated in down level.But the RIM's CAD experts wrote email to 3 VPs and successfully make them believe that-----whenever top level adjust, continuously and manually audit in down level is a natural part, means low efficient is a natural part in every RIM's device design program.They abuse their power layoff the only driver, and use 3 person pushing the car, "continuously and manually audit in down level as a natural part"."continuously and manually audit in down level" is the mark of not qualified for the position, but in RIM, strange thing happened, why RIM low efficient, so don't blame CEO, the Co-CEO are innocent.
Geoffrey Shauger at 1:35am 14th October 2011 This guy will be looking for a job soon
Christopher Vokey at 10:45pm 13th October 2011 Someone remind me why people still buy blackberrys?
Maneesh Goswami at 10:23pm 13th October 2011 RIP RIM
Philip Palmer at 9:16pm 13th October 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeP6CpUnfc0
Man Dril at 9:13pm 13th October 2011 lol
Alessandro Gallo at 9:10pm 13th October 2011 6 months and you're out of the market: most companies will switch to the iphone
Faye Oosterhoff at 9:06pm 13th October 2011 Canadian?
James Phillips at 9:05pm 13th October 2011 Cram it Toots!
Matthew Miller at 8:49pm 13th October 2011 Is this what we call a RIM job?
jesterking at 8:42am 13th October 2011 They have a lot more to worry about than some outages!