Skip to main content

RIM radio interview goes bad, as boss refuses to answer the question, “What did you learn from the iPhone?”

When you’re Research in Motion, and have effectively been squeezed out of the smartphone market by Apple and Google, the question of what the company has learned from its primary competitors is going to come up in interviews. It would be wise, then, to have an answer prepared; after all, a lot of potential customers are going to be comparing your new products against the iPhone and many Android phones after today, so a few hints at where BlackBerry 10 differs wouldn’t go amiss.

Sadly, in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, RIM Europe’s Managing Director, Stephen Bates either didn’t have an answer in his pocket or more worryingly, has accidentally admitted RIM has learned absolutely nothing from its competitors. Bates was being interviewed about BlackBerry 10, which launches later today, by well-known British radio host Nicky Campbell who posed the question, “What have you learned from Apple?”

Pretty straight forward question, right? Not for Bates, who stumbled for a second before replying, “So, BlackBerry 10 is a unique proposition…” After not receiving any form of answer, Campbell pushed again, asking, “Have you learned anything from the iPhone?” The response? “This market is a great market…” Blah, blah, press release copy, blah. The interview continues for another two-and-a-half minutes, where Bates continues to not answer the question, or indeed say anything about BlackBerry 10’s benefits, unique selling points or how it differentiates itself from the competition.

Embarrassing, and a missed opportunity

You can listen to the whole, embarrassing three minutes here, and it’s both highly amusing and terribly worrying at the same time. We’d be surprised if anyone listening and hearing about BlackBerry 10 for the first time will be inspired to seek out details later on, or try to find a new BlackBerry phone in the shops. The impression the interview gives is that BlackBerry is the same business focused, dreary option it has been for the last few years. Worse still, BlackBerry 10 sounded boring, and RIM clueless about what real people want from a smartphone.

No companies, especially ones in the midst of a make-or-break relaunch, can afford to ignore the competition – or at least, give the impression of doing so. Apple slings lawsuits at its enemies to undermine their products, Samsung makes TV adverts which poke fun at the iPhone and Apple’s clientele, and Google fills its competitors phones with its own, super-popular apps. We’d be surprised if RIM hadn’t been studying the iPhone, iOS, Android and the Galaxy S3 to see what makes them so popular; so why not admit it? It’s sales 101 – an opportunity to tell the world how much better and/or different BlackBerry 10 is from the rest.

Our experience with BlackBerry 10 has been good, and RIM is obviously working hard to make it a success, making careless interviews like this one doubly as frustrating to hear. Let’s hope Thorsten Heins does a better job of selling BlackBerry 10 during the global launch event later on today.

Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
The best iPhone 15 Plus cases in 2023: 11 best ones right now
iPhone 15 color family includes: Black, Green, Blue, Yellow, and Pink.

One of Apple’s latest and greatest, the iPhone 15 Plus, is finally here. Announced at Apple's big iPhone 15 event, the iPhone 15 Plus gives you a huge 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with Dynamic Island, an A16 Bionic chip for fast performance, and a powerful dual-camera system with a 48MP wide and 12MP ultrawide lenses. It has also ditched Lightning for USB-C, and it comes in five fun colors this year.

But considering that the iPhone 15 Plus still starts at a hefty $899 for the base model, that’s some pricey glass and aluminum. You definitely want to protect your investment, and one of the easiest ways to do so is with a good case. Here are some of the best iPhone 15 Plus cases you can buy right now.

Read more
Is this our first look at the Google Pixel 8a?
Side by side images of a reported Google Pixel 8a.

In May, there were reports that the Google Pixel 7a could be the last of Google's budget-friendly Pixel A smartphone series. Despite the series' success, it was believed that the 7a would be the last one. However, a recent post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by @yabhishekhd has sparked new rumors that there might actually be a Google Pixel 8a after all.

The tweet includes hands-on images of the supposed Google Pixel 8a, which is indeed interesting. The leak comes several months before any new Pixel A series would likely be released. The current Google Pixel 7a was only released this past May.

Read more
Hurry — OnePlus 11 just dropped to its cheapest-ever price
Angled view of OnePlus 11 Marble Odyssey Edition.

Amazon has some great phone deals for anyone who's been keen to buy a OnePlus 11 in recent times. Both the 8GB/128GB and the 16GB/256GB models have been reduced for a limited time only. The 8GB/128GB model is down to $600 with a $100 saving from $700, while the 16GB/256GB model is down to $650 reduced from $800 so you save $150 off the usual price. Anyone interested to learn more should keep reading. Alternatively, simply hit the respective buy button below if you know this is the one for you.

Why you should buy the OnePlus 11
The OnePlus 11 is a return to form for the company. It has an eye-catching design with its smooth glass, unusually shaped camera module, and a textured alert slider that makes it feel more tactile than most of the best phones around. It's slim and lightweight too which is always good to see, even if it does offer only IP64 water resistance and isn't particularly durable.

Read more