One RIM CEO pans iPhone while the other pans Windows Mobile
Wow, it's pretty tough to knock these dudes off their high horses, isn't it? RIM's generally held a flippant attitude toward Apple's and Microsoft's mobile efforts -- an attitude that's at least partially justified thanks to the company's immense success in corporate channels and with many, many carriers, granted, but you'd think they'd at least pretend to respect their adversaries. In recent chats with media, one of RIM's two CEOs, Mike Lazaridis, said that the iPhone has "severe limitations" resulting from its virtual keyboard, reminding reporters that real phones have real keyboards and pointing to Palm's licensing of RIM's keyboard design for its Treo series. He went on to thank the iPhone for drawing consumers' collective attention to smartphones -- attention that he's apparently figuring RIM can steal once customers are in carriers' shops with cash in hand. Meanwhile, RIM's other CEO Jim Balsillie went on record saying that he doesn't believe Windows Mobile is a "big competitor" to their business, a bold statement considering that Microsoft's mobile platform continues to become more enterprise-focused with efforts like Mobile Device Manager. Don't get too comfortable, fellas!
[Via Smartphone Thoughts]
