BlackBerry 10 OS will be worth the wait: RIM CEO

San Jose, California: Research In Motion CEO
Thorsten Heins is convinced the company's
BlackBerry phone is poised to regain its stature as a
trailblazing device even as many investors fret about
its potential demise.
Heins took the stage Tuesday at a conference for
mobile applications developers to rally support for
the upcoming release of BlackBerry 10, a new
operating system that Research In Motion Ltd is
touting as its salvation after years of blundering.
The gathering in San Jose, California, served as the
equivalent of a revival meeting for RIM. The Canadian
company has been laying off thousands of workers to
offset growing losses after being outmaneuvered by
iPhone maker Apple Inc. and other phone makers
relying on Google Inc.'s Android software.
"We recognise the need for change," said Heins, who
was promoted to CEO in January as RIM's troubles
deepened. "There is a new energy and a lot of
fighting spirit at RIM."
Heins and other top RIM executives used the
conference to provide a glimpse at some of
BlackBerry 10's new features. The redesigned
software won't hit the market until a still-
unscheduled date early next year.
That means RIM's new software won't be available
during the holiday shopping season, costing the
company more sales during a period when millions of
people are expected to be snapping up the latest
iPhone, Android device and even a new handset from
another struggling mobile phone company, Nokia,
that is tying its fate to Microsoft's latest Windows
software.
Despite RIM's missteps, the BlackBerry still
commands a huge following with about 80 million
subscribers, thanks mostly to its appeal to corporate
customers who like the device's security and
compatibility with their email systems.
Heins did his best to argue that the BlackBerry 10 will
be worth the wait.
"We are committed to making BlackBerry 10 an
inflection point in mobile computing," Heins said