RIM bosses don't understand BlackBerry negativity

RIM boss Mike Lazaridis has spoken candidly about his frustration over the inaccurate public perception of BlackBerry.

Speaking to the New York Times, his confusion over where the negativity comes from was clear:

"Why is it that people don't appreciate our profits? Why is it that people don't appreciate our growth? Why is it that people don't appreciate the fact that we spent the last four years going global? Why is it that people don't appreciate that we have 500 carriers in 170 countries with products in almost 30 languages?" he said.

No time to fight

"I don't fully understand why there's this negative sentiment, and I just don't have the time to battle it. Because in the end, what I've learned is you've just got to prove it over and over and over," he added.

The obvious answer is that BlackBerry has suffered by comparison to the two major smartphone successes of recent years: the Apple iPhone and the Google Android OS.

And the legacy view of BlackBerry handsets as serious business phones hasn't helped RIM in the new smartphones-as-playthings post app world.

Transitory tablets

But with generally positive reactions to RIM's first tablet effort, the BlackBerry PlayBook, things could be about to change. TechRadar, for one, fell in love with the QNX-running tablet in our hands on BlackBerry PlayBook review.

Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of RIM, is playing it down, however, saying that making the transition from phone manufacturer to tablet maker has its pitfalls:

"No other technology company other than Apple has successfully transitioned their platform. It's almost never done, and it's way harder than you realize. This transition is where tech companies go to die," he told the NYT.

Now there's a cheery sentiment that will no doubt keep Samsung, LG and Motorola et al warm at night.

As well as getting all glass-half-empty on the subject of tablets, Balsillie also put question marks over RIM's aspirations to the top spot in the smartphone world:

"To be pretty blunt about this: how many people in the world have computing devices in phones, and how many do we have to sell to ensure that we're a rip-roaring success over the next five years? You'll find that you don't have to be all things to all people."

From NYT