RIM's Heins: iOS is a downsized PC platform, BB 10 is true mobile computing

RIM CEO Thorsten Heins is on the hot seat, and as the days get closer and closer to the January 30th 2013 introduction of BlackBerry 10, his job has changed. From exhorting his teams inside RIM to get things done on time, Heins' job now is to be the evangelistic leader who spreads the word to the media, trying to make believers of those who have been let down by the Canadian manufacturer dating back to the half-baked software on the BlackBerry Storm 9530.

The BlackBerry Storm fiasco occurred under a fairly weak leadership that suffered from a lack of vision and couldn't embrace the touchscreen era that was thrust upon them by the launch of the OG Apple iPhone. But Heins believes that the role is now reversed and that the upcoming BlackBerry 10 is ahead of iOS. He calls iOS a downsized PC operating system compared to BlackBerry 10 which Heins describes as a "true mobile computing platform".

The RIM executive says that carriers are glad to see RIM being competitive again. He adds that you can't be a global leader in the industry without being strong in North America. Heins believes that BlackBerry will get support from U.S. carriers who are looking to offer more than just two strong platforms. He notes that Android is dominated by Samsung and sees the Korean company becoming the strongest player in the Windows Phone 8 market. Heins adds that other manufacturers can't compete with Samsung because of the latter's ability to source in-house, and even purchase displays from "corporate siblings". Carrier support will be one of the things Heins will be counting on to make BlackBerry 10 a success in the U.S. and Canada.

Earlier this year, Heins was criticized for aiming low with his comment that "we have a clear shot at being number three," behind iOS and Android. But Heins said that he had to be truthful. "Make no mistake, my aspiration is to win,” he said Thursday. "But I can’t sit here in front of investors and partners and say we will be number one." For those who have followed RIM for years, this is a refreshing change from the often outlandish statements made by the old regime, which had a problem with denial.

Where Heins has done his job is with getting everyone interested in seeing what BlackBerry10 is all about. There is anticipation for a BlackBerry device for the first time since the failed BlackBerry Storm launch. And for the first time in years, there is the sense that RIM is actually listening to the marketplace. Consider the specs for an device rumored to be RIM's first high-end BlackBerry 10 model, called the BlackBerry Aristo. Rumored to have  a 4.65 inch screen with 720 x 1280 resolution, a quad-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064, LTE connectivity, and 2GB of RAM, these are undeniably high-end specs that would match-up nicely with the current high-tech models now in the market.

source: GIGaom