News

• Biggest tech industry layoffs of 2012

  By Bob Brown | 30 May, 2012 20:25

  Research in Motion, reeling as its BlackBerry takes a beating from the Apple iPhone and assorted Android smartphones, is expected to lay off anywhere from 2000 to 6000 employees to cut costs and turn around its financial fortunes. While the exact number of layoffs from RIM's 16,000-plus staff remains to be confirmed, the restructured company appears headed for a high rank on this year's list of tech industry layoffs.

• Apple iPhone 5 to boost mobile market in second half of 2012, analyst

  By Karen Haslam | 18 May, 2012 17:08

  Worldwide sales of mobile phones saw a 2 per cent decline from the first quarter of 2011 due to a slowdown in demand from the Asia/Pacific region, but the launch of the Apple iPhone 5 will help drive a stronger second half of the year in Western Europe and North America, according to Gartner. The report also notes that Apple's sales in China were "particularly strong" despite people holding of sales in the hope of an iPhone 5.

• Apple 'head and shoulders' above phone rivals in satisfaction survey

  By Gregg Keizer | 17 May, 2012 04:39

  Apple debuted in the top spot among mobile phone makers in a US customer-satisfaction survey, receiving a record-high score for the category.

• Android, Samsung top smartphone sales, topping Apple's iPhone

  By Matt Hamblen | 17 May, 2012 03:22

  Android smartphones made up 56% of the global smartphones sold to end users in the first quarter of 2012, giving them a far higher share than the 22.9% held by Apple's runner-up iPhone, Gartner said Wednesday.

• Apple dominates other smartphone vendors in consumer satisfaction

  By Brad Reed | 15 May, 2012 14:38

  The latest American Customer Satisfaction Index has found, not surprisingly, that people really like their iPhones.

• BlackBerry 7 smartphones approved for DOD use

  By Matt Hamblen | 11 May, 2012 05:58

  Research in Motion's BlackBerry 7 smartphones have been approved for use by Department of Defense operations, the company announced.

• BlackBerry 10 OS will have multi-layered security model

  By John Cox | 09 May, 2012 08:53

  RIM's upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system is intended to be as secure, if not more so, than the OS running on RIM's current crop of BlackBerry devices. Mobile security could become a major selling point for the new platform, for enterprises, carriers and end users alike.

• RIM names new COO, CMO

  By Matt Hamblen | 09 May, 2012 03:46

  Research in Motion (RIM) on Tuesday appointed a new chief operating officer (COO) and chief marketing officer (CMO) as RIM prepares to launch BlackBerry 10 smartphones later this year in hopes of reversing a decline in its global smartphone share.

• Smartphone shipments to reach 1.7 billion in 2017: Ovum

  By Hafizah Osman | 04 May, 2012 14:50

  Smartphone shipments will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.9 per cent reaching 1.7 billion units between 2011 and 2017, according to Ovum.

• IT shops sifting RIM's bold promises and plans

  By John Cox | 04 May, 2012 01:28

  Research in Motion executives and managers practiced staying "on message" at BlackBerry World this week, repeating a series of mantras about the company's directions and product plans. Yet the simple message is running into the hard practicalities of enterprise IT customers, and they want details and nuance.

• Analysis: RIM after BlackBerry 10 debut - Dead or alive?

  By Ian Paul | 03 May, 2012 03:13

  Research In Motion recently unveiled its next-generation mobile operating system, BlackBerry 10, giving critics a little more insight into the company's future prospects.

• RIM CEO vows to wow with BlackBerry 10

  By John Cox | 03 May, 2012 05:32

  In brief remarks to reporters, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins revealed little of RIM's specific plans for the future but confirmed his determination to rebuild RIM as a "mobile computing" powerhouse, going beyond smartphones and tablets.

• On the spot: RIM focuses on future with BlackBerry 10

  By Tony Bradley | 02 May, 2012 05:43

  RIM president and CEO Thorsten Heins seemed upbeat and optimistic giving his first ever BlackBerry World keynote this morning. While some - myself included - have questioned whether or not RIM has a future at all, RIM demonstrated throughout the keynote that it believes the future is bright, and it's called BlackBerry 10.

• Android breaks crucial 50 per cent of smartphones in use: comScore

  By Brad Reed | 02 May, 2012 07:27

  Android may be lagging behind in the enterprise market, but in the consumer market it's still going full speed ahead.

• RIM's Australian attempt at guerrilla marketing is a belly flop

  By Jon Gold | 02 May, 2012 07:27

  While we're sure nobody at Research in Motion thought a host of black-clad protesters shouting "wake up!" outside a Australian Apple Store would single-handedly turn the company around, they probably didn't think that it could actually backfire as badly as it has.