Tech Watch | InfoWorld Staff » Is RIM in peril?

August 08, 2003 | Comments: (0)

Is RIM in peril?

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Is Patricia Seybold of the Seybold Group trying to scare all of us RIM Blackberry users into looking around for an alternative? Here's what she said in an advisory sent out this morning.

"Unless a white knight appears, RIM will be forced to cease operation in the U.S. The U.S. courts have found that RIM is in violation of patent infringement and has issued an injunction that the company ceases operations in the U.S. That injunction has been stayed, pending appeal. The appeal is likely to take at least a year. So, for the time being, the 500,000+ of us addicts can keep using our Blackberries."

Well, I've been saying RIM is doomed for at least three years and it still hasn't happened. But it is also true that when other handheld makers come calling at InfoWorld they invariably compare themselves to the RIM Blackberry service and claim they can do the same thing just as easily. Someday it might be true. But at present I am unconvinced. As an end user, the ease of use, lack of hassle, simplicity of design has kept RIM clipped to my belt buckle for about two years now.

As far as the suit from NTP goes, well industry insiders say they are not sure how realistic it is. The ruling was stayed. RIM continues to ship product and do business as usual. As one anonymous commentator said to me, "these things take for ever and then there is news."

Posted by Ephraim Schwartz on August 8, 2003 01:33 PM

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