Digital Journal — This Christmas, Research in Motion is getting a special gift: this quarter, profit climbed 47 per cent and sales increased by 50 per cent from a year earlier. Santa Claus didn’t deliver this gift, though; RIM’s new BlackBerry Pearl did.
The Waterloo, Ont.-based company painted a rosy picture of the recent third quarter: Blackberry owners swelled to more than seven million people in the past three months, and should reach eight million by the end of this quarter, RIM executives said.
Jim Balsillie, RIM co-chief executive, said sales of the Pearl, which combines classic BlackBerry features with a digital camera and music player, have exceeded the company’s expectations. “The launch of the Pearl has been the most successful launch we’ve ever had,” Balsillie told analysts during a conference call last night, according to the National Post.
It’s no surprise RIM has won more customers with the Pearl. A smartphone juiced with impressive add-on features, the Pearl is geared to the average consumer as opposed to the business professional. Technology critics have been praising the device’s innovation since its launch, which has only boosted financial confidence.
RIM would be wise to take advantage of the momentum propelling it further into the public eye. Resting on the laurels of the Pearl to carry the company through 2007 isn’t sound business strategy; RIM should continue to innovate, as it’s known to do. If the company releases several new products in the coming year, the BlackBerry line will keep on attracting all types of customers.
And that could be the best gift of all in December 2007.
