You're right that market share overall is declining. The reason is the growth is in touch. QWERTY is pretty stable, it's a stable segment, growing slowly. The growth is in the full touch device business, and that's where we will see growth. There is a loyal segment of BlackBerry users in the U.S. I think you will see the shrinkage of the BlackBerry market come to a halt. I think we've bottomed out on this one. Not that I'm satisfied with it, OK? That's why I'm building BlackBerry 10 to fight that back.
In the Globe and Mail editorial, you cited RIM's relationships with 650 carriers around the globe as a major strength of the BlackBerry brand. Obviously, carriers play a very important role in handheld sales and marketing today, and carriers' efforts at marketing devices can make or break a device launch. It may be different in other countries, but right now, when I walk into a wireless carrier's store in the U.S., I barely see any BlackBerry presence. What is RIM doing with its carrier partners to convince them to put resources behind the BlackBerry 10 launch?
I cannot give you specifics on carriers, but our new CMO Frank Boulben is working with carriers on go-to-market plans, not just in the U.S., but really global for early in the first quarter next year.
We will do everything necessary to be successful. And also, the carriers are supporting us, Al, because they see a duopoly. iPhone and iOS are proprietary and basically closed to them. And they see Android now as actually kind of monopolized by Samsung. So they want to serve choice, and we have to prove to them, that's our job with BlackBerry 10, that we offer that choice and we can offer the competitive element of the market that they're now seeking.
"I'm not happy with the situation at RIM. Who can be happy and satisfied with where we are? What I am satisfied with is that I know we have a path to the future with BlackBerry 10, because I see it...I have faith in the future. My team is working relentlessly to create that future."
The general message of your recent editorial, and your message in your BlackBerry World keynote address in May, is that you understand BlackBerry stock holders', customers' and users' frustration, but that they should keep the faith and their patience will be rewarded. But how long do they have to wait for RIM to prove it is still in the game? Will BlackBerry 10 solve all of RIM's problems? Or are we looking at two or three more years before faith in RIM is restored?
Faith in RIM and the financial expression of that are two different things. I'm not happy with the situation at RIM either. Who can be happy and satisfied with where we are? What I am satisfied with is that I know we have a path to the future with BlackBerry 10, because I see it.
In January with the full touch device and the QWERTY coming, I think we will reinstall faith in RIM. That's what we're working on. This is what our objective is, and when I've talked to carriers about the delay of BlackBerry 10, the overwhelming feedback was, "First, thank you for letting us know in advance. Second, Q4 is mostly a prepaid quarter anyway, lot of noise coming, actually why don't we focus on a Q1 [2013] launch and make this a major launch in Q1?" I think we have a lot of support there.
I have faith in the future. My team is working relentlessly to create that future.