In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, Heins discussed the importance of staying on top of smartphone advancements, citing Apple as an example.
«The rate of innovation is so high in our industry that if you don’t innovate at that speed you can be replaced pretty quickly,» says Heins. «The user interface on the iPhone, with all due respect for what this invention was all about is now five years old.»
Heins did preface that remark by praising Apple for introducing touch devices to the market with its iPhone in 2007. «They did a fantastic job with the user interface, they are a design icon,» says Heins.
The BlackBerry CEO also questioned assertions that the launch of BlackBerry 10 devices represents a make-or-break launch for the company, which is grappling for a slice of the smartphone market dominated by Apple, Google and Samsung.
«In the context of the financial viability of the company, that is where I shake my head sometimes and wonder what everyone is talking about,» Heins tells the Financial Review.
The Z10 launches this Friday in the U.S. on AT&T’s wireless network and for Verizon on March 28. T-Mobile will also carry the smarphone, although no details on a launch date have been revealed.
