Research in Motion

Research In Motion (RIM) is a Canadian technology company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario. RIM focuses on telecommunication and the creation of smart phones and tablets and is particularly known as the developer of the BlackBerry smart phone. BlackBerry was once known as one of the top industry leaders in smart phone production however was soon unable to compete with emerging competitors such as the Apple, Samsung, HTC, Motorola, LG, and more. Rim’s future had become uncertain when Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, who have shared the CEO and chair titles at RIM, had resigned. Following the resignation, RIM stock prices had dropped significantly. Thorsten Heins was named the new CEO of RIM and has since been working on the next RIM product that will either make or break the company, the BlackBerry 10. RIM has announced that BlackBerry 10 will be released on January 30, 2013.

Porter’s Five Forces Model

Looking at the Porter’s Five Forces Model, there are four components- Potential Entrants, Buyers, Substitutes, and Suppliers. The threat of potential entrants is a risk for RIM as technology companies see a potential to profit from the production of smart phones such as Google, who recently launched the Google Nexus. Buyer power is high in the smart phone industry as customers have many choices to choose from. The threats of substitute products are low as there aren’t many alternative choices for communication devices that are as advanced or convenient as smart phones. The substitute products available for smart phones are basic cell phones, handheld transceivers, and tablets. The supplier power is low as customers have numerous choices when purchasing a smart phone. In this type of situation RIM uses information systems to make their products more reasonable priced as well as offer more services such as providing replacement products free of charge when a customer has a problem with their phone.

Input devices

Touch screens are part of a combination of input...