BlackBerry maker RIM cuts 2,000 jobs

New York, Jul 25: Amid the reports on the decline of its smartphone sales, the BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) on Monday, Jul 25 announced that it is planning to cut about 2,000 jobs.

In a statement sent to its employees, RIM said that they are focusing on "eliminating redundancies and reallocating resources to focus on areas that offer the highest growth opportunities and alignment with RIM's strategic objectives."

The stranded RIM also announced that its Chief Operating Officer Don Morrison, who is on leave since mid-Jun 2011, will retire after more than 10 years with the company.

The 2,000 layoff, which is 11 percent of its workforce, will bring down the number of RIM employees to 17,000. RIM is expected to announce the effect of layoffs in the second quarter results on Sep 15.

The agony of BlackBerry started with the launch of Android smartphones and the surge in Apple iPhones. According to latest market reports, BlackBerry smartphones slipped to third spot in United States with 24.7 percent share.

RIM's mobile was the top selling smartphone in US during Oct 2010 with a market share of more than 33.5 percent. Later it slipped to 30.4 percent in Jan 2011 and continued its down trend.

OneIndia News