BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) announced that the firm would slash 10 per cent of the firm's work force, up to 2,000 jobs, describing the job losses as a "cost optimisation program."
The firm also announced that RIM COO Don Morrison, who has been on medical leave, planned to retire. Morrison has been with the company for more than 10 years and his job will be split into two following his departure.
Thorsten Heins will be COO for the firm's hardware and software teams as well as sales while Jim Rowan will head up 'organisational development', facilities, supply chain and repair services.
While BlackBerry has lost marketshare against iOS and Android-powered rivals, the firm has often maintained that it is maligned by the press with RIM co-chief Mike Lazaridis complaining to the New York Times: "Why is it that people don’t appreciate our profits?"
Shortly after announcing the job cuts, RIM came out swinging against mobile demographer ComScore, accusing the firm of being inaccurate by a "wide margin". ComScore put BlackBerry in fourth position in the UK market with 3.5 millions subscribers.
RIM says the firm actually has just under 7 million subscribers. Faced with a rare public refutation of market analysis numbers, ComScore moved to describe the discrepancy as an apples and oranges scenario.
The ComScore figures are based on users over 13 years of age who describe their phone as their primary device. ComScore described RIM's figures as 'sales based' although it's hard to see how subscribers are sales.
Rival market analysts GfK have ranked BlackBerry devices as the number one smartphone in the UK.
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