RIM CEO's Respond To Apple's Antenna Statement

If you thought Nokia was pissed off at Apple's conference held by Jobs on Friday, they weren't the only ones. RIM co-CEO's Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie have issued a statement of their own. With both of them having big mouths and big egos in the wireless industry, they directly responded to Apple's Friday press conference on antenna issues with very strong words. Apple also made it rather personal for RIM because it used the Bold 9700 as a demonstration device in its attempt to prove that signal loss was a problem for phones and manufacturers from all companies, not just them, but Mike and Jim aren't pleased by Jobs' actions. Bottom line for RIM's statement says that RIM puts a lot of energy, money, and time into avoiding dropped call issues and that you don't need to use a case for any of their phones to work properly. Oh SNAP! Check out the full statement below:

"Apple's attempt to draw RIM into Apple's self-made debacle is unacceptable. Apple's claims about RIM products appear to be deliberate attempts to distort the public's understanding of an antenna design issue and to deflect attention from Apple's difficult situation. RIM is a global leader in antenna design and has been successfully designing industry-leading wireless data products with efficient and effective radio performance for over 20 years. During that time, RIM has avoided designs like the one Apple used in the iPhone 4 and instead has used innovative designs which reduce the risk for dropped calls, especially in areas of lower coverage. One thing is for certain, RIM's customers don't need to use a case for their BlackBerry smartphone to maintain proper connectivity. Apple clearly made certain design decisions and it should take responsibility for these decisions rather than trying to draw RIM and others into a situation that relates specifically to Apple."