The BlackBerry Z10 has arrived, and before the redesigned smartphone even goes on sale in the United States, BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins delivered some harsh words for iOS, the iPhone and, ultimately, Apple.
Before smacking Apple for a lack of innovation, Heins made sure to qualify his criticism. He mentioned Apple's breakthrough in design when it originally introduced iOS and the iPhone, and said its vision was a major reason for its success.
"Apple did a fantastic job in bringing touch devices to market ... They did a fantastic job with the user interface, they are a design icon. There is a reason why they were so successful, and we actually have to admit this and respect that," Heins said in an interview with the Australian Financial Review.
Still, Heins wasn't completely upbeat when it came to Apple. He called out the company for becoming stagnant, saying iOS is five years old, has barely changed, and that Apple hasn't kept up with the times.
"History repeats itself again I guess ... 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," he said. "The user interface on the iPhone, with all due respect for what this invention was all about, is now five years old."
The criticism is jarring to listen to when you consider the source. BlackBerry is a company desperately looking to recapture its glory days. Over the last few years, it has nearly collapsed in the face of stiff competition from Apple and Android, but Heins is confident the BlackBerry Z10 will bring the company back up to speed.
Regardless, BlackBerry isn't the only one saying Apple has lost its touch. Many analysts think Cupertino hasn't been the same since the death of Steve Jobs, and that the company has been slow to release innovative new products and software. The important thing for Heins is that BlackBerry has learned its lesson and intends to move forward with a new mindset.
"The point is that you can never stand still. It is true for us as well. Launching BB10 just put us on the starting grid of the wider mobile computing Grand Prix, and now we need to win it," Heins said.
