RIMM Set To Launch Operating System 6.0

It’s out in the open at last. Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) co-CEO Mike Lazaridis confirmed that the company is set to launch operating system 6.0 sometime next quarter.

When queried on the kind of device that would support the OS, Lazaridis hinted that the first device to run the software would include a trackpad, touch control and a QWERTY keyboard. The company’s executives also said that they’re aiming to get backwards compatibility for OS 6.0 and try to get it on as many devices as possible. When asked about the extent of the change one should expect, Lazaridis said, “We’re trying to update the UI and fix the stuff that people wanted us to fix” and it was a “both inspired and grounded design.” This tells plainly not to expect the whole BlackBerry experience to be completely upended.

The Waterloo, Ontario-based company would try to make sure that customers do not lose the original experience, but make it more fun to use.

Just ahead of its three-day annual showcase starting tomorrow, RIMM was facing the heat since morning. Despite the launch of two new smartphones; the BlackBerry Pearl 3G and the BlackBerry Bold 9650, by co-CEO Jim Balsillie at an analyst meeting, shares were off 2.8% to $68.63 by late morning. Clearly, Balsillie had failed to announce something that the industry was most eagerly awaiting – the introduction of a new operating system or Web browser. However, hopes remained alive as Balsillie's counterpart, Mike Lazaridis, has yet to make his presentation and may discuss software developments in RIMM in greater detail.

Analyst Neeraj Monga of Veritas Investment Research Corp said, "In the evolution of the company, this is going to be a very important year, for sure." "People are either going to give credit to the company that it can out-compete and out-innovate Apple, or they're going to give up and say 'BlackBerry had a great run, but it's another one of those technology businesses that has matured and just cannot keep up with its innovative competitors,” Monga added.

Shares of RIMM have gained 1.95% to $72.01 by 3:26 pm.