Mixed responses to RIM app offer

The offer has been presented as an “expression of appreciation” for customer patience during the technological breakdown period.

The apps, which include titles such as Gameloft’s ‘Texas Hold’em Poker 2’ and Vlingo’s ‘Virtual Assistant’, have a total value of more than US$100 and will be available to subscribers until 31 December.

In a statement issued on RIM’s official website, the company’s co-CEO Mike Lazaridis thanked customers for their patience and said RIM was taking “immediate and aggressive steps” to prevent a similar technical glitch from occurring in the future.

Last week, customers in India, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the US, Canada and Latin America experienced service interruptions over a period of between one and three days.

Raj Seth, senior vice president and regional head of corporate technology at Fleishman Hillard in Hong Kong, said that RIM had “taken the right steps” in addressing the issue as quickly as possible, and that the new offer was a continuation of that strategy. He noted that with RIM having bowed to government demands to provide full data access to the authorities in India via a local server, the move would help rebuild trust with the brand in the market.

However, others have been less enthusiastic. Vishnu Mohan, chief executive of Havas Media Asia-Pacific, noted that the appeal of the apps on offer was limited among corporate users, who make up the bulk of BlackBerry's consumer base.

"I see this more as an opportunity used by Blackberry to get a trial going for their apps and thus the idea of using this as an 'expression of appreciation' for a service disruption is not the right message," Mohan said. "They could have worked with the operators to waive off one month's bill for BlackBerry users, which could have been perceived better." RIM offered free technical support for government and corporate customers.

Nonetheless, Mohan said the long-term outlook for BlackBerry in India remained healthy given the continuing growth of the premium business consumer segment and the habit of using a BlackBerry device in addition to the iPhone.

"Barring any regulatory move, the outlook will be positive, but [RIM] might not necessarily have the same growth rates as seen in the past," Mohan said.