RIM angry at Apple over press conference; calls use of BlackBerry phone "unacceptable"

Owners of the Apple iPhone 4 might feel a little better after Friday's press conference, but up north in Canada, RIM is about to have a conniption. In a statement from both Mike Laziridis and Jim Balsillie that spews forth anger and wrath, the CEO pair calls Apple's use of a BlackBerry phone to "distort the public's understanding" and "deflect attention" from the iPhone's problems "unacceptable". During the press conference on Thursday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs showed on video how Apple was able to replicate the "death-grip" on a BlackBerry Bold 9700 and showed how the signal bars dropped when the Bold was gripped tightly.

The statement from the pair of RIM CEOs says, "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 has reduced the risk of dropped calls, especially in the 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."

A rather strong statement from the RIM CEOs and we will see if some of the other companies whose phones were highlighted along with the BlackBerry 9700 by Steve Jobs-HTC (Droid Eris) and Samsung (Omnia II) have anything to add to the statement by Laziridis and Balsillie. In the meantime, we would not invite the RIM duo to any party where Steve Jobs is expected to attend.

RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700 Specifications | Review (T-Mobile)
Apple iPhone 4 Specifications | Review

source: Crackberry