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Most people were expecting the news from Research In Motion (RIM) to be bad, even the company had warned of a bad first quarter. The results released were worse then expected but the most shocking news was the Blackberry 10 operating system which the company is betting the farm on has been delayed yet again to Q1 2013. In addition a third of the staff will be laid off.

This misses the vital back to school and Christmas shopping seasons and gives the consumer and business market less reason to look at Blackberry as a viable smartphone choice.

With Apple, Google and even Microsoft moving forward with new offerings, this further erodes in both consumer and business circles that the company will be relevant going forward.

With the advancement of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) into more and more organizations, the lead RIM has in the area is eroding very quickly.  Both consumers and business want a device that will work with their other platforms.  Microsoft seems to be finally learning that as we have seen with some recent annoucements.

As Carmi Levy points out in his most recent column for the Toronto Star, RIM is in a very difficult position and some serious decisions on what the core focus of the company must be in the future.  It should also be noted that Apple was in a far worse position years ago with many analysts predicting their demise.  As we all know Apple overcame those challenges and emerged much stronger.  Further delays and a reliance on one product series is not a strategy that can continue if the company is to survive.

Question: What do you think Research In Motion has to do to reverse this downward trend?