RIM gives away paid apps to make up for BlackBerry outage
updated 07:50 am EDT, Mon October 17, 2011
RIM compensates outage with 12 BlackBerry apps
RIM went to greater lengths on Monday to make up for its four-day BlackBerry outage. The firm is planning to give away over $100 in free apps to users as an "appreciation for their patience." About a dozen apps will be available at first, including a collection of EA and Gameloft games like Sims 3 and the original NOVA as well as text to speech apps from iSpeech.org.
The apps will be joined by more, RIM said. Its giveaway will start on October 19 and will be available until the end of 2011.
Business-grade customers are also getting a free month of technical help, either as a trial if they don't pay for BlackBerry support or a month-long extension.
The offer comes as RIM is in a rush to keep as many customers as possible following particularly bad timing for the outage. Three separate studies have suggested that more iPhone 4S buyers are converts from rival platforms than iPhone sales have managed in the past. Many of those are BlackBerry owners, and at least some have pointed to the outage as hastening the decision.
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It all becomes clear now... manufacture a worldwide outage so that you can 'compensate' users with free apps to remind (educate?) them that there's a BlackBerry App Store, too. Brilliant way to Think Different, Mike!