Neither Research In Motion Limited (NASDAQ:RIMM) (TSE:RIM) nor Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) had a presence at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this year, but hardly anyone even noticed. Both companies decided to have their own events this year. Research In Motion Limited (NASDAQ:RIMM) (TSE:RIM) is planning a major unveiling of its BlackBerry 10 handset on Jan. 30, while Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) said CES just didn’t coincide with its launch schedule for this year’s new products.
CBC News’ Peter Nowak speculates that the two companies are not even on the minds of anyone attending the key electronics show this year. He points out that the two companies are largely invisible, while Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) still have a significant presence there even though neither of them has an official exhibit set up.
One notable theme at the event is that many of the gadgets that are being shown off can be controlled by Android or iOS operating systems. Meanwhile Research In Motion Limited (NASDAQ:RIMM) (TSE:RIM)’s BlackBerry 10 and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s Windows 8 are more of “an afterthought.”
Nowak does note that Research In Motion Limited (NASDAQ:RIMM) (TSE:RIM) does plan to focus more closely on its niche of business professionals this year, so that could be one of the main reasons the company isn’t maintaining a major presence at CES, which is largely focused on consumers rather than power business users. Research In Motion is working on ramping up the services it offers to business users, although it still faces an uphill climb as consumers—both business users and otherwise—continue to opt for devices that can do everything.
