I would never expect a corporate executive to paint a bleak picture of the company they represent when doing an interview with a journalist.  Eternal optimism is pretty much required both on and off the record.  When a company, however, is experiencing tough times, it is always nice when the eternally optimistic views of its executives actually line up with the reality of what the company is going through.  Unfortunately, this is not the case when it comes to Mike Kirkup, Research in Motion’s Director of Developer Relations.

In an interview with CIO’s Al Sacco, Mike Kirkup, Research in Motion’s Director of Developer Relations, had this to say when asked about all the negative speculation about Research in Motion and the BlackBerry…

“Nothing has changed” for RIM and BlackBerry

The company still has a very solid foundation built on more than a decade of mobile-device-specific work in the technology industry. RIM is still the security de facto for many governments and other security-conscious organizations. It still has many, many loyal users. And RIM is currently producing and shipping the best products it’s ever offered…

Although these things are true, respectfully Mr. Kirkup, everything has changed for RIM and the BlackBerry.  The BlackBerry is loosing market share to Android and the iPhone hand over fist.  RIM is in the process of laying off 2000 employees.  The BlackBerry has dropped from first place to third in the smartphone industry and RIM sells nothing currently that will even slow the loss of share, let alone turn things around.

You told us what RIM still has, what the BlackBerry still is, and what the BlackBerry still does…  I think, however, that you might change some of the negative speculation towards RIM and the BlackBerry if you paint a clear picture for us on what new BlackBerry devices will do, what the BlackBerry will be, and what the BlackBerry will have that can compete with what most people, including most BlackBerry users, want in a smartphone…

[Via CIO]