RIM to Developers: “If your Blackberry 10 App isn’t successful, we’ll pay you $10,000″

Yesterday at “Blackberry Jam” keynote in Orlando,  Research in Motion made a bold guarantee to developers.  They are now guaranteeing that developers will make $10,000 in the first year or RIM will cover the difference.

I think most industry observers have accepted that a healthy app ecosystem is really a vital ingredient for a successful mobile platform.  By incentivizing developers with cold hard cash, RIM is taking a different strategy than other incumbents like Apple and Google.   Developers with scarce resources might not be likely to port their app to an entirely new OS, but a $10,000 guarantee could definitely change that decision process.

There are some strings attached to the deal:  the app must be “quality certified” and it must generate $1,000 in the first year to quality.

All in all, I think this move shows just how desperate  Research in Motion ($RIMM) is to lure new developers to their platform.  Most developers have already written off RIM as a lost cause, but some creative financial incentives could change that.

Facing stiff competition from Google ($GOOG) and Apple ($AAPL) , shares of $RIMM are down a staggering  72.29% in the last year.


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