RIM’s Jim Balsillie ang Mike Lazardis have finally relented to the great demands of the smartphone industry by stepping down as co-CEO’s today, Monday. The founders of the iconic Canadian smartphone company have passed on the coveted title to the company’s current COO Thorsten Heins, who has been with RIM for four years.

In an interview, based on published sources, Lazardis has stated that: “There comes a time in the growth of every successful company when the founders recognize the need to pass the baton to new leadership. Jim and I went to the board and we told them that we thought that time is now.”

Balsillie and Lazardis started out the company in 1985 and brought it to global success with its handheld devices that cater greatly to corporate clients. It has gained immense popularity with its fast push email technology, its reliable messaging services and social networking integration, and its distinguished QWERTY keypads on durable handsets.

With the crippling events of 2011, however, RIM has struggled to be in competition with other smartphone brands in the market, especially against Apple’s iPhones and Google’s Android devices. RIM’s PlayBook released the past year also did not gain massive support from consumers due to its “half-baked” QNX software, and lack of native email support, which has always been BlackBerry’s bread and butter. To top this all off, toward the latter part of the year, RIM has experienced a server outage that has affected users in several countries across the globe. These events have reflected badly on RIM’s Quarterly Financial Reports, which created great pressure on the company’s investors.

Thorsten Heins’ appointment clearly comes in time as RIM tries to regain its position as the top smartphone company in the world. With the company expected to release new PlayBooks and the next-generation BlackBerry 10 handsets this year, Heins is put in a great pressure to steer the company back to the prime spot.

Although the duo are stepping down from the top posts in the company, they will remain members of the board, with Mike Lazardis still taking an operational role as vice-chairman.

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