BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins has insisted that Apple's iPhone user interface has become outdated.
The executive praised the Cupertino firm for its innovation and contribution to the tech industry in recent years, but believes it is falling behind.
"Apple did a fantastic job in bringing touch devices to market," he told The Australian Financial Review. "They did a fantastic job with the user interface, they are a design icon. There is a reason why they were so successful, and we actually have to admit this and respect that."
Heins added: "The rate of innovation is so high in our industry that if you don't innovate at that speed you can be replaced pretty quickly. The user interface on the iPhone, with all due respect for what this invention was all about, is now five years old."
BlackBerry brought competition to the iPhone with the launch of its high-end BlackBerry Z10 smartphone at the end of January.
The firm has not released official sales figures for the handset, and there have been conflicting reports about its market performance. Heins hailed its UK launch as a resounding success, but reports of price cuts at UK retailers could suggest otherwise.
BlackBerry is expected to release its second B10 device, the physical keyboard-equipped Q10, in the coming months.
Watch a video introducing the BlackBerry Z10 below:
