Struggling BlackBerry maker Research In Motion said today that it has started laying off employees as part of its restructuring plan aimed at saving about US $1 billion this year.

Microsoft’s new tablet computers are no threat to Apple’s iPad, given the lack of enthusiasm among developers to create applications that run on the new Windows operating system, analysts said.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion has said new phones deemed critical to the company’s future will not be out until late next year.

The much-hyped Apple iPad tablet computer is expected to go on sale in Ireland and the UK by late April, the company said today.