“Ballmer came out [on stage] during RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis’ keynote to announce a partnership that would bring Microsoft’s Bing search engine to BlackBerries,” Pachal writes. “Does RIM know what it’s in for, though? There’s considerable doubt over whether the company’s strategy and platforms can be successful over the next couple of years. If they’re not, Microsoft could end up owning RIM.”
“‘Will Microsoft buy RIM? That is a possibility and a fast track for Microsoft to gain a foothold in the mobile hardware business,’ says Harry Wang, director of mobile research at Parks Associates,” Pachal reports. “‘RIM’s market capitalization is only $25 billion and Microsoft has $48 billion in cash. If RIM’s value drops to $15 billion, it will become an attractive target for Microsoft. Maybe Steve Ballmer was planting that seed during his keynote appearance at Blackberry World,’ [Wang added.]“
Pachal writes, “Can you imagine Windows Phone 7 in two years, powered by the twin engines of Nokia’s global reach and RIM’s enterprise base? It would be a powerhouse platform, the stuff of dreams for Ballmer—and nightmares for Apple and Google.”
MacDailyNews Take: Ha, ha – good one, Pachal!
Read more in the full article here.
Fabrice Taylor writes for The Globe and Mail, “One of these days, if it hasn’t happened already, Steve Ballmer, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie will gather for a quiet lunch or a pleasant stroll and discuss what seems inevitable: Microsoft buying Research In Motion.”
“Both companies share an irksome problem called Apple. Both companies recently disappointed investors, in part because of this problem. Both companies are struggling because they can’t innovate with the vitality of Steve Jobs and Co. And both companies are desperate for a solution,” Taylor writes. “You could even argue that it’s a matter of life or death.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Two wrongs don’t make an iPhone or an iPad killer.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Fred Mertz," "Carl H." and "Harry B." for the heads up.]
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