“Research In Motion Ltd.’s new chief executive faces two bleak options: Attempt a bold turnaround of the embattled BlackBerry maker, or find a willing buyer. Neither will be an easy task,” Will Connors, Anupreeta Das and Gina Chon report for The Wall Street Journal.
“RIM’s rookie CEO, Thorsten Heins… said Thursday RIM is still planning to roll out new BlackBerry smartphones later this year. But RIM also said it was conducting a ‘comprehensive review of strategic opportunities.’ Mr. Heins, asked specifically about a sale, didn’t rule it out,” Connors, Das and Chon report. “As long as the odds of a turnaround seem, a sale isn’t a sure thing either.”
Connors, Das and Chon report, “The company’s market capitalization hovers over $7 billion, a big bite for any buyer to swallow. Some bankers said there would be few buyers at that price tag for the whole company. The exception would be giants like Microsoft Corp. and Nokia Corp. The two explored a joint bid for RIM last year, according to people familiar with the situation… If they jointly bid, the two companies would likely scrap RIM’s mobile operating system and instead equip BlackBerrys with Microsoft’s Windows software, with Microsoft taking over RIM’s enterprise network, these people said.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: A more total humiliation would be difficult to imagine, save for Google buying beleaguered RIM and installing Fragmandroid on BlackBerrys and PlayBooks. It’s still really amazing to see what utter destruction and turmoil Apple has wrought.
It’s kind of one more entrant into an already very busy space with lots of choice for consumers. But in terms of a sort of a sea-change for BlackBerry, I would think that’s overstating it. – Former RIM half-CEO Jim Balsillie commenting on Apple iPhone, February 12, 2007
On that very day, we wrote in response, “We’ll file Balsillie’s myopic comments away for future use; you know, for the day RIM announces restructuring, upon Balsillie’s announcement that he’s leaving RIM to ‘spend more time with his family,’ when RIM transitions into an iPhone accessory-maker, that sort of thing.”
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Judge Bork,” Dan K.,” and “Michael P.” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Beleaguered RIM weighs sale; Microsoft seen as potential buyer – March 30, 2012
Beleaguered RIM misses badly on revenue, EPS, unit shipments; Former half-CEO Balsillie resigns; CTO, COO also out – March 29, 2012
Beleaguered RIM looking for developer to ‘create exciting iOS enterprise apps’ for Apple iPhone, iPad – March 22, 2012
Beleaguered RIM BlackBerry loses top spot to Apple’s iPhone in Canada – March 22, 2012
Beleaguered RIM names new CEO; half-CEOs step down amid struggle to answer Apple – January 22, 2012
Is there anything that exists that MS doesn’t want to put Windows on?
Calista Gingrich’s crotch.
MS did slap that crap on Michelle Obama’s ass, though hard to distinguish as both are big, bloated and stink!
Not quite the sort of responses I anticipated with my somewhat rhetorical question, but, sadly, not surprising.
Calista’s is Chrome.
Thank you MDN. Love the follow up and link to post from ’07.
Neither RIM, MS or Nokia was ignorant of “tablets” which after all had been around since the 90s in a number of versions including the Newton.
What is sick for the shareholders of RIM, MS & Nokia is that all 3 of those companies pooh poohed the iPhone on launch rather than instantly setting up highly funded R&D for new tablet devices and thus securing new patent filings allowing themselves to stay in contention.
I fear it is too late for them to capitalize because of the lead with patents Apple has garnered.
So what is next…probably what Apple is working on in secret. Eye & voice control of tablets comes to mind.
Reading the comments in the cited 2007 MDN article is a hoot.
Here’s that link again:
Read some of the comments too. Especially by “nani” and “jeff”. Too funny.
I like their strategy- I like it a lot.
For how ever long it takes…
Makes sense for them. At RIM’s current valuation it’s a cheap way to buy market-share. Especially in enterprise. Of course it will likely just accelerate enterprise’s migration to iOS.
With Nokia, Windows has the consumer market taken care of. Getting Windows on BlackBerry takes care of the corporate market.
Of course by ‘take care of’ I mean ‘eliminate an Apple competitor’ : )
How does RIM putting Windows Mobile OS on their phone do any good for a company?
The point of using BlackBerries in an enterprise was because all their service was secure via the BES that they offer; otherwise, it is useless. Adding Windows Mobile OS is like buying an Android for a corporation except that they can use Exchange easier and the company can keep those outdated IT guys.
It makes zero sense to buy RIM just to put Windows Phone Whatever on it. Windows Phone is still new, true, but latest figures show them as insignificant. Businesses ARE still buying Blackberries for their OS, though at a decreasing rate.
Remember IT departments are resistant to change. If they change Blackberry OS to Windows just because, it’s even money which platform they’ll end up switching to.
But if M$ buys RIM, they can then put BES on the Windows phone – solves all their problems!
The minute Android came out RIM should have adapted for their own phones. They would have been able to mimic the look and feel of a smartphone and incorporate their own apps that made blackberries successful.
This would have kept them relevant in the industry and required minimal R&D. Since they could control the OS they could also minimize the fragmentation effect users are experiencing with Android.
Of course the iPhone would still be a better unit but it would have helped RIM compete better.
Now, who cares what RIM do they have lost the market and their revenue will just get smaller and smaller.
Thats it. RIM would have been the largest volume Android manufacturer with a loyal base of uses and exclusive enterprise-focused apps and server-side services.
Hindsight.
Putting Windows on the Blackberry – does not help RIM or Microsoft. It only further fragments the market and confuses the consumers. Too many products, too slow to control and administer every time Microsoft updates the OS for these manufactures (nokia, rim, h&c or who ever else) – same issue as Android. Just a poor plan but great news for Apple.
I am not sure about this… but I heard the PLAYBOOK has a app that allows all Android apps to function with in the RIM OS on the PLAYBOOK. That is cool and a great incentive for those willing to buy a Playbook. Personally RIM is dead and Best Samsung buy RIM and develop its own OS based on RIMs.
What a great idea! This is like rescuing passengers from the Titanic with the Hindenburg.
I have believed for a while that Microsoft should buy Blackberry. It just seems like the only logical conclusion for Blackberry before it disappears into the night.
As much as an effect as Apple has had upon RIM’s bottom line (or lack thereof) the company has too often helped Apple along.
Releasing their Playbook WITHOUT tethering to a Blackberry phone!? Really? Something as basic as native email was not even an option.
Then there were the–if I recall–two service outages earlier this year, pretty much ensuring that people would, by necessity, have to find methods significantly more reliable.
Enter: Apple, Android, and Windows.
As I said, I only wish that Apple could be given the lion’s share of the credit, though RIM deserves that.
When I talk about ‘tethering,” I am referring to the necessity of owning a Blackberry phone to get email.
This is a day early, isn’t it?
What the hell is wrong with you guys?
Why are you so concerned about MS/Nokia/Rim?
iphone fans, have you seen the Nokia Lumia 900? 🙂
I am getting Lumia 900.
I can see the smoke coming from your As*
LOL
Here we go, another one…
Buy what you want, it’s still bloated garbage.
hey… Gurinder Singh… Why don’t you go back to your fu*king India and marry a Muslin terrorist…
LOL
You know what? Whole worl knows that you guys are the biggest terrorists.
One more thing, for your IT needs, you guys come to India to get fucked by Indians. 😉
Nice try “Gurinder Singh” 🙂
It’s time for you to take off diaper of yours from your head and cut off all your hairs.
We are running Macs so there is no need for Indians for IT 🙂 However, we do need Indians here to wipe the floors clean 🙂
You’ll only find muslin terrorists on the Silk Road, ya bozo.
Every buddy and his uncle knows thaaat.
Man, i hate to see stupid personal attacks on a fun mac site. Come on people, this is a about the joy (and a little gloating) of seeing apple rise to the top….take the hate elsewhere (unless its hate of MS, of course)
I feel so dirty thinking about the Redmond sleaze going up to every warm body at the bar around 3am, looking for a grope.
It is pleasure a going through your post. I have bookmarked you to check out new stuff from your side.
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RIM have an important place in many enterprises still and their reputation for securing the mobile world is enviable. Why not a bid from AAPL for RIM? Buy them for their patents and their corproate back-end technology. The corporate integration, as any of the pony-tailed black t-shirt wearers in the basement will tell you, is still AAPLs weakspot.