“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