Beleaguered “BlackBerry traded lower on Friday after the stock failed to maintain its earlier momentum following a low-key launch of the Z10 smartphone in the U.S.,” Sue Chang and Saumya Vaishampayan report for MarketWatch. “The Canadian telecom company launched its latest smartphone on Friday, the touch-screen Z10 phone but the device was met with subdued reception, particularly compared with the enthusiasm that usually greets smartphones from rivals Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The only enthusiasm Samsung generates is for Pepto-Bismol and/or extended naps.
And beleaguered BlackBerry is iPhone roadkill. Dead Company Walking.
Related articles:
Gartner: Beleaguered BlackBerry in an ‘extremely difficult’ spot – March 19, 2013
Why the Z10 won’t save beleaguered Blackberry – March 11, 2013
Samsung’s big attempt to gin up some buzz generates crickets – March 20, 2013
Samsung swung wildly and whiffed; Now it’s Apple’s turn at bat – March 19, 2013
Gazelle: Galaxy S4 spurs trade-ins of other Samsung phones, not iPhones – March 18, 2013
HTC president calls Samsung’s Galaxy S4 event embarrassing – March 16, 2013
Tim Cook will sleep easy tonight following Samsung’s Galaxy S4 launch – March 14, 2013
Apple buy out BLACKBERRY/RIM for whatever patients they have and develop a inexpensive phone based on z10.
Patients? is that pesky auto-correct butting in again? Say yes!
I don’t think his meds have kicked in yet though.
Yes and thank you. I meant “patents”, which you realized from the content of the sentence.
Even if Apple does not develop a inexpensive phone from buying out RIM. Which could be sold still as the Blackberry – (the diversification OR extension of Brands) like Rogers owning Fido and letting Fido run somewhat independently.
Even if Apple does nothing with RIM — Obtaining Rims OS – keeps it from being used as an easy upstart for a new or present competitor.
Buy it and put it out of its misery.
I agree with you RobG.
As I believe RIM/Blackberry OS infringes on Apple UI/IP just as much as Android does. RIM OS is far to similar to Apples’ iOS functionality and layout. Buying them out is better then letting Samsung/other take yet another copied platform.
Apple can do what they wish with RIMs OS. Possibly creating its owe competitor.
BlackBerry needed to get a bus to drive the buyers to the stores and offer them something they really want the way Microsoft rolls out their stores and devices. Now they are going to have to use their old tried and true method of moving those phones. “Buy one get one FREE!”
Yes, BlackBerry and Windows and Nokia — all are having some difficulty. But Asia (I think Samsung?) just picked up HPs Palm OS. So they don’t really need to develop from scratch.
Apple needs to destroy Googles’ Android. It will be in legal battles for quiet a long time and cost a good amount of cash.
And in the same thought – taking back all the copy cat OSes places real competitors to start from the drawing board.
Of course, The iPhone layout is reminiscent of the Apple Newton which Palm afterwards branched off from. And rightfully so for Apple. But not for RIM or NOKIA or WINDOWS (whom wisely uses tiles – yet suffers form the same pinch to zoom and swipe USER interfaces that Apple secured before iPhone)
Buying out RIM/Blackberry and ceasing it’s Patents would be a wise thing and a inexpensive way to secure the death of RIM.
What about that order for a million phones by one buyer? Oh yeah, that was just BlackBerry’s straw buyer.
Who do you think is subdued??? The orderer that has a million of these things!
Blackberry sells straw?
Couple of issues to be mentioned.
#1. Who gives a flying f*** about Samsung? They’re not the leader of anything, except in copying.
#2. I wish BB all the best. It’s a bantamweight in the world of super heavyweights. I think BB’s days are numbered. I don’t think there will be mass defections from users of the iPhone to the BB Z10. Maybe one or two hardcore Apple haters who were given iPhones at their workplace would welcome BB as a replacement smartphone.
I have quite a number of gripes with BB’s execution of the OS.
Firstly, it’s gesture based. Now that might seem like a good idea at first blush but it’s a horrendous way to actually navigate a smartphone because you have to remember which gesture does what and that is not good for new users transitioning into the product or promote efficient management of the OS.
Muscle memory always beats something you have to recall how to do. Muscle memory is in built into the home button on the iPhone – you don’t have to remember how to get to the home screen. No matter where you are in the system, one click of the home button will always take you back into the home screen, no exceptions.
And the iPhone’s lock screen clearly shows a ‘slide to unlock’ arrow pointing from left to right. It’s obvious by just looking at it what you should do to unlock the lock screen to get into the home screen. In a BB you gesture upwards from bezel to bezel. This is insane. You aren’t given a guide how far you should swipe or in what direction, so you could get lost in the lock screen. Never a good idea to make it overly complicated to get from the lock screen to the home screen.
Secondly, all active apps are running in the background. The OS does not intervene to shut down non active apps. So you could conceivably have a video playing in the background while you’re looking at an email. Not only is this ridiculous in a phone with a 4.3″ screen, active multitasking is a battery leech. You’ll need a nuclear reactor to keep the Z10 going for the entire day if you don’t manage your apps by shutting them down. iOS does this for you without you even knowing about it – background apps are put into suspension if they’re not being used.
I think overall it’s a good effort. A solid C+ for BB.
You don’t need a nuclear power plant to keep your BB 10 running. A fist full of extra batteries will suffice.
Being an iPhone user you wouldn’t know the bliss of a fist full of batteries.
Nor does iPhone know the fumbling about putting batteries in. Nor dealing with the eventual loose battery cover that flys off at the least provocation. Nor bad battery connections. Oh wait you can use a battery pack case on the iPhone if you need to… (I don’t.)
As a Mac guy I don’t know what it’s like to use anything but an iPhone. Other than occasionally picking up someone else’s phone and trying it out. We can’t all like the same thing so unlike fanboys, I don’t hate people because they like something different than me. I think it’s a shame that the two knuckleheads that ran RIMM ran it into the ground. They had a good product and a lot of people have lost their jobs. I don’t like to see people lose their jobs. That’s a lot of house payments, car payments and hungry kids. There’s probably enough room in the world for more than one company selling cell phones. I don’t plan on changing from an iPhone but a lot of people would like something different. Good for them. Doesn’t mean they’re stupid or don’t have any taste. It’s just a difference in taste. It’s just a shame when a successful company goes to hell in a handbasket so quickly. I hope those people find jobs.
I agree BLN.
Blackberrys’ product and OS has failed.
And should be seen by most as roadkill.
BB is a non-threat to Apple. Hurray for Apple.
The fact that RIM developed their own OS and gave things a superb effort to compete in the world of touch Smartphones – one has to credit for that.
Still, I am sure RIMs OS has infringed on a few of Apples IP/UI. Swiping to unlock. Pinch Zoom. Grid of Apps. BB was clearly inspired to mimic iOS – in the same way Android was.
My point is, a dead company with a dead OS – can still rise again; even though RIM OS is a mess… it can HELP some Asian upstart to gain a significant head start in competing once again.
I call it the BlackBerry TL² or BlackBerry Too Little Too Late.
Alright, pick the year Blackberry will shut the whole thing down and give the pennies back to the shareholders.
I say late 2014.
Might as well add the Nokia Death Watch while you’re at it.
OK, let’s do it.
People?!? Guesses?!?
In the thoughts of too little too late, Z10 needed to be must have, instead of status quo.
A strong magnet is needed to turn heads away from Apple, and now that Apple feels threatened and because of the executive movement, you know there is going to be some real motion at Apple.
BB can’t do it. They are finished.
love my iPhone, but I get a BB at my new job. Looking forward to looking all important-ish having 2 phones with me! And I will. Even if it is lame.
BBRY has been identified by some Apple enthusiasts as being dead since ~ 2009. While I would agree it’s a likely takeover target, it’s not dead yet.
Blackberry stock is up 150% in the last 6 months. AAPL, not so much. Even adjusting for scope and scale, would an iPhone 5S increase Apple stock 150%? I think not. BB might actually have turned the corner, which is EXCELLENT news for Apple. Apple needs honest competition. If anyone wants a company to die, it should be an evil company like Google or Microsoft.
I am not wishing any company to die.
Those companies have employees and families who would be greatly effected. In fact, I personally know 3 working at RIM. Rim is struggling. Yet they tried hard to compete against Apple. Their attempt was honourable and the products fairly solid and equally priced. But as others said RIM was numbered back in 2009.
RIMs OS however, could have legal issues. Apple never bothered to attack RIM as Apple was never threatened. Still I am sure there are patent infringements within RIM OS.
RIM re-branded a division called BlackBerry. Positioning itself for possible buyout or sale of its OS – protecting possibly – RIM the comopany — from that.
However, to stop the SPREAD of the RIM OS to Asia… Apple should buy the soon to be dead company and its failed attempt to challenge (RIM OS).
Blackberry is certainly going to hit their mark with their latest BB release- Bankruptcy. After blackberry pushed us to get the new server running (which we did weeks ago), they couldn’t get us a couple of the new devices to test. So much for being ready to go before the carriers started selling them today. This put us behind deployment by at least a month. We have thousands of devices on the old system, you’d have thought Blackberry would have been able to have test devices available, especially when the European carriers have been selling them for the last 2-3 months. Guess they don’t care about their customers or that this IS a make or break it tome for them.