[penguin3107]

RIM: You're Done Here

[Cooper]

whatever.

Even if RIM died in the smartphone (oh wait, soon to be known as the 'SuperPhone') market, they have enough holdings like QNX that RIM would cut their workforce in half and just do something else.

It's Mike's baby, his life, his everything... One way or another, I think RIM will always be around.

Hell look at the transition IBM has taken. they sold off their hard drive division, they sold their computer and laptop division.

Yeah IBM has like 50,000 patents, has been around for 100 years and to this day does ground breaking computing R&D, but they had an entire market die on them so they split it off.

[hrbuckley]

Putting June 22 2012 in my calender, check if RIM is around.

[fourstringfuror]

Oh, well if John Biggs says so, it must be true.

Like I said yesterday, RIM is a convenient target right now. Everyone loves to kick a man when he's down. It's easy. It's fun. Everyone's doing it.

It's getting old.

[fourstringfuror]

Originally Posted by hrbuckley

Putting June 22 2012 in my calender, check if RIM is around.

Looking forward to using BB products for many years to come.

[hrbuckley]

Originally Posted by fourstringfuror

Looking forward to using BB products for many years to come.

Me too, but it is so easy to predict something a year hence because everybody forgets the prediction by that time.

[Thiego-uk]

Right now, RIM must be working to develop QNX to the smartphones and bring it on start of 2012 Q1 not longer than Q2. If they dont get it, they will be out of smartphone market by 2013.
Im sure if the get QNX to their smartphone it will be a new era for RIM, a very profitable one! Also, happy customers!!!

[jsconyers]

Originally Posted by Thiego-uk

Right now, RIM must be working to develop QNX to the smartphones and bring it on start of 2012 Q1 not longer than Q2. If they dont get it, they will be out of smartphone market by 2013.
Im sure if the get QNX to their smartphone it will be a new era for RIM, a very profitable one! Also, happy customers!!!

I think it is too little too late at that point. By then iOS5 will be out, and Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) will be out as well. They are already dominating the smartphone market and RIM will have too much catching up to do.

[ifonline]

Originally Posted by jsconyers

...iOS5 will be out...

...and iOS 6 will be well under way.

[donovanj]

Originally Posted by fourstringfuror

Oh, well if John Biggs says so, it must be true.

Like I said yesterday, RIM is a convenient target right now. Everyone loves to kick a man when he's down. It's easy. It's fun. Everyone's doing it.

It's getting old.

Unfortunately, Palm and Nokia were also convenient targets but they have turned things around... oh wait...

.

[Daltonirl]

I agree with jsconyers. I think that by having a current OS out right now in BB 6 and releasing information on two more yet-to-come OS's, they're essentially shooting of their flairs for rescue. Basically they have BB 6 right now on select devices, they're releasing new phone later this summer on BB 7 and are trying to get people hyped up on QNX which isn't even set to launch within the next 6 months. That is a clear sign of desperation; if they weren't in the situation that they are then releasing so much info on what's-to-come software AND hardware would be marketing suicide.

[wabbit]

zomg a business class phone is doomed from the general public phones..... news at 11.....

[tsac]

Convincing argument. Yes the large companies who use still support the BB will be forced to look at other devices if they dont keep up with the demand of internal users who in reality all they care about is FB and texting. Security is still a big concern and if a big company gets hacked via a cell phone that essentially offers limited security you will see a big demand to "lock" up the other OSs. The game is not over till its over so we all wait. Apple just announced the 5 phone and to me its all about market shares. When the users finally figure out the changes are more about selling and not about real updates or something really necessary to need a new phone they will start balking at the latest toy. Cell phones have gone from making calls to using them for data use so all the manufacturers are struggling to keep up but not having it easy. Maybe an implant directly into the brain will solve all the problems.

[mobifree]

I hate to say it, but RIM might be on its last legs and I'm a life long Blackberry user.
They're just too late to the party the last 5-6 years.

[hrbuckley]

People keep saying this. But if you look closely at tech history, it is not comming first, or even quickly after others that is the deciding factor. Apple was "late to the party" compared to RIM with a smart phone, Android is even later. The iPad was certainly not the first tablet, but certainly put tablets on the map for the average user. This is especially true in a field where the installed base turns over every couple of years.

No, the real question is can RIM come up with something that will capture the upgraders when they decide it is time to move on from whatever they are using now, and can they last until that time. And as Tsac points out, if there are a couple of major security issues related to smart phone security on the scale of Sony, people may re-think their requirements.

[JSanders]

RIM has no debt, and is still increasing profits each quarter of the same quarter last year. They're not out yet.

[Thiego-uk]

Originally Posted by hrbuckley

People keep saying this. But if you look closely at tech history, it is not comming first, or even quickly after others that is the deciding factor. Apple was "late to the party" compared to RIM with a smart phone, Android is even later. The iPad was certainly not the first tablet, but certainly put tablets on the map for the average user. This is especially true in a field where the installed base turns over every couple of years.

No, the real question is can RIM come up with something that will capture the upgraders when they decide it is time to move on from whatever they are using now, and can they last until that time. And as Tsac points out, if there are a couple of major security issues related to smart phone security on the scale of Sony, people may re-think their requirements.

+1
True facts!

[David Haddad]

Originally Posted by Cooper

whatever.

Even if RIM died in the smartphone (oh wait, soon to be known as the 'SuperPhone') market, they have enough holdings like QNX that RIM would cut their workforce in half and just do something else.

It's Mike's baby, his life, his everything... One way or another, I think RIM will always be around.

Hell look at the transition IBM has taken. they sold off their hard drive division, they sold their computer and laptop division.

Yeah IBM has like 50,000 patents, has been around for 100 years and to this day does ground breaking computing R&D, but they had an entire market die on them so they split it off.

So you're saying that RIM is going to sell off their phone division and start to make video games?

[tsac]

Originally Posted by David Haddad

So you're saying that RIM is going to sell off their phone division and start to make video games?

where did you get video games in the reply?

[David Haddad]

Would it have helped if I used a sarcasm emoticon ? Using IBM is IMO not a good example as it's exceptionally rare that a company can reinvent themselves in that way, and they had the means to do it in ways that RIM can't even dream of, hence my quip about video games. Their CORE business is cell phones and the software that goes with them. I suspect it would be a little bit hard for them to sell that off and just magically reinvent themselves.

It seems to me that the type of denial that is in this thread and so many others is what also took place at RIM internally and got them in the dire situation they currently find themselves in, and have no doubt it is dire. Not dire as in "they are going out of business in 6 months" but as in "they have about 6 months to turn it around". The moment the iphone came out it should have been a huge kick in the pants for them but instead they either didn't take it seriously or didn't have the skill and resources to respond.

For the life of me I will never understand why people let their like for a product affect their view of reality. Good analysts don't which is why no one is recommending a buy any more. I do believe RIM can still turn it around but it desperately needs to happen soon.

The Techcrunch article is spot on albeit with a little bit of hyperbole, but not too much.