You might hear a vast sucking sound, to the North. That would be Research in Motion’s (RIM) rapid slide down the drain.
The Canadian company that turns out bushels of BlackBerrys managed to stink worse than anybody, us included, expected. Revenue dropped by a third in the space of three months, meaning RIM made $1.4 billion less. The losses added up to 24 cents a share, way worse than even the most bearish stock analysts were expecting.
Oh, and it’s firing 5000 employees to save money and delaying its next software update until the beginning of 2013.
That’s if it gets that far. I predicted that RIM wasn’t going to survive 2012 and frankly that just makes it more likely. They’ve had subscriber growth this quarter everywhere but the US, but that lack of subscriber growth in one market was enough to sink their ship. Does anybody really think, with no new software coming for two more quarters, that this trend is going to reverse?
It’s possible RIM will go ahead with its plan to cleave itself in twain, but we don’t see how it’ll help. RIM essentially has to hope it can staunch the bleeding enough to hobble to CES in 2013 and then deliver something that will help it compete with the iPhone, Android and Windows Mobile.
Good luck with that.
(Image via peyri on Flickr)
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I’ve been saying they will be an enterprise only corporation inside of two years.
Looks like it may be WELL within two. Balsile and Lazarides (two names I won’t even give the respect of Googling for spell checking) built that company from nowhere, and equally drove it right into the side of a cliff.
Terrible.
Stoopid!
I do not follow stock progress and frankly do not care much for it.
I myself have been a BlackBerry owner and user since the Curve. (that small one that consisted of a hole lot of aluminum) It was a cool device, but was not built to last in combination with me. After rolling over onto it while it was plugged in to charge, the connector came apart from the board. As most of my devices; this one had no guarantee I could count on. The “repairman” had insufficient knowledge to help me and brought it to it’s demise.
Though our encounter was short I did feel a bond with the device; business in the front and a lot of party in the back through BBM.
Since that encounter I have only had devices from other produce than RIM as substitutes. I do not have any feeling to count back or mention which models have passed me. But I (ab)use around three devices a year this counting in the substitutes. Yes, my devices change quicker than Apple can launch a “new” Iphone.
My function puts me in the position to influence the options for mass users. This is not as vast as the public consumer market. This influence is of such importance that it puts me in a position to be willing to pay for the courtesy. Stability, security and control; I will gladly pay for a license to that. (BES)
Today, I own a Torch and a Bold 9900. The Torch is a twin it’s brother got lost in a alcohol fueled cab ride. I opted out of the 9930 (??) because; what’s the difference. Now I have moved on to the 9900 and I must say the difference is notable.
plus:
- speed
- keyboard layout
- screen definition
- I was able to swap out the keyboard myself using a Tork 5 screwdriver.
minus
- I had to swap out the keyboard due to an apparently common error. I think the connector from the “quick” and the volume buttons to the board was not manufactured with enough precision.
If I am able to push along the device I hold now (seen as the volume buttons have been disabled) the 9900 will be twinned.
The way I use my device it’s software can take me well into 2013.
As if you replace your Ipone every 4 months.