Rumor: RIM Considering Team-Up With Microsoft, Selling Network Business Discussion

[Grant Hatchimonji]

Following the recent announcement that BlackBerry 10 is being delayed once again, inside sources have revealed that RIM is considering drastic plans of action, including teaming up with Microsoft or selling off its proprietary network.

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[Mitlov]

BB10 is all but vaporware at this point. I think BB should abandon having their own OS and become a hardware manufacturer exclusively, subsidized in part by Microsoft. BB10 gets a working OS with business-class security like its traditional customers want (WP8); Microsoft gets a good foothold in the enterprise business (which WP8 is meant in part to expand into) and another hardware manufacturer besides just Nokia who is going to make WP8 devices priority #1.

In my opinion, it's that or bankruptcy. I think Ballmer made them an offer they can't refuse when he approached them about using WP8 on their phones.

[LandSurveyor]

'Ya do what ya got to.'

[Mitlov]

Blackberry has publicly rebuffed the possibility of switching to either WP8 or Android. In my opinion, that's the equivalent of nailing the flag to the mast. They'd rather sink as an independent than allow any sort of takeover. RIM doesn't have the money to finish BB10 (as evidenced by the recent delays), and they'll never get the capital they need selling BB7 devices against iOS 6, ICS and Jellybean, and WP8 devices.

[hal]

I wonder if there is some sort of paperback titled "How to un-grow your business till ground level". Or perhaps "Chapter 11: The Ultimate Frontier". I mean, RIM seems to be following an ensured path to Oblivion.

Speaking of BB OS v.10, it sounds like a déja vu to me, only it was previously called Palm OS v.6 Cobalt. Yes, vaporware, and for any chance that it is eventually released, I wonder if there will any hardware left to run it. The parallels between Palm and BB are mockingly solid. Do these people try to read the news, or something? The pathways that a corporation in distress follows should make them think that somebody else has been there, and perhaps mistakes could be avoided.

[LandSurveyor]

Yes. When it happens, they fail to innovate, fail to execute, fail to pay attention to trends....., the list goes on. You'd think corporate types with so much at stake would have more of a survival instinct. I really hate to see this stuff happen but it's becoming a cliche.

Plus I feel like I've personally lost something because I've owned and liked devices from both of these companies. By comparison, I can't say that I'm all that wild about my (first) Android. It works OK but that's it.

Insert my usual comment against the shrinking ecosystem. Is this Thunderdome?

[LandSurveyor]

Yes. When it happens, they fail to innovate, fail to execute, fail to pay attention to trends....., the list goes on. You'd think corporate types with so much at stake would have more of a survival instinct. I really hate to see this stuff happen but it's becoming a cliche.

Plus I feel like I've personally lost something because I've owned and liked devices from both of these companies. By comparison, I can't say that I'm all that wild about my (first) Android. It works OK but that's it.

Insert my usual comment against the shrinking ecosystem. Is this Thunderdome?

[Mitlov]

Insert my usual comment against the shrinking ecosystem. Is this Thunderdome?

[tangent]

It's crazy but true. It seems in the tech world, increasingly, only one or at most two companies in a field are able to be successful. MS Office now dominates the office suite market, pushing WordPerfect out of a lot of traditional industries. Amazon dominates e-books, to the point where the second-most-successful e-book retailer (B&N) isn't considered successful at all by many commentators. And only two phone OSes have significant market share right now. Etc.