COMMENTARY | The clock is ticking on the BlackBerry. According to Reuters, Research in Motion could have hastened the departure of customers by appointing bankers to advise the BlackBerry maker of drastic options. Retaining those corporate and government customers is key to RIM staying relevant in a world where it is being crowded out by iPhones and Android powered devices. Sending a signal the company was preparing for the worst was probably not what any customer getting ready for a renewal wanted to hear.
According to the Jakarta Globe, RIM provided a look at what the company's new operating system, BlackBerry 10, will have to offer, and there is little question a successful launch is going to be critical to the overall life of the company. But RIM is late to the party again. Even the report mentions close to 4,000 Android devices are available already.
The pain is evident in the financials of the company. According to USA Today, RIM stock has fallen 93 percent since 2008 and reported the company will lay off a significant number of employees. It would seem the day of the BlackBerry has come and gone, and it is taking RIM in with it. The USA Today report mentions that of the 78 million BlackBerry users only 20 percent are expected to stick around as the exodus to competing products begins to escalate.
Research in Motion had some time in the sun, but failing to adapt to the marketplace, which changed course quickly with the release of the iPhone, has resulted in the sell-off clock to start ticking faster. Perhaps the only thing that could keep RIM around is a buyer, and even then the company could see a lot of changes. There still need to be customers for anyone to be interested in making a play for the company instead of the patents it holds.
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