Remember the rumor that BlackBerry was planning to take itself private? Just a few days later and the company has confirmed that some very fundamental discussions are indeed taking place. In a press release, the Canadian smartphone maker revealed that a committee has been formed to look for "strategic alternatives" to push BlackBerry 10, which could involve a merger, selling the company or taking BlackBerry private. Naturally, there's no indication that anything will actually change at the beleaguered company, but at least we know Thorsten Heins is actively pursuing new options.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry
Via: The Globe and Mail
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Holding out for a post-RIM version of the PlayBook? That waiting likely won't end any time soon. BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins used an interview yesterday to discuss the mobile environment five years out. Seems he's feeling particularly bullish about his own company's prospects. "In five years, I see BlackBerry to be the absolute leader in mobile computing -- that's what we're aiming for," he told the interviewer. "I want to gain as much market share as I can, but not by being a copycat."
Not being a copycat may likely involve staying away from the crowded tablet market. "In five years I don't think there'll be a reason to have a tablet anymore," according to the CEO. "Maybe a big screen in your workspace, but not a tablet as such. Tablets themselves are not a good business model." This certainly isn't the first time the exec has expressed caution about the space in the wake of the PlayBook's lukewarm reception. Heins has mentioned in the past that the company won't jump back into tablets unless it sees the potential for profits.
Update: BlackBerry has since issued an official response to the interview,
The comments that Thorsten made yesterday are in line with previous comments he has made about the future of mobile computing overall, and the possibilities that come with a platform like BlackBerry 10. We continue to evaluate our tablet strategy, but we are not making any shifts in that strategy in the short term. When we do have information about our PlayBook strategy, we will share it.
Filed under: Tablets
Source: Bloomberg
Squint and you'll find a few neat parallels between BlackBerry and Nokia. Both are fallen giants which are staking their livelihoods on a nascent OS, while the former is a Canadian run by a European, and vice-versa. The one point where the pair's philosophies differ, however, is on the low-end market. While Nokia strove to embrace low-end phones like the Asha and the 105. Thorsten Heins has said he has no interest in producing budget phones for the developing world. At a question and answer session at the company's Waterloo HQ, the CEO was quoted as saying "You will not see us getting into the 50-, 60-buck phone segment. This is not BlackBerry." The move might alienate those who thought the Z10's elevated price in places like India was a bit excessive -- but at least Stephen Elop's got something for every wallet size.
Filed under: Mobile, Blackberry
Source: Bloomberg
January 30th, 2013 marks the beginning of a new era for RIM. It will put to rest those doubters who questioned whether the company could survive long enough to complete its painful transition away from BlackBerries past and onto BlackBerry 10. The question then becomes what the market will do with this wholly new OS -- whether RIM can be more successful at regaining its former smartphone stature than Microsoft has thus far proven to be with its own mobile OS reboot. If there's one person who has put more thought into that situation than any other its RIM President and CEO Thorsten Heins, a man who will be celebrating something else in January: his first anniversary at the top. How has culture changed at RIM over that year and what can we expect from the company in the weeks and months to come? Answers to those questions and more in our full interview below.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, RIM
As RIM gradually inches towards the eventual launch of its new mobile OS, the company's now pinned down a concrete date for BlackBerry 10's full unveiling. It's the other side of 2012 and will happen "simultaneously in multiple countries around the world" on January 30th. No specifics on those lucky territories just yet, but RIM's official blog states that we'll hear availability (hopefully both prices and dates) for two new BB10 smartphones at the event. There's no full press release just yet, but you can see what CEO Thorsten Heins has to say about it after the break.
Update: The press release is now out -- we've added it below.
Continue reading BlackBerry 10 launch event to be held on January 30th
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, RIM
BlackBerry 10 launch event to be held on January 30th originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Nov 2012 07:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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