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RIM: BlackBerry 10 in final testing stages, can be licensed
RIM CEO Thorsten Heins has confirmed that the company’s upcoming operating system can be licensed. The admission follows months of rumors and speculation from analysts drawing the same conclusion, many of whom believe it’s the last hope for a RIM recovery.
During an interview with Bloomberg, Heins noted that BlackBerry 10 has reached the final testing stages and they are now looking at how other companies might be able to use the OS. The chief compared it to QNX, the underlying software used in BB10, and how that software is already in use in nuclear plants, vehicles and military drones. "QNX is already licensed across the automotive sector — we could do that with BB10 if we chose to," Heins said.
Licensing deals could very well boost investor confidence in RIM as evident by a 13 percent jump in stock value following investor speculation with regards to licensing last week. In that note, Peter Misek from Jeffries and Company revived rumors that Samsung might be interested in BB10.
BB10 features multitasking and improved web browsing, just two of the features that it hopes will allow the company to regain market share it once owned. The majority of former RIM users have since become Apple or Google customers as the two continue to battle for market dominance.
Despite the gains last week, RIM’s stock has lost nearly 95 percent of its value since mid-2008, or roughly a year after Apple introduced the iPhone. Sales dropped a staggering 43 percent last quarter as the company struggles to move their aging handsets in the wake of new and innovative designs from Android partners.
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User Comments: 3
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I believe I read somewhere Samsung said they weren't interested in licensing BB, that their focus is Android.
If Samsung doesn't do it, I don't believe HTC will. Motorola is out of the question as it is owned by Google, so leaves who then? Pantech? Lol.
LG is a possible solution, but their horrible reputation after pumping out bad device after bad device certainly leaves much to be desired. LG seems to make appliances and TVs just fine, but smartphones have been known to be poorly supported and usually with poor design. Actual hardware seems to be consistent, but reviews on professional tech sites are certainly not in LG's overall favor. I doubt RIM would consider licensing BB10 to them, but it's a possibility.
Even then, though: LG Bold? Haha, no.
I know it seems rather easy to just hate on RIM, but from how things are looking there's two things that should be kept in mind:
1) RIM will not produce anything revolutionary <I>enough</I> with BB10 to make OEMs want to license it. I'm sure it will be impressive, but not <I>that</I>.
2) The only really profitable Android OEM is Samsung, and if they don't want to do it, other OEMs will most likely follow suit.
That leaves us with the inevitable demise of the BB brand as potential licencees are uninterested in licensing, and "not-so-potential" licencees are. While other, lesser known asian OEMs might consider licensing it, it will never be enough to dethrone Android or even WP7 who has seen impressive growth in countries like China. But guess why though? Because Samsung, ZTE and Nokia are backing it. Except Nokia, all aforementioned OEMs also are backing Android. BB10, not so much.
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Well I believe RIM is still very popular outside of the US in certain countries so someone with good financial backing could buy it and use it for his new company or an existing company could take it. You never know. They do have a lot of pedigree behind them. Personally I think they're old and stank but some people still won't let go so.
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yeah, blackberry is still popular outside of the US, like.. my country.. you don't have blackberry phone you'll be called "so yesterday" and will be left by society
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