[Buzz_Dengue]

RIM Won't Live to See 2013, Analyst Says
Unimpressed by RIM's new BlackBerrys, at least one analyst says RIM's co-founders will run the company into the ground.
By Eric Zeman, InformationWeek 4-Aug-11

Eric Jackson, manager of Ironfire Capital, had some bold words Wednesday about Research In Motion. In short, he doesn't see the BlackBerry maker surviving past the first quarter of 2013 as an independent company.

Speaking to Business Insider, Jackson said of RIM, "It's a bad software company" and RIM's "not going to change their stripes over night." More to the point, Jackson blames RIM's co-CEOs, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, for its troubles. The company has "bad co-founders, and they're going to drive this company straight into the ground," said Jackson.

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Some employees and shareholders might agree.

What got Jackson's ire up? The new BlackBerrys announced by RIM on Wednesday. The company introduced a few new models that are--once again--incremental updates to previous devices.

Jackson is right in pointing out that RIM is not a software company--or at least not an innovative one. Its BlackBerry smartphone platform may be stable and secure, but it is slow to add features, and isn't as flexible as the platforms being offered by the competition. RIM is and always has been a good hardware company, though it could take a few more risks in the design department as far as I am concerned.

RIM has taken a risky shortcut in order to have something sitting on the shelves of its wireless network operator partner's stores for the next six months as it prepares its QNX-based smartphones. It refreshed existing form factors, bumped up the specs, put some spit and polish on the user interface, and hopes no one will notice that these are the same-old phones. Well, we noticed.

Surely these new BlackBerries will fulfill their role as the stop-gap they are intended to be. Businesses and consumers alike will upgrade from old BlackBerrys to get the better performance and shinier tech from RIM.

Meanwhile, RIM will continue to lose market share to Apple and Google. By the time its QNX smartphones hit the market (some time in the first half of 2012), RIM's position in the market will have sunk even further. Apple is preparing to unleash the iPhone 5, and the onslaught of new and exciting Android handsets shows no sign of stopping. RIM will face a difficult challenge convincing Android and iPhone users to abandon their gear for unproven BlackBerrys running a tablet OS that isn't very good at being a tablet OS.

Jackson thinks that by the time the QNX BlackBerrys show up, RIM's stock will be battered down to the basement, making it a likely acquisition target. Given how much its stock as tanked (from $69 per share in February to just $23 per share as of noon on Thursday) in the last six months, it is not an unbelievable scenario.

RIM Won't Live to See 2013, Analyst Says -- InformationWeekRIM Won't Live to See 2013, Analyst Says - mobility Blog

[Buzz_Dengue]

I want to find out this guy's stock pick's so I can go short on them...

RIM will be around long after this analyst's career is over...

[Buzz_Dengue]

...more from same source...

Research In Motion Will Be Dead By 2013

Research In Motion Will Be Dead By 2013

[PsyCorps]

ah! I was wondering when you would post the next article, but there it is...pffffff...serious dude, you got way to much spare time...go put a hybrid on your storm2 or something

[01itr]

From July 7th of this year

Eric Jackson had a short position in RIMM and long positions in AAPL and GOOG at the time of publication.

/yawn. Next

[scorpiodsu]

I don't think will be gone. If anything it will be around still supporting corporations and governments. Worst case, someone else will buy them.

[darkmanx2g]

I've been critical of RIM but that's just ludicrous. RIM can survive in international 2g markets alone and enterprise. They do not need the US 3g/4g markets.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Kobol]

too big to fail, i admit im torn on a takeover, i want the CEOs out and a change of culture but i don't think i want a take over and the resulting loss of identity.

either way RIM has too much reserve cash and assets to fail completely imo.

[Buzz_Dengue]

Time for RIM to use some of that cash on hand by executing a vigorous stock buy-back program...

[marko868]

Lets kick it off with a big bonfire around all these analysts houses.

[flyersfan76]

Spoken like a true analyst that only looks at one profit center within the company.

People thought BP was going to go under after the oil spill. Funny I guess they didn't take notice BP is the manufacturer of choice for the solar panels that Home Depot sells. And container ships that move goods across the oceans aren't owned by any make believe corporations.

[StaticFX]

Not sure how a company could blow through $3 BILLION in cash (with no debt) in a year and a half... and thats only if they dont make ANY more money. lol

Next.

[Jake-44]

The statement "Its BlackBerry smartphone platform may be stable and secure, but it is slow to add features, and isn't as flexible as the platforms being offered by the competition" in the article cited above is a credible synopsis of RIMs ongoing problems in the smartphone market.

It also appears to hold true for the Playbook.

[thebignewt]

He's talking about the North American consumer smartphone market specifically, RIM is probably a sinking ship. Elsewhere (biz, outside US) not so much. I read a little blurb on the new 3 phones using QNX and fell asleep halfway though it. And to think iPhone 5 will be out in October probably. You gotta have cool displays and cameras and apps up the wazoo. That's what sells here.

[tumer]

i want what phone this analyst uses of wait a BLACKBERRY!!!!!!!!!

[SCrid2000]

"Analyst won't keep his job through 2013," SCrid2000 says.

Moronic statements about a company's viability are of little to no use among people with even an iota of common sense, to say nothing of straight up intelligence. Analysts who make predictions that go beyond the realm of questionable speculation and into the realm of idiotic comments that not even an individual with the IQ of a house plant would believe rarely manage to stay gainfully employed. Such individuals are likely to add to the nations unemployment fund shortfall within a year of their asinine comments.

[missing_K-W]

Time for RIM to use some of that cash on hand by executing a vigorous stock buy-back program...

They currently have a stock buy-back program....However are only "legally" allowed to buy-back 5% per year.....Which is very unfortunate

[CGI]

The acquisition scenario is not as far fetched as some of you would like to believe.

I tend to agree.

I personally don't have enough blind faith to stand by RIM right now.

If you're defending RIM; you better have some inside information to support your argument because the pattern with them is NOT good. The court of public opinion can doom a company.

EDIT: I love my BlackBerry and will be buying a 9900. But...I'm in the minority! I see what my friends think and EVERYONE is moving to Iphone or Android.

[southlander]

Time for RIM to use some of that cash on hand by executing a vigorous stock buy-back program...

Yeah but not today lol. Not the best day for the markets.

[the_sleuth]

How many tombstones have the press/media/bloggers built for RIM since April?

Just like the rubberneckers on the highway like to slowdown and enjoy the carnage on the side of the road. My advice--MOVE ON, you are slowing us down from reaching our destination, QNX phones.

Remember, 65 million users and counting on BB OS, and millions more once QNX phones are available. That's more than the population of UK!

...more from same source...

Research In Motion Will Be Dead By 2013

Research In Motion Will Be Dead By 2013

[eds817]

Eric Jackson, manager of Ironfire Capital, had some bold words Wednesday about Research In Motion. In short, he doesn't see the BlackBerry maker surviving past the first quarter of 2013 as an independent company.

Who cares if they are RIM the independent company or part of Microsoft, Dell or Google? They will be here next year, the year after and many more after that.

[q649]

Yeah but not today lol. Not the best day for the markets.

So the best time to buy back a company stock isn't when the price is low? Maybe I'm missing something here...

[southlander]

So the best time to buy back a company stock isn't when the price is low? Maybe I'm missing something here...

Not if the downward trend continues.

[txaggie84]

I want to find out this guy's stock pick's so I can go short on them...

RIM will be around long after this analyst's career is over...

Exactly. Analysts are like weathermen...............

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[kbz1960]

OK so every other phone manufacturer puts out a phone that is similar to another phone they made last year with a few upgrades to processor etc. but they are ground breaking exciting stuff. RIM does it (all though not the newest nor out dated) and they are dead. OK I get it.