[DSL9700]

"The much-anticipated announcement Friday from Amelio and other top Apple officials began with the news of a 31 percent cut in the company's work force: 4,100 workers - 2,700 full-time employees and 1,400 contract workers - will lose their jobs"

"They're still in the same dilemma," said analyst Eugene Glazer of Dean Witter Reynolds. "It's a niche company with declining market share."

"It's very clear that they realized this is a very difficult time and that the only way they are going to get back to profitability is to cut costs and focus on core competencies," said Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies Research International.<

Apple layoffs: Painful but necessary - SFGate

This was just before steve jobs came back and got rid of and additional 3000 more employees. Time to get lean and focus.

[donmateo]

Definitely a similar premise. People are so focused on the numbers and not on the long term. This is exactly the mentality that got BB in trouble, thinking in the now. Many members criticize BB for the very logic they have demonstrated today. BlackBerry can survive as a lean and focused company. I believe this is part of their Phase II re-adjustment, no? So, not exactly a surprise since BB announced they would enter this phase around now.

[eldricho]

Looks like the plans are still on track
They said they are restructuring and that it would take a couple of quarters to try and lessen the losses. Phase 2 has just been entered and 3 should be being bought or licensing between now and Q4 or becoming a niche software company.

Where is our Microsoft-like company when we need him?

[anon5771888]

"The much-anticipated announcement Friday from Amelio and other top Apple officials began with the news of a 31 percent cut in the company's work force: 4,100 workers - 2,700 full-time employees and 1,400 contract workers - will lose their jobs"

"They're still in the same dilemma," said analyst Eugene Glazer of Dean Witter Reynolds. "It's a niche company with declining market share."

"It's very clear that they realized this is a very difficult time and that the only way they are going to get back to profitability is to cut costs and focus on core competencies," said Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies Research International.<

Apple layoffs: Painful but necessary - SFGate

This was just before steve jobs came back and got rid of and additional 3000 more employees. Time to get lean and focus.

They need to terminate the executives who made the decisions that got them into the position they are currently at, including the CEO. That will never happen, it will always be the worker bees and never the queen that runs the hive.

[m1kr0]

Deja vu??

[mikeo007]

So now Blackberry just needs to hope for a Steve Jobs? Don't hold your breath.

[LillyFox]

This puts things into perspective....good post thank you for sharing. it may help a few people understand business survival mode to stability mode to resurgence mode. My corporations have been through this process, it hurts and sux but needs to be done. Berry will need a bright visionary to lead, hopefully this person emerges soon

Lilly's hand stitched Frankenstein Z10 powered by OS 10.2.0.1725

[TGR1]

So now Blackberry just needs to hope for a Steve Jobs? Don't hold your breath.

And Ive, Mansfield, Cook, Padell, and the NeXT gang.

Apple was an exception. Big time.

[triplekia]

Well, if Steve Jobs would be reincarnated and joined BB, then I can see a pattern here. Otherwise it's just a Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy.

Posted via CB10

[aha]

I'm pretty much numb at the positivity in the first post, and I am a very positive person in life.

Posted via CB10

[eddy_berry]

Oh wow. Is that how the media talked apple back then. So bright and cheerful. Ok in comparison to BB articles it is bright and cheerful.

[Bold_until_Hybrid_Comes]

What a complete joke. The desperate attempt on spinning this into positive is ridiculous.

[aniym]

Steve Jobs came back after making Pixar a huge player in Hollywood and changed the face of the music business and made Apple billions. He leveraged that popularity into the even bigger success of the iPhone and iPad.

Thor on the other hand was part of the team that built the BB Storm. As CEO, all he did was put out a me-too product that was 3 years too late to make any kind of impact.

[Emaderton3]

Thanks for posting this. BlackBerry is doing what they need to survive. I think it is valid to criticize them for past decisions, but this is probably the right move and necessary if they want to stick around as a company.

Posted via CB10

[Bold_until_Hybrid_Comes]

Thanks for posting this. BlackBerry is doing what they need to survive. I think it is valid to criticize them for past decisions, but this is probably the right move and necessary if they want to stick around as a company.

Posted via CB10

I don't think losing one billion dollars a quarter is defined as "doing what they need to survive". In fact, I would say the exact opposite.

[FrankIAm]

And here I was, thinking 2013 was different than 1997..

The world must still be the same as it was 16 years ago.

C0001BBF0 - BlackBerry 10 help channel.

[app_Developer]

So there is the obvious problem that you'd have to invent a way to bring Steve Jobs back to life and convince him to move to Canada to take over a company that he didn't start.

But beyond that, Apple didn't turn things around by leaving the consumer market with their tails between their legs. They turned things around by jumping with both feet deeper into the consumer market with the iPod and iTunes. They absolutely and completely turned the music business upside down.

[oddboy]

So now Blackberry just needs to hope for a Steve Jobs? Don't hold your breath.

A tenth of a Steve Jobs would be enough! A hundredth even!

[larryb1280]

"The much-anticipated announcement Friday from Amelio and other top Apple officials began with the news of a 31 percent cut in the company's work force: 4,100 workers - 2,700 full-time employees and 1,400 contract workers - will lose their jobs"

"They're still in the same dilemma," said analyst Eugene Glazer of Dean Witter Reynolds. "It's a niche company with declining market share."

"It's very clear that they realized this is a very difficult time and that the only way they are going to get back to profitability is to cut costs and focus on core competencies," said Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies Research International.&lt;

Apple layoffs: Painful but necessary - SFGate

This was just before steve jobs came back and got rid of and additional 3000 more employees. Time to get lean and focus.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9860 using Tapatalk

[birdman_38]

The desperate attempt on spinning this into positive is ridiculous.

I dunno. I agree with what the OP is presenting. However, Steve Jobs also oversaw Apple get rid of half its board. He also spoke truthfully to his audience, and had charisma & balls. Those things will never happen to modern day BlackBerry.

Is it possible for BlackBerry to turn it around and once again have success in the consumer market? Perhaps. Will they ever? No.

[Concession]

So, now BB just has to make a ridiculously popular product (ie: iPod) to save itself. Odds of which are akin to winning the lottery. That's reassuring.

[igor10000]

They need to terminate the executives who made the decisions that got them into the position they are currently at, including the CEO. That will never happen, it will always be the worker bees and never the queen that runs the hive.

Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsilie haven't been in the company for some time by now, isn't it?

Posted via CB10

[katiepea]

Apple would have totally went under too if Microsoft didn't bail them out. Bill Gates personally saved Apple. Do you think someone is going to do that for BlackBerry? Apple, Microsoft and Google are probably all dying to rip BlackBerry IP apart.

[anon(5906760)]

Great comparison. Hopefully if BlackBerry gets in trouble Bill Gates will help them out too (totally kidding).

I'm glad that there are people who are actually reading into what's happening and not following the media with the "blackberry doomsday". They aren't going anywhere, with bbm going cross platform you'll see an increase in sales because it'll make the new BlackBerry image shown to everyone.

Hopefully they'll forget about the ****ty curves that we all used to own and realize that the high end models that BlackBerry offers are just as good as the iPhone or S4.

BTW, with the new 4.2.2 android runtime, I don't even notice a difference between side loaded apps and native, so there's no "BlackBerry has no apps" excuse anymore. We have the whole damn play store!!!!

Posted via CB10

[mikeo007]

Apple would have totally went under too if Microsoft didn't bail them out. Bill Gates personally saved Apple. Do you think someone is going to do that for BlackBerry? Apple, Microsoft and Google are probably all dying to rip BlackBerry IP apart.

Apple had over a billion dollars in the bank. Microsoft signed a licensing agreement with them worth $150 million and would see Microsoft profit handsomely. That "bail out" is a fallacy.