Seeking Alpha article

The QWERTY-sporting BlackBerry Q10 might not be available in the U.S. until May or early June,...
Tuesday, February 5, 5:22 PM ET
The QWERTY-sporting BlackBerry Q10 might not be available in the U.S. until May or early June, though other markets are expected to get it by April, Thorsten Heins states in an interview. He adds early Z10 sales in the U.K. are "beyond expectations," and suggests BlackBerry (BBRY +6.8%) is willing to evaluate takeover offers. Many, but not all, of the early reports (I, II) on U.K. Z10 sales are positive.

I was reading this article and spit out my soda on the Thorsten's suggestion. Anyone else know of any of this?

Link:The QWERTY-sporting BlackBerry Q10 might not... - Seeking Alpha

Seems it's borderline putting words in the mouth of Thorsten like he wants to get rid of the company tomorrow morning, lol.

Yeah it made me a little uncomfortable. Why would they entertain a takeover...........possibly a partner............but I hope not a takeover.
I don't want to go out and buy my Z10 only to find out it won't be supported by BlackBerry anymore.

Originally Posted by maddie8211

Yeah it made me a little uncomfortable. Why would they entertain a takeover...........possibly a partner............but I hope not a takeover.
I don't want to go out and buy my Z10 only to find out it won't be supported by BlackBerry anymore.

Look.....you sound sincere. You aren't going to like what I'm going to say, but I say it periodically. RIM is, to be frank, doomed. You are likely to end up with an orphaned phone, though I didn't think that would be for a year or 2.

I have NO idea what the 'seeking alpha" blurb is talking about.....that site is rubbish, and I wish people would stop posting garbage from there....they usually only post here when they find bullish RIM opinions. I'd be shocked if RIM were talking openly about this, however, yes I am sure they are desperate for a takeover internally.

To really broadly summarize, the companies reputation is garbage, the company is losing money. The company is losing marketshare. The developing nations marketshare is likely to erode now. Their services revenue model is in jeopoardy. Their corporate lock, already heavily eroded, is facing a transition in their only real bargaining chip is goodwill and historic legacy.

BB10 has a delayed release in the US. It's slightly buggy (not too bad though, and they deserve credit for that), the phone is lackluster, their are many criticisms eg. screen, email, apps, camera, etc. - nothing deal-breaking mind you (to most), but the phone is already looking slightly behind the current leaders. there were no "surprises" (I couldn't imagine there would be any game-changing suprises), in short, it isn't going to work the miracle required.

The marketing has been astonishingly poor. Now we will have to wait (my guess is, a very long time...I don't think RIM has any numbers they will want to announce) for real sales figures, but from anecdotal reports (including those here), my impression is that they're really poor. I expected a surge. An anti-Apple surge. A BB faithful surge. A surge from those now waiting for years with aging hardware surge. I didn't expect this to make a long-term difference....but I thought it might create big short-term hype, and the illusion of success. (and hey, in a miracle world....the right marketing....the push from Carriers who want another alternative....maybe RIM could parlay that into continued sales, a new aura, and a new reputation)....but reception appears to be shockingly muted. It may well be that it is simply too late - there aren't enough of fanatics, there isn't enough goodwill or nostalgia left to even make a small splash.

They are trying....Bell commercials....Space channel hosts trying hard to flog the phones....but it's starting to look like a fizzle....and I don't think a "bang" would really have made a difference anyways.

My suggestion: buy the phone - if that's what you really want, but don't expect a robust future.

As to RIM, this is my opinion, and of course each person is entitled to their own. Of course, you will read many opinions on this forum contrary to this one - in fact, many will profess to believe the exact opposite, and mock me for my belief, but it is one I am taking a strong stance on - which I rarely do, in matters with so many intangibles. People who know me, and even open-minded people who have read my posts would know, I don't normally state my opinion quite so strongly. I'm making an exception here, because...well, nobody else is saying it. I guess at the end of the year, don't say nobody tried to warn you! lol

The Guy above is totally wrong 100 percent. BlackBerry will be a success but people like you and the ones on wallstreet don't see it because you have no sense of what is popular. This phone might start a tad slow in the USA but it might sell quick. The best part of the z10 is when most people try it the phone is better then what they thought. Apple is getting stale no matter what you might think and Android is good but a new experience is what people want. As developers see how well the phone is selling they will make sure to come over. BlackBerry won't be number 1 however I think their timing to come out is perfect when the industry was getting a little bland.

You look at where they were heading and I look at where they are going. This company has no debt and hasn't done anything in 2 years. They can only go up from here as long as they put out great products which they have.

Originally Posted by richardat

Look.....you sound sincere. You aren't going to like what I'm going to say, but I say it periodically. RIM is, to be frank, doomed. You are likely to end up with an orphaned phone, though I didn't think that would be for a year or 2.

I have NO idea what the 'seeking alpha" blurb is talking about.....that site is rubbish, and I wish people would stop posting garbage from there....they usually only post here when they find bullish RIM opinions. I'd be shocked if RIM were talking openly about this, however, yes I am sure they are desperate for a takeover internally.

To really broadly summarize, the companies reputation is garbage, the company is losing money. The company is losing marketshare. The developing nations marketshare is likely to erode now. Their services revenue model is in jeopoardy. Their corporate lock, already heavily eroded, is facing a transition in their only real bargaining chip is goodwill and historic legacy.

BB10 has a delayed release in the US. It's slightly buggy (not too bad though, and they deserve credit for that), the phone is lackluster, their are many criticisms eg. screen, email, apps, camera, etc. - nothing deal-breaking mind you (to most), but the phone is already looking slightly behind the current leaders. there were no "surprises" (I couldn't imagine there would be any game-changing suprises), in short, it isn't going to work the miracle required.

The marketing has been astonishingly poor. Now we will have to wait (my guess is, a very long time...I don't think RIM has any numbers they will want to announce) for real sales figures, but from anecdotal reports (including those here), my impression is that they're really poor. I expected a surge. An anti-Apple surge. A BB faithful surge. A surge from those now waiting for years with aging hardware surge. I didn't expect this to make a long-term difference....but I thought it might create big short-term hype, and the illusion of success. (and hey, in a miracle world....the right marketing....the push from Carriers who want another alternative....maybe RIM could parlay that into continued sales, a new aura, and a new reputation)....but reception appears to be shockingly muted. It may well be that it is simply too late - there aren't enough of fanatics, there isn't enough goodwill or nostalgia left to even make a small splash.

They are trying....Bell commercials....Space channel hosts trying hard to flog the phones....but it's starting to look like a fizzle....and I don't think a "bang" would really have made a difference anyways.

My suggestion: buy the phone - if that's what you really want, but don't expect a robust future.

As to RIM, this is my opinion, and of course each person is entitled to their own. Of course, you will read many opinions on this forum contrary to this one - in fact, many will profess to believe the exact opposite, and mock me for my belief, but it is one I am taking a strong stance on - which I rarely do, in matters with so many intangibles. People who know me, and even open-minded people who have read my posts would know, I don't normally state my opinion quite so strongly. I'm making an exception here, because...well, nobody else is saying it. I guess at the end of the year, don't say nobody tried to warn you! lol

Blackberry, remember Blackberry new name, if Blackberry is so horrible why waste your precious time on it?

All I know for certain is that during the hour or so I was at my wireless carrier's outlet at least three people bought a BlackBerry Z10. I overheard one of the counter folks say demand for the BlackBerry Z10 had been steady throughout the day. One of the people said she had heard about the BlackBerry Z10 on television and it was enough to convince her to switch from her current device which I assume was a BlackBerry with QWERTY keyboard because she mentioned she mostly uses it for BBM and text messaging.

Originally Posted by EvanRitch

The Guy above is totally wrong 100 percent. BlackBerry will be a success but people like you and the ones on wallstreet don't see it because you have no sense of what is popular. .

You will have to specify how you define "popular". For me, this isn't even open to debate in the NA market. A few percent of marketshare may be enough for you to call it "popular", I'd say just the opposite. One can certainly argue about what WILL be popular, but I think your statement ridiculous, and quantifiably wrong.,

Originally Posted by EvanRitch

T
You look at where they were heading and I look at where they are going. This company has no debt and hasn't done anything in 2 years. They can only go up from here as long as they put out great products which they have.

!!!! um.....O...K. I think their business position considerably more complex than this, and certainly more tenuous. Granted, i did not even begin to lay out details on this or any other aspect of what I said....could probably write 10 pages plus on it. I wish it were this simplistic. It would be like playing Lemonade Stand on an Apple 2 again!

Originally Posted by EvanRitch

You look at where they were heading and I look at where they are going. This company has no debt and hasn't done anything in 2 years. They can only go up from here as long as they put out great products which they have.

Agreed mostly with your assessment. I will add that the software development cycle for BlackBerry OS 10 has to be tightened with a focus on delivering the best user experience, including integration of smartphone and tablet via BlackBerry Bridge, to score the game-winning touch-down every time on their way to industry championship status. Any less and the OP's words may be prophetic. BlackBerry is in the first quarter of the game and has started strong.

Originally Posted by silversun10

Blackberry, remember Blackberry new name, if Blackberry is so horrible why waste your precious time on it?

LOL. Certainy irony...I though the rename was horrible marketing as well. In any case, I am sure everyone knows to what entity I'm referring.

Of course I'm sure you realize that their is a significant difference between having a "negative" opinion of something, and not being interested at all, and I know you would not be one of those people who advocate a version of: your opinion differs from mine, so why don't you just leave!"

The events are indeed pretty horrible now...I think lately, that's exactly what I'm finding most compelling. First there was some reeling/shock....now it's turned more into: OK....let's see what screw-up is next! One thing I will say is, they are indeed the biggest drama in tech....like Jerry Springer. I KNOW though, nobody likes a pessimist/objectivist among the fanatical!! The launch has happened now though, so there wont' be much to be gained until real numbers start coming in. So let's let it be. Perhaps it is I who will be proven wrong.

Take anything on Seeking Alpha with a grain of salt. Any half-wit can submit things to that site. And they do.

The stance has always been that BBRY would consider a reasonable buyout. His exact phrasing is that it "is not off the table"

Originally Posted by kfh227

The stance has always been that BBRY would consider a reasonable buyout. His exact phrasing is that it "is not off the table"

I will cut off my left thumb for the right price. Me cutting off my left thumb is not off the table.

But it's a *really* high price.

I don't want to even entertain the thought of BlackBerry being bought out. Not so much that I won't have support for my phone- but that I don't like any alternatives to BlackBerry! But please be clear- I intend to get the Z10 as soon as it is released here in US. (And yeah- I am one of those entitlled,spoiled brats - whining cuz I don't have a Z10 in my hands by now. I am clearly jealous). I would rather have a Z10 for 6 months than any other phone!

Originally Posted by richardat

To really broadly summarize, the companies reputation is garbage, the company is losing money. The company is losing marketshare. The developing nations marketshare is likely to erode now. Their services revenue model is in jeopoardy. Their corporate lock, already heavily eroded, is facing a transition in their only real bargaining chip is goodwill and historic legacy.

BB10 has a delayed release in the US. It's slightly buggy (not too bad though, and they deserve credit for that), the phone is lackluster, their are many criticisms eg. screen, email, apps, camera, etc. - nothing deal-breaking mind you (to most), but the phone is already looking slightly behind the current leaders. there were no "surprises" (I couldn't imagine there would be any game-changing suprises), in short, it isn't going to work the miracle required.

The marketing has been astonishingly poor. Now we will have to wait (my guess is, a very long time...I don't think RIM has any numbers they will want to announce) for real sales figures, but from anecdotal reports (including those here), my impression is that they're really poor. I expected a surge. An anti-Apple surge. A BB faithful surge. A surge from those now waiting for years with aging hardware surge. I didn't expect this to make a long-term difference....but I thought it might create big short-term hype, and the illusion of success. (and hey, in a miracle world....the right marketing....the push from Carriers who want another alternative....maybe RIM could parlay that into continued sales, a new aura, and a new reputation)....but reception appears to be shockingly muted. It may well be that it is simply too late - there aren't enough of fanatics, there isn't enough goodwill or nostalgia left to even make a small splash.

That's harsh, and completely untrue to be honest.

Your post brings back so many memories. Not sure if you're trying to sound smarter or acting like you know what you're talking about. Fresh out of university, in my first weeks on the job, we used to use terms like "lackluster, erode, transition, surge..." to make customers think we knew what we were talking about. It's easy to put things out of perspective.

The Company's reputatiin is garbage??? really? what does that mean exactly? Fraud? oil spills ? Coverups? Misinformatiiion? legal issue beyond normal industry patent disputes???? You're referring to consumers perceptions, which is a marketing issue, not a PR issue. they dont have apple style marketing, but bear in mind apple is a world apart in this aspect.

As far as sales are concerned, i don't recall people waiting in line to buy the GS3 (the best selling phone appearently). In any case, it's too early to call the company's sales but most evidence suggests either high sales or low inventories... No way to tell at this point.

Many criticism?? i don't know where you're getting this info, but if you're basing that on the recent "surge" of criticism in this forum, i would just suggest you don't put too much weigh in that as there seems a trend in Android users coming here for the specific purpose of bashing blackberry.

Poor Marketing? historically yes, but for now that's also too early to tell. I can tell you marketing has been a huge improvement in Middle East. "Anecdotal evidence" from here shows a huge number of apple users and Android users are incredibly hyped up for BB10. Exposure is definitely much better everywhere in the world, including US

Ultimately, from an investor perspective, The company still generates positive cash flows, And Different scenario valuations show that any partial success of BB10 would mean the company is undervalued. Most existing valuations place a higher share value based on 20% or 30% chances of medium success. consider an upside scenario takes place, shares should increase substantially. At this point, the stock is best described as risky, but the returns could definitely be worth it.

Honestly give some facts to back up your opinion richard cause you are sounding deluded just like someone who says blackberry will be number one in a month from now.

Originally Posted by richardat

....... I have NO idea what the 'seeking alpha" blurb is talking about.....that site is rubbish, and I wish people would stop posting garbage from there....they usually only post here when they find bullish RIM opinions. I'd be shocked if RIM were talking openly about this, however, yes I am sure they are desperate for a takeover internally.

To really broadly summarize, the companies reputation is garbage, the company is losing money. The company is losing marketshare. The developing nations marketshare is likely to erode now. Their services revenue model is in jeopoardy. Their corporate lock, already heavily eroded, is facing a transition in their only real bargaining chip is goodwill and historic legacy.

.........

I have NO idea what you are ranting about .....and I wish you would stop posting garbage.

Originally Posted by richardat

LOL. Certainy irony...I though the rename was horrible marketing as well. In any case, I am sure everyone knows to what entity I'm referring.

Of course I'm sure you realize that their is a significant difference between having a "negative" opinion of something, and not being interested at all, and I know you would not be one of those people who advocate a version of: your opinion differs from mine, so why don't you just leave!"

The events are indeed pretty horrible now...I think lately, that's exactly what I'm finding most compelling. First there was some reeling/shock....now it's turned more into: OK....let's see what screw-up is next! One thing I will say is, they are indeed the biggest drama in tech....like Jerry Springer. I KNOW though, nobody likes a pessimist/objectivist among the fanatical!! The launch has happened now though, so there wont' be much to be gained until real numbers start coming in. So let's let it be. Perhaps it is I who will be proven wrong.

What a word salad ........ meaningless jumble of words. I am ABSOLUTELY lost as to what you are trying to bring across. Except " ..Perhaps it is I who will be proven wrong".

Originally Posted by dragonx6

Honestly give some facts to back up your opinion richard cause you are sounding deluded just like someone who says blackberry will be number one in a month from now.

Perhaps to you dragonx6, but what kind of "facts" would you like. That was indeed an opinion as I acknowledged, in fact that is the only thing anyone can offer regarding these issues. There are a number of small quanitfiable numbers that we could look at, but of course, projecting those into future sales is so reliant on other factors (quantifiable and otherwise) that it would be folly to call those "facts". I'd gladly engage anyone who wants to discuss this thoughtfully, and your post sounds sincere, but I'm not sure what you would like. How about this, what facts specifically do you think these issues are reliant on?