There is absolutely no question that RIM’s future hinges on the success of its upcoming operating system, BB10. The company, which has seen its market share dwindle due to inferior software and hardware is in the midst of a thorough strategic review. The review will consider a myriad of options with the long term future of the company in mind.
As mentioned on our site last week, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins in an interview with the UK Daily Telegraph discussed the option of licensing BB10 to smartphone makers. Heins discussed the uphill battle his company faces with regards to producing units in a cost effective means while also producing a wide array of devices.
According to several industry analysts, Samsung would represent RIM’s best chance at regaining traction in the smartphone universe. Samsung produces more phones both in terms of variety and volume than any other industry player, with many of those devices being praised. Jeffries analyst Peter Misek believes that RIM will elect to license their software to a suitable partner who had something to gain from that union.
That once again brings Samsung’s name to the forefront. Samsung is without question an industry monster however they rely almost exclusive on Google and the Android platform. Misek believes that Samsung has long been considering adding to their in house operating system, and licensing or acquiring RIM and BB10 would represent a great way of doing that. Samsung would also benefit from RIM’s subscriber base for immediate user numbers.
All of this is of course speculative; however it does make sense on several fronts. RIM has put a lot into the software, and according to several sources BB10 is as good as Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean. It does however lack as compared to Apple’s latest iOS 6. The belief is that either way Samsung will wait until BB10 is released and used before deciding the future (potentially) of the Canadian company.
Starbucks – Square is Choosing Its Friends Wisely
BCE Inc.’s Bid for Astral Media Inc. is Being Opposed by Competitors
Lunches So Good Kids Can’t Ignore Them
Invigorating Ginger Smoothie
The U.K.’s Youngest Parents Ever
The new hair Jennifer Lawrence