July 3, 2012: Denial
Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins says, “there’s nothing wrong with the company as it exists right now.”
July 28, 2012: Anger
As it was expected that some major changes were next on the cards for famous blackberry maker, RIM (Research in Motion), finally cat is out of the bag and Alexandra Zagury has been appointed as RIM’s new MD and VP for Southern Africa and SA.
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According to her, US media has been quite harsh towards RIM and depicting a gloomy picture of RIM is absolutely not justifiable, that too when RIM is trying to make a comeback and struggling through hard times.
While lashing out at US media critics, she stated that it’s quite ironical [sic] that US, being one of the most developed nations of the world, has nothing great to offer in the telecommunications field.
September 25, 2012: Bargaining
RIM has a very difficult road to travel with BlackBerry 10: it needs to get a critical mass of apps by launch to even get a first look from consumers, let alone a second one. To prepare developers, the company has had to keep them up to speed by trickling out information about the next platform instead of unveiling it all at once with a big splash. That has made for a series of teases and hints, but not a complete picture of RIM’s mobile strategy.
Time will tell whether this strategy of slowing revealing details instead of making a single, big announcement is the right move. If RIM is right, it will help boost the app ecosystem in time for launch without detracting from the excitement a single launch could have garnered. If RIM is wrong, by the time BlackBerry 10 devices ship, they might feel old hat.
October 9, 2012: Depression
Research In Motion is not likely to launch the much-anticipated BlackBerry 10 operating system software until March 2013, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek asserts in a research note. To date, the company has only said it expects to debut the first BB 10 devices in the calendar first quarter.
“We had hoped for a January launch but now see a March launch as more likely,” he writes. That would mean no sales of the next generation phones in the February quarter. “Also, our checks point to a tough November quarter, with replenishment rates decreasing as channel partners are cautious on holding RIM inventory. We think the business uncertainty means parties are unlikely to acquire or license from RIM until BB10 launches.”
November 7, 2013: Acceptance
The signs do not look good. On November 4th, six weeks after BlackBerry said that its biggest shareholder, Fairfax Financial, wanted to take the ailing Canadian smartphone-maker private for $4.7 billion in cash, the sale was called off. BlackBerry instead declared that it would raise $1 billion in debt, convertible into 16% of its shares. Fairfax, a Toronto holding company that focuses on insurance but owns 10% of BlackBerry, is taking a quarter of the issue. Barbara Stymiest, who chairs BlackBerry’s board, called this “a significant vote of confidence in BlackBerry and its future”. The stockmarket called it a flop: the share price, already a fraction of what it once was (see chart), fell by 16%.