Blackberry

[Kurtis]

RIM delays Blackberry 10 launch and cuts 5,000 jobs

Blackberry maker Research in Motion (RIM) has said it will delay the launch of its new phone operating system Blackberry 10 and is to cut 5,000 jobs.

The confirmation of job losses, which RIM had warned of last month, came as the firm reported a $518m (£334m) net loss in the three months to 2 June.

That compared with a $695m profit in the same period a year earlier.

Analysts said the results were worse than expected and the Blackberry 10 delay spelt more bad news for RIM.

Revenue in the first quarter dropped 43% to $2.8bn as sales of its Blackberry smartphones fell sharply for a second straight quarter.

'Not satisfied'

RIM has struggled to keep up with rivals in the smartphone market, such as Apple's iPhone and handsets running on Google's Android operating system. It has also struggled to gain a foothold in the tablet market.

The Canadian firm had been pinning its hopes for a comeback on Blackberry 10.

The first phone with Blackberry 10 was expected later this year, but will now ship in the first quarter of 2013.

"Our first quarter results reflect the market challenges I have outlined since my appointment as CEO at the end of January," said RIM boss Thorsten Heins.

"I am not satisfied with these results and continue to work aggressively with all areas of the organisation and the board to implement meaningful changes to address the challenges, including a thoughtful realignment of resources and honing focus within the company on areas that have the greatest opportunities.

"Our top priority going forward is the successful launch of our first Blackberry 10 device, which we now anticipate will occur in the first quarter of calendar 2013."

'Brutal'

Shares in RIM have fallen about 70% over the past year.

After the release of the first quarter results, its shares plunged 18% to $7.47 in extended trading in New York.

RIM also said it expected to make an operating loss in the current quarter.

"These [results] are brutal and it looks like it's going to continue to get worse before it gets better with this new wrinkle of the delay of BB10," said Eric Jackson, hedge fund manager at Ironfire Capital in Toronto.

"The company [is] now losing money. For a long time it's been able to say it's solidly profitable. And yet now it's starting to dip in the red and that's going to continue for several quarters.

"And there's really no guarantee that once they come out on the other side of BB10 that it's going to be something that people will want."

He also said that he thought the company would have to cut more jobs in the future.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18631702

didnt know things were that bad, i swear theyre doing quite well in the UK?

[Guest28]

if u think about it their fones are mile behind iphone and android fones, the only reason they are making money is coz of bbm and their services fee.

the amount of times i hear ppl sending off their bb's when its fresh out of the box is ridiculous...i always thought they were losing money

[Kurtis]

they still got the corporate market on lock though no?

[Kurtis]

The Q1 earnings news from RIM of layoffs and a delay in its next generation of handsets has unsurprisingly led to some rumors from the usual "people familiar with the situation," according to Reuters. The options reportedly being considered by the board probably also won't shock you, like the possibility of following former co-CEO Jim Balsillie's plan to open up its network to others and / or or sell it outright. An alternative path comes from Microsoft and Steve Ballmer, who has reportedly been putting a full court press on the folks in Waterloo to pull a Nokia and bring their arms to the Windows OS camp. That choice is reportedly less attractive because it would mean giving up technology independence, but we'll see how long that feeling lasts if future earnings projections remain similarly dismal.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/29/rim-network-microsoft-rumors/

[Mr. Gayle]

Shocked as thought they were doing well from enterprise

[Guest28]

The Q1 earnings news from RIM of layoffs and a delay in its next generation of handsets has unsurprisingly led to some rumors from the usual "people familiar with the situation," according to Reuters. The options reportedly being considered by the board probably also won't shock you, like the possibility of following former co-CEO Jim Balsillie's plan to open up its network to others and / or or sell it outright. An alternative path comes from Microsoft and Steve Ballmer, who has reportedly been putting a full court press on the folks in Waterloo to pull a Nokia and bring their arms to the Windows OS camp. That choice is reportedly less attractive because it would mean giving up technology independence, but we'll see how long that feeling lasts if future earnings projections remain similarly dismal.

http://www.engadget....crosoft-rumors/

i think they should go for it

if not sell bbm ffs

[Trim]

if u think about it their fones are mile behind iphone and android fones, the only reason they are making money is coz of bbm and their services fee.

the amount of times i hear ppl sending off their bb's when its fresh out of the box is ridiculous...i always thought they were losing money

phones are f*ck*ng sh*t

I've never had to send a phone off so many times to be repaired. I've had an iphone 3G since it came out and its not broken ONCE since i got it, even when the iphone contract finished and i just treated it like sh*t it still worked 10x better than the blackberry. I lost my blackberry on saturday and that sh*t was a blessing in disguise, so so so glad i've got rid of it now.

bbm is one of the greatest creations of all time, because without it blackberries are nothing.

unbelievable how badly made they seem. if its not one problem its another

[mp*]

Still a few people clinging onto BBM, when you leave you realise you can live without it (and the sh*t phone its installed on)

All my people kept telling me to get a BB, laughed it off, they all have iphones and android phones now

[J. Edgar]

RIM's BlackBerry's are not bad phones. They are the only manufacturer that have dedicated servers for internet and emails, its like having a personal assistant in your pocket. I havn't made the change from BlackBerry to Apple or Android devices only because their push email is wank. I don't know what it is about BlackBerry thats so appealing, maybe its the physical qwerty keypad.

[Kurtis]

Push email on android is good, not sure about ios but I haven't heard any complaints. Unless you mean their BES enterprise service in which case I have no experience with that

[Kurtis]

is there a way to turn off BBM but still receive calls/emails etc?

[LS]

If you delete the app?

[Kurtis]

if i re-install it, will i have to re-add all my contacts?

[LS]

Shouldn't do if you backed them up

Don't remember having to add anyone when i got a new BB 'cause it was backed up by my email or media card

but this was 2 years ago lol

[Kurtis]

ahh

i found the firewall, but that didnt work, then i went to applications and edited the permissions on BBM to deny connections

hopefully that'll work

[Kurtis]

well that didnt work

[RYDER.]

selling di BB 99 hunned

BBM has run its course, I think its abit childish now also, ping pinging each other imo

sticking with the iPhone

also felt like a c*nt having two phones lmao

[The Flyest]

The new whatsapp update is making me think do i really need bbm

i dont really use it much nowadays niether

when the iphone 5 drops oh boy

[Kurtis]

whats so good about the update?

[RYDER.]

whats so good about the update?

display pics

[Kurtis]

lol

[Seth Rollins]

Right place at the right time, some desperate guy sold his new boxed BB Bold 9780 for £45. So, no more Bold 9000. I do miss that Bold I won't lie...

[Salamanca]

45 quid u no.

i'll give you 80.

[Kurtis]

FACK

thats crackhead prices

[Swiftie]

they still got the corporate market on lock though no?

Shocked as thought they were doing well from enterprise

They do, but lately it would appear sh*t is changing drasticaly, its not like the other manufacturers aint clocked on what's what & will slowly over. iOS and Android have come and where they have developed and excel, RIM just kept churning out the same sh*t.

Amount of times at I've spent time fixing sh*t on BES whilst the same user has a iPhone/iPad and they dare ask why its always their BB that requires so much work.