It's been an embarrassing year for RIM. Poor BlackBerry sales, disappointing financial results, and the lowest share prices in almost eight years are just a few of the setbacks the Canada-based smartphone manufacturer has suffered. Now the company reportedly will be forced to delay the newest generation of BlackBerry 10 handsets thanks to a hardware setback, and frustrated investors are openly calling for a drastic makeover. With Apple and Google tearing away market share, should RIM consider give up on phones altogether?
Yes. It's the only way to save face: The "road map to value restoration," activist shareholder Jaguar Financial tells Reuters, "lies in a sale of RIM whether as a whole or in separate parts." The company can't compete in the hardware business, and its PlayBook tablet is a big disappointment. RIM's best bet is to give up on BlackBerry, squeeze some cash out of its patent portfolio — say, by selling its encrypted email technology to other platforms like Android — and maintain its high-margin services business.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
