Travel Technology - AP: RIM to cut 5,000 jobs, delay new phones

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hta8ftwOruV-KHGflP-6PxCpFROA?docId=c0142d1f1a1a438ab8a08aa890dbc0aa

TORONTO (AP) — Struggling BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. said Thursday it will delay the launch of new phones deemed critical to the company's survival and revealed its business is crumbling faster than thought.

The Canadian company posted results for its latest quarter that were worse than analysts had expected. It's cutting 5,000 jobs and unexpectedly delaying the launch of its new phone operating system, BlackBerry 10, until after the holiday shopping season.

I think this may be the end of BlackBerry, when the New Iphone is released many waiting for the new BlackBerry and OS may jump ship.

Research firm IDC says BlackBerry's U.S. market share has plummeted from 41.1 percent in 2007 to 3.6 percent in first three months of 2012.

Wait, does that last line mean that Blackberry is 3.6% of all phones out there, or that it's 3.6% of all phones sold in the first three months of 2012? I believe the latter but not the former.

Wait, does that last line mean that Blackberry is 3.6% of all phones out there, or that it's 3.6% of all phones sold in the first three months of 2012? I believe the latter but not the former.

Running a Google search seems to validate the former claim. If you're making all of your profit from hardware sales than shipment numbers and profit margin are the only stats that matter. The 3.6% number is probably for the US where Blackberry is not very popular.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/05/idc-smartphone-market-share-q1-2012.jpg

http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/24/idc-q1-2012-world-smartphone-share/

Wait, does that last line mean that Blackberry is 3.6% of all phones out there, or that it's 3.6% of all phones sold in the first three months of 2012? I believe the latter but not the former.

It's a metric of sales, not installed base. There are still quite a few out there (including mine), but not a lot of sales. My wife's was swapped for an iPhone4, mine will hold on a few more months for the iPhone5.

Last one out of Waterloo, please turn out the lights.

My Curve was falling apart so I went shopping for a new BB. It was shocking to hear (and see) just how bad battery life had got. So I bought a second hand 9780. It'll be my last BB, and without BBM I'd already have moved.

I went to blackberryforums and found that even the stalwart Blackberry fans have given up on RIM. I never thought I would see that from them. That's a bad sign to add to all of the other bad signs lately.

After this I reactivated my BB on Verizon, inactivating my Android phone. Really because of the keyboard, form factor issues. But it seems to me that BB is possibly past the tipping point with this. Actually, maybe even a while ago.

It is not looking for for RIM.. they cut 30% of the company. I'm sure the remaining folks at RIM must be super excited to keep working on BB10

After this I reactivated my BB on Verizon, inactivating my Android phone. Really because of the keyboard, form factor issues. But it seems to me that BB is possibly past the tipping point with this. Actually, maybe even a while ago.

I recently did the same. Had a RAZR MAXX but went back to my 9930. I just can't do the touchscreen keyboards. How people have accepted those in the masses is beyond me, they are NOT efficient for typing emails/texts.

I recently did the same. Had a RAZR MAXX but went back to my 9930. I just can't do the touchscreen keyboards. How people have accepted those in the masses is beyond me, they are NOT efficient for typing emails/texts.

Until I started using SwiftKey, I would have agreed with you. I can now type faster on my Razr than I ever could on my blackberry. That keyboard replacement is like magic.

we are very close to the point we will be talking about RIM in the past tense

i know they have a nice amount of cash on hand, but they have no product, a dwindling user base, and probably most importantly, application developers are ignoring them. if there's nothing interesting to run on your phones, your phones will not find users.

even corporations with a wrongheadedly stubborn devotion to BBs are jumping ship, with many going to a more open phone support model.

blackberry is the new palm.

The only thing RIM has of value is their proprietary email system. Their hardware business is on a downward slide to oblivion. I should just thrown some money at riding the stock downward when the Playbook came out and bombed. It was so obvious they couldn't compete with Apple and Google Android.

I recently did the same. Had a RAZR MAXX but went back to my 9930. I just can't do the touchscreen keyboards. How people have accepted those in the masses is beyond me, they are NOT efficient for typing emails/texts.

I have an iPhone too which is by far what I use the most. For the second phone it is either Android or Blackberry. I do like the keyboard, but if I had only one to carry it wouldnt even be close. The BB would come in third behind the iPhone and the Android. But I prefer the iphone to Android and the BB is the most complimentary due to the keyboard.

Until I started using SwiftKey, I would have agreed with you. I can now type faster on my Razr than I ever could on my blackberry. That keyboard replacement is like magic.

I will have to give that one a look. Thanks.

Until I started using SwiftKey, I would have agreed with you. I can now type faster on my Razr than I ever could on my blackberry. That keyboard replacement is like magic.

I installed it last night over WiFi. Liked it so much I inactivated by BB and reactivating the Droid Incredible 2. Very nice, thanks.

I installed it last night over WiFi. Liked it so much I inactivated by BB and reactivating the Droid Incredible 2. Very nice, thanks.

It only gets better with time, too, as it continues to learn your personal word patterns and phrases. Glad you're enjoying it!