5,000 RIM jobs to be cut / delays BlackBerry 10 operating system
25 replies, posted
[quote]First quarter results offer a grim look inside the troubled Blackberry maker. The company will fire 5,000 employees and delay its upcoming operating system.
FORTUNE -- BlackBerry maker Research in Motion reported a wider-than-expected loss and yet another delay of its long-awaited BlackBerry 10 operating system on Thursday, marking a new low point in the company's downward spiral.
The bad news isn't entirely surprising. Just last month, newish CEO Thorsten Heins warned that "lower volumes and highly competitive pricing dynamics in the marketplace" would likely result in an operating loss for the quarter, and that the company's financial performance would continue to be challenged for the next few quarters.
The company reported a first-quarter loss of $518 million, or 99 cents a share. Analysts had expected a loss of 1 cent a share. Overall sales at the Waterloo, Ontario-based company fell 43% from $4.9 billion in the same quarter a year ago and lower than analysts' expected first-quarter revenue of $3.1 billion.
During the quarter, RIM says it shipped 7.8 million BlackBerry smartphones and a meager 260,000 BlackBerry PlayBook tablets. The company also announced cost-cutting efforts that will include a "workforce reduction" of about 5,000 employees.
"I am not satisfied with these results and continue to work aggressively with all areas of the organization 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," Heins said in a written statement. "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. In parallel with the roll out of BlackBerry 10, we are aggressively working with our advisors on our strategic review and are actively evaluating ways to better leverage our assets and build on our strengths, including our growing BlackBerry subscriber base of approximately 78 million, our large enterprise installed base, our unique network architecture and our industry leading security capabilities."
RIM's (RIMM) BlackBerries once dominated the smartphone industry, but in recent years the company has been on a fast decline. Its management failed to react quickly to Apple's (AAPL) iPhone and devices running Google's (GOOG) Android operating system, which now rule the mobile market.
The company's last hope is BlackBerry 10, but this isn't the first time the mobile operating system has been delayed. In his business update last month, CEO Heins said that the company had made "significant progress" on several fronts, like development on the BlackBerry 10 operating system, which was expected to launch by end of this year and is now slated for early 2013. Investors are waiting to hear more details on Heins' plans for a turnaround. Last month, RIM announced it had engaged JPMorgan (JPM) and RBC Capital to "review" its strategic options, which could include forging new partnerships or breaking up the company.[/quote]
[img]http://fortunebrainstormtech.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/rim_blackberry.jpeg?w=300&h=171[/img]
[url]http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/06/28/rim-3/[/url]
5,000 rim jobs.
OP did you post this just for the title?
[QUOTE=Zethiwag;36540301]OP did you post this just for the title?[/QUOTE]
yes
Ah, I remember when Blackberries were [I]smart[/I]phones.
Sad times for blackberry - I really liked some of the phones too.
bet they're pretty bummed out
I never really liked Blackberry anyways.
They should just cut their losses and maybe work together with Apple or Google. WP has more potential than the Blackberry now.
[QUOTE=Vodkavia;36540463]They're pretty dumb by smartphone standards these days.[/QUOTE]
I'm tremendously fucking pissed at my mom. She decided to get a new phone, she was eligible for a free phone. She tells me she doesn't want a touchscreen because, in her words, "you can breathe on it and it'll register". I, a Droid 2 owner, knew this to be false, but fine, we went and got her a Blackberry.
It's a god [I]damned[/I] piece of shit. They replaced the moderately-useful trackball of old with a fucking touchpad which doesn't work for shit, and the OS is clumsy and terrible. I constantly give her shit over how bad her phone is, every time she confronts me with "How do I do this on my shitphone?"
Oh hell I'd show her if it were Android, or something decent.
[QUOTE=Elecbullet;36541052]I'm tremendously fucking pissed at my mom. She decided to get a new phone, she was eligible for a free phone. She tells me she doesn't want a touchscreen because, in her words, "you can breathe on it and it'll register". I, a Droid 2 owner, knew this to be false, but fine, we went and got her a Blackberry.
It's a god [I]damned[/I] piece of shit. They replaced the moderately-useful trackball of old with a fucking touchpad which doesn't work for shit, and the OS is clumsy and terrible. I constantly give her shit over how bad her phone is, every time she confronts me with "How do I do this on my shitphone?"[/QUOTE]
Blackberry phones aren't for everyone, same as a touch screen phones aren't for everyone. My dad absolutely hates touchscreens because his hands are too large to modify text quickly, but on his Blackberry he can modify text incredibly fast. It's just what people want, but more people simply want touchscreens than a Blackberry.
The OS is another thing though, I found it to be very clunky and strange. Maybe the next iteration of their OS might fix that but I simply don't know.
I feel bad for these employees.
I would cry for weeks if someone cut me off from my rim job.
I thought I heard somewhere that they were just going to start making Android phones?
Fuck. Well.
Shit.
He he he " RIM jobs" he he he.
Buttholes.
Thread title of the year
[QUOTE=Vodkavia;36540463]They're pretty dumb by smartphone standards these days.[/QUOTE]
Blackbery r dum no touch 0/10 would not buy.
bad time for a rim job
[QUOTE=SmashBrosFan11;36540537]I never really liked Blackberry anyways.[/QUOTE]
Blackberry used to be awesome, back in the days before iPhones and Android. It's sad to see a once great company fall apart like this.
If they partnered with WP I truly think they could make so awesome but for some reason they have to insist on developing their own operating system, and as a result I don't see the company lasting more than 5 years from now.
I hope they get bought up by Microsoft or Google.
Preferrably Google.
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