Microsoft Reportedly May Acquire BlackBerry 129
New submitter techtsp writes: Microsoft is just one one of many companies reportedly looking to get a bigger piece of the enterprise mobile market by buying BlackBerry. Reports claim that Chinese firms including Huawei, Lenovo and Xiaomi are also interested in picking up BlackBerry following the company's recent return to profitability. This report comes on the heels of BlackBerry announcing it is cutting jobs across its global business units in an attempt to consolidate its software, hardware and applications business.
This one will be easier (Score:5, Insightful)
This one will be easier, Microsoft won't have to plant a trojan CEO to annihilate the company's market share first.
Re:This one will be easier (Score:4, Insightful)
> Microsoft won't have to plant a trojan CEO
Who knows. Maybe they did.
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Yeah, because msft is teh evil
Re:This one will be easier (Score:5, Funny)
At least it might make for a nice slogan: Microsoft, where phone companies go to die!
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nokia was already dead when he joined them. Not saying he did them any good, but Nokia were going down with or without him.
Re: This one will be easier (Score:5, Informative)
Nokia was selling more smartphones than Apple and Samsung put together when Elop came aboard.
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Nope. Elop came on board at at the time when Android has just recently surpassed Symbian, and when iPhone was dominant in the category of expensive smart phones. Plus, Symbian sucked too hard to really be called a proper smartphone.
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But Nokia didn't only sell smartphones or even mostly smartphones.
They sold future-phones and dumb-phones too.
So you may both be correct.
That they still sold a bunch of phones though shitty ones which couldn't compete in the premium market doesn't really matter all that much.
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I post shit on the Internet the whole time.
My brain isn't used all that much and English isn't my native language so occasionally my mind and fingers don't type the same thing.
No they outsold Samsung and Apple (Score:1)
Please see the graph showing the smartphone quarterly sales:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/916271-how-stephen-elop-destroyed-nokia
See that top line? Way above the others? Thats Nokia.
You cannot rewrite history in the Internet age, Elop was a trojan horse,.
http://www.cnet.com/news/nokias-windows-phone-bear-hug-is-choking-the-mighty-finn/
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I love that article. 5 seconds of Googling shows that Elop didn't actually become CEO of Nokia until the end of 2010, but for some reason the article decides to start half a year earlier, with the sales record of the previous CEO, who was forced out for poor performance. You're reading an article that's more concerned with being a hit piece than the truth.
Another 10 seconds of Googling shows that at the beginning of 2011, Android was the top smartphone OS: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/an... [tomsguide.com]
Elop talked abou
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The point isn't really the timing of Elop's arrival - it's what Elop did with the situation. Going whole hog on Windows when Android was clearly the most successful alternative to iOS was pure Elop. It was a big bet with two possible outcomes:
1. Success - in which case Nokia has a headstart on becoming just another producer of Windows phones (i.e. first mover in a replay of PC commodification). After all, if they succeeded, then Samsung and the rest would be right behind them.
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I own several Nokia devices, including feature phones, "future phones" and smart devices (both S60 and S^3) - but not a single Windows phone (for what it's worth, I'm also a former resident of Finland up until shortly before Elop happened).
Irrespective of how much you may love Elop and think that Nokia was going down the tubes, are you seriously going to sit there and bitch about Nokia devices which are difficult as shit to break, hold a charge for ages and don't need to be restarted every other week and ch
Re: This one will be easier (Score:4, Informative)
Actually no. Elop came in 2011, when Nokia was still selling more phones than Samsung and Apple. However *Android* had just begun to have majority of marketshare.
http://25labs.com/a-quarter-of... [25labs.com]
During his tenure Nokia's marketshare went from 38% to 3% (yes, that is right, 3 percent) source. [wikipedia.org].
Elop was a disaster and got paid a 18.8 million dollar bonus on his departure from Nokia.
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the year elop came onboard was the best selling year for the symbian smartphones.
though, if they had kept the same middle layers they would still have been fucked - elop or not. elop accelerated things considerably though, by announcing windows phones when they were selling symbian phones by the boatloads(EXCEPT in USA. a market that traditionally was a niche market for Nokia really and rightfully so). for some reason the board was hell bent on conquering the low profit shitty carrier ran smartphone market
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I think this may be release 2.0 of the Microsoft-aided business plan. It used to be:
1. Found startup doing something Microsoft doesn't do.
2. Wait to be bought out by Microsoft.
3. Profit!
Now it's:
1. Wait till your cellphone company is in its death throes.
2. Wait to be bought... well, you know the rest.
If you work for a cellphone vendor I guess you know it's time to dust off your resume when you hear rumours that you're being bought by Microsoft.
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The Nokia stock is up above where it was than the Windows phone deal was announced.
Which also was a pretty weird reaction even though it would be in line with what I felt about the ideas before-hand but considering analysts / at least some people had said that was what they should do and then it tanked anyway =P
Anyway. Stock price recovered. And now they don't make phones.
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And now they don't make phones.
But they do make a high-end Android tablet, and an unique Android launcher. Maybe this does not sound like much, but it is widely speculated that they will make Android phones in 2016. They are just waiting for the non-compete clause of their deal with the devil to run out.
And it would be a wise move, I believe. The Nokia brand is still incredibly strong in developing countries; it was only Windows Phone that poisoned their sales.
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Are you sure you're not looking at the other Nokia - the part that M$ didn't buy?
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I look at the Nokia which is Nokia.
Not what is now Microsoft.
I talk about Nokia not Microsoft.
The fact is that Windows phone and number of phones manufactured or not Nokia according to the market is worth about the same. That the phone business has been sold of is irrelevant. The price for that include what it contained and was.
Finns who held the stock through this time is likely about or better of by now (whatever you measure before it was announced or after matters.)
Of course having changed to the market
Re:This one will be funnier (Score:2)
Popcorn futures are already up 5%. This is going to be fun!
NNNOOOOOOOOO !!! (Score:2)
why would Microsoft double down on a dying dud? nothing there but dead weight, a black hole.
patents are cheaper in Chapter 7.
Re:They should rebrand it (Score:5, Funny)
I like "Crashberry"
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I like "Crashberry"
Maybe Microsoft could make a Blackberry crash. I personally had believed that phones crashing was just a joke because my Blackberry literally never crashed or needed rebooting. Then I got an Android and found out that, yes, phones really do crash. Apparently iphones do too, from what I hear from iphone owners, however, iphones crash because it is Job's will.
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I personally had believed that phones crashing was just a joke because my Blackberry literally never crashed or needed rebooting.
Now we know you're a plant, I've had quite a few blackberries since the mid 2000s. Every single one of them have crashed to the extent where I had to remove the batteries.
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I nominated "dingleberry" [thefreedictionary.com].
Re:Might as well (Score:5, Informative)
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Microsoft sees the value in BlackBerry QNX in the IoT arena
Then they are stark raving mad. It has zero traction and negative appeal in IoT space.
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IIRC QNX can deliver a POSIX environment in ~32kiB of RAM (kernel + process manager). Why would that have a "negative appeal"?
assets are also cheaper in Chapter 7 (Score:2)
wait it out, enter the auction. much smarter business.
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Yes, it's always better to buy a corpse of a company after the engineers have burned their notes and thrown their desk chairs through the window on their way downtown to mortgage their car and sign up for food stamps, than to buy a company that is not yet a corpse and still has productive and creative people.
Re:Not going to happen. (Score:5, Funny)
Either that or Microsoft is sick and tired of competing with blackberry for the ass end of the smartphone market, and hopes to grow from 2.3% market share to 3.3% again.
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Article is likely fake (Score:5, Interesting)
From the author's bio: "He is having immense interest in psychology, human behavior and mind hacks."
Given that as well as the bad grammar, I'm pretty sure this is made up to get a reaction.
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Re:Article is likely fake (Score:4, Informative)
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nice going there, ay?
Don't you mean "eh". As in "Lets all go to Tim Hortons for hot dogs and beer after a good match of curling, eh." or "There is a mouse in this beer, eh."
"ay" is from somewhere ootside of Canada.
Re: ha ha (Score:1)
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The Chuch Norris defense, eh?
And I think the Canadian spelling is "aboot", not "about".
Re: ha ha (Score:1)
Tim Horton's doesn't sell hotdogs you insensitive clod.
Re: ha ha (Score:2)
This is an outrage! Tim Hortons must sell hot dogs! Where else would we expect red blooded Canadians to eat after a curling match?
I'm always shocked at just how much Canada doesn't get Canadian culture.
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You can't buy either hot dogs or beer at Tim Hortons.
And pretty much nobody actually says "eh", and never has.
Re: ha ha (Score:1)
Your Canadian citizenship should be rescinded. There's gobs and gobs of people who excessively say "eh". The worst are the ones who stop their story so you acknowledge their "eh" before continuing.
Also, my dad says it a lot more as the number of drinks in him increases.
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And pretty much nobody actually says "eh", and never has.
Yes, I know. And nobody in Canada ever liked hockey. And curling is just some sport made up for people to think Canadians have figured out how to bowl on ice. But Canada doesn't have ice either. These myths aboot Canada have all been made up to make the rest of the world think that Canadians are something other than humorless automatons. Indeed, Canadians have no sense of humor.
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If Canadians had a sense of humor, that second season of JPod would have happened....
And the new company will be called... (Score:2)
BlueBerry
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MicroBerry?
BlackSoft??
MicroBlackSoftBerry???
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It's going to be Microsoft Z3 ...
Microsoft - Revenge of the Zune
As big a success as the Kin (Score:5, Funny)
I'm sure this will be as big a success for Microsoft as their acquisition of Danger, Incorporated, developer of the Danger Hiptop/T-Mobile Sidekick, which led the innovative, exciting, youth-oriented Microsoft Kin. And the rest is history.
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You've had 80% battery life because all you can do with the device is make phone calls, because the app store sucks.
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Android is fragmenting and will probably die in the next several years.
It's interesting to ponder what will replace it. But it's not a sport where you have to back one 'side' or the other.
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Or I'd settle for a regular high end smart phone with a god damn keyboard. I love swype but I really preferred typing on a slide out keyboard... and not one that felt odd by only having a protruding end on one side (HTC G1).
King Midas in reverse (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm horrified, partly because I'm on the verge of buying a BB Passport. It's the best thing they've done in years, and since playing with SWMBO's (she bought one instead of a galaxy edge, after much comparison). The BB has a nice android implementation, simple hack to add the Google apps, better security and sandboxing of droid apps, and real keys with a touch surface that flows right onto the 1440x1440 touchscreen. Oh, and all that stuffy Blackberry stuff. It's a truly awesome piece of hardware. And now Redmond wants to gut 'em for their IP portfolio and security reputation?
In the mobile market, Microsoft is like King Midas in reverse: everything they touch turns to shit.* But this isn't a rant about Microsoft, it's a worry that Blackberry -- having done the amazing job of pulling out of the total nosedive they were in -- might get stomped just as they level out, and ship something even better. What a disappointment that would be.
*apologies to Tony Soprano
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Re:King Midas in reverse (Score:4, Informative)
... it's a worry that Blackberry -- having done the amazing job of pulling out of the total nosedive they were in ...
Uh, what the heck are you talking about [academia.edu]?
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Q4 2015: positive cashflow of $76Million versus a negative cashflow of 784Million in Q4 2014
Q4 2015: cash and investments of $3.27 billion, up $608Million from Q4 2014
Q4 2015: earnings of $0.04 per share, versus loss of $0.08 per share in Q4 2014
I would say the original claim of them pulling out of a nosedive would be accurate
Re: King Midas in reverse (Score:1)
Pulling out of a nosedive? The company is gutted, their products aren't remotely competitive. Buy a passport, Just know it won't be supported
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King Midas in reverse: everything they touch turns to shit.*
*apologies to Tony Soprano
Graham Nash [wikipedia.org] in1967, but since Midas lived about 3000 years ago I doubt this was the first time the notion occurred to anyone.
r.e. passport... Re:King Midas in reverse (Score:2)
It generates lots of "what is that?" questions. (Funniest one thus far: "A Blackberry, what, are you Canadian?")
By the time BlackBerry is assimilated (or recovers) I will be on to a different handset.
Patents (Score:3, Insightful)
MS wants to buy the patents. The let the rest die.
And Chinese want (Score:2, Interesting)
the encription tech.
Trust me, either way Blackberry will lose a large amount of customers almost overnight.
Microshafted to the max (Score:1)
It has been the goal of Microsoft to dominate all digital communications in the western world and as far as possible elsewhere. The acquisit
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The Canadian government does a lot of Linux on the presentation (web) tier. I won't lie, Microsoft is all over the place but so is big iron Unix (AIX, HP-UX) and a lot of that is migrating to Linux. Some departments may be only Microsoft but the new Shared Services Canada (one IT department for all departments) uses both Linux and Microsoft. Desktop is pretty much MS all the way though with Exchange on the back end.
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The Scroogle campaign has not to date done much to Bing the Google thing but it is obvious that the campaign to undermine, defame and absorb them is still alive and screwing over the market place! Milo Minderbinder has nothing on Microsoft!
Microsoft has already switched tactics, recognizing the Scroogle campaign was going nowhere. Currently the main thrust to boost search is through free "Windows with Bing" devices (pairing up with Intel's anti-ARM contra-revenue strategy), and the Android-with-Microsoft ecosystem they are trying to build up through Samsung and Cyanogen.
NO GOD SPARE US!!! (Score:2)
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Agreed, I think it's exciting times ahead for Microsoft again.
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Yes yeah, blind hatred for something you don't understand and will never attempt to shows all the hallmarks for a sane mind. Back to your parent's basement and compiling kernels with you while the rest of the world carries on.
Re:NO GOD SPARE US!!! (Score:5, Insightful)
People who don't understand how Microsoft has fucked over IT for the past few decades should really take the time to study some history.
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Now that Ballmer is gone, maybe we can be a little more optimistic for once, eh?
Hey, babe, I know I used to beat you, but trust me. I've changed.
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I tried the Blackberry Microsoft for a while, and it isn't even so bad.
commas -- fundamentally changing the meaning of sentences since 300 BC
Once they acquire the patents... (Score:3)
Once they acquire the patents, they'll make a tablet with a keyboard and insist it's not a laptop. :P
Military Use (Score:5, Informative)
Just a small note, the military is switching to the iPhone 6 from the BlackBerry. Most of the leadership at the very large DoD facility I work for turned in their BlackBerries a few months back for iPhones.
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Well then, I guess all the Group Commanders and the Wing King are in violation of the rules. Though I very much don't think so...
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Citation needed? This isn't Wikipedia. I just told you what's going on here . Fell free to call me a liar, but I will have to say you clearly don't know what you are talking about.
NOOO, NOT AGAIN!!! (Score:1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
OMFG, does the evil Empire really need to strike again?!?
A waste of money (Score:1)
Ottawa will never allow it (Score:2)
Canada considers BlackBerry as a national Canadian treasure of sorts. It's a huge success story and has been the backbone of just an immense number of high-tech jobs. BlackBerry is a flagship company. As such, Ottawa will never allow it to be sold to outsiders like Microsoft or anyone else.
It's just not going to happen.
This means the value of the company is a lot less than it seems since the value can't be taken out of Canada in any meaningful way.
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That's pretty sad that you need the government to defend and bail out the single Canadian success story.
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Not even sure about a bank as so many banks still use BBM. They might not like having another bank in charge of the company, though there are probably ways around that with a holding company or something.
My feeling is some kind of Canadian consortium can come to BlackBerry's rescue Despite FairFax taking a look and walking away, I still think they could do it with Canadian money without needing foreign partners. Canadian investors are as good as any, have plenty of money to invest and they can read the
simple math (Score:1)
Shit + more shit = shit
Typical (Score:1)
I've never read so much crap from the anti-microsoft brigade for a long time.
I bet that all of them hadn't tried Windows phone 8 and so they feel that they can run it into the ground because it's MS.
The phones are great. The OS is excellent and works well on low end phones too. The Windows store is better than you think and the gui and general operation is easy to use esp with One Drive. Cortana is brilliant. Hands off answers my sms-s with voice recognition.
It all a matter of choice and preference. You lik
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You bet?
You know what I think?
Cortana is brilliant?
Go fuck yourself.
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> I've never read so much crap...
Your illiteracy isn't something about which you should be bragging. Learn to read and then read about Microsoft and you'll read lots more crap than you ever thought existed -- all earned by Microsoft through its incompetence at software engineering.
> I bet that all of them hadn't tried Windows phone 8
Your wagering skills aren't something about which you should be bragging. Windows Mobile has been a scourge since 2002 when Microsoft owned the market, and lost it throu