Of course Apple could buy the IP! But to say they should or ought to or whatever opinion you have on it is arrogant. I'd give 1000-1 odds that only Apple has the knowledge of whether the purchase would have value to them.
Blackberry hardware is worthless. Their engineering is worthless. Their software is worthless. All they have are patents. Which are currently connected to failed products and a failed business model.
They also have a large, loyal customer base which is strong in the enterprise market.
I'm not suggesting that Apple should buy them because I don't have enough facts to determine that, but there IS value beyond the patents.
The best chance of a sale for BlackBerry may come in splitting up the company, allowing the sale of the company's valuable patent portfolio, estimated to be worth about $2 billion...
Lunch money. Maybe Apple and a consortium like Rockstar Bidco, the consortium that out-bid Google for the Nortel patent portfolio, can split up RIM's patents. How ironic that Rockstar Bidco included Apple, Microsoft, and yes, RIM.
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
The company had been pinning its hopes on the new BlackBerry 10 operating system, but just 2.7 million devices running that platform were shipped in the quarter.
Hardware: easy.
OS: moderately hard.
Built-in apps: moderately hard.
APIs and development environment: hard.
Infrastructure: very hard.
Ecosystem: very hard.
Mindshare: nearly impossible.
Takes more than just a new OS to succeed in mobile. And RIM barely even got past the built-in apps phase. How long did it take for them to add built-in e-mail and calendar apps to PlayBook?
RIM didn't leverage their existing messaging infrastructure very well. Could have expanded it into something like a secure cloud, but didn't. And how well did RIM's devices work together? The ecosystem thing? I guess most of us will never know. Most businesses and consumers just didn't care. Because getting mindshare is the hardest task.
That's the same reason I doubt Samsung or any other smartphone hardware company has a chance in buying the whole company.
The sale won't get interesting until blackberry decides to split their assets. At that point I could see Apple and Microsoft teaming up to buy blackberry's patent portfolio. Blackberry's device and software arms are dead though.
Apple has 15% of the mobile phone business. What makes you think that antitrust issues would arise?
What would possibly lead you to believe they wouldn't. How much of the mobile phone market did Google have when they made the Motorola offer? That's hardly the defining issue. I'm surprised you don't have any idea what triggers an antitrust review.
EDIT: I'll get you pointed in the right direction. Do a search for the Hart–Scott–Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act
What would possibly lead you to believe they wouldn't. How much of the mobile phone market did Google have when they made the Motorola offer? That's hardly the defining issue. I'm surprised you don't have any idea what triggers an antitrust review.
EDIT: I'll get you pointed in the right direction. Do a search for the Hart–Scott–Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act
We all know it'll go under review but I don't see any indication that it won't pass. BB is going to die anyway. A combined Apple-berry isn't going to amount to a larger market share than Apple alone. (Not saying Apple is interested).
We all know it'll go under review but I don't see any indication that it won't pass. BB is going to die anyway. A combined Apple-berry isn't going to amount to a larger market share than Apple alone. (Not saying Apple is interested).
It wouldn't be the market share that creates a problem anymore than it was market share that caused the DoJ to step in to tell Rockstar Consortium to hold on just a minute before getting too deep in the Nortel offer. Read up on the Hart–Scott–Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (1976)
Since then mobile IP issues have become front-page fodder. With the little bit of trickery that Rockstar pulled off, leading to their CEO announcing that whatever agreement and assurances Apple and MS gave don't apply to Rockstar (free to do whatever they want), the next go-round will get a whole lot harder look IMHO.
Comments
Originally Posted by Gatorguy
You just mentioned one of the biggest reasons.
And again I ask why. If you're going to pretend that companies have never been allowed to merge…
They also have a large, loyal customer base which is strong in the enterprise market.
I'm not suggesting that Apple should buy them because I don't have enough facts to determine that, but there IS value beyond the patents.
Fixed it for you.
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
The best chance of a sale for BlackBerry may come in splitting up the company, allowing the sale of the company's valuable patent portfolio, estimated to be worth about $2 billion...
Lunch money. Maybe Apple and a consortium like Rockstar Bidco, the consortium that out-bid Google for the Nortel patent portfolio, can split up RIM's patents. How ironic that Rockstar Bidco included Apple, Microsoft, and yes, RIM.
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
The company had been pinning its hopes on the new BlackBerry 10 operating system, but just 2.7 million devices running that platform were shipped in the quarter.
Hardware: easy.
OS: moderately hard.
Built-in apps: moderately hard.
APIs and development environment: hard.
Infrastructure: very hard.
Ecosystem: very hard.
Mindshare: nearly impossible.
Takes more than just a new OS to succeed in mobile. And RIM barely even got past the built-in apps phase. How long did it take for them to add built-in e-mail and calendar apps to PlayBook?
RIM didn't leverage their existing messaging infrastructure very well. Could have expanded it into something like a secure cloud, but didn't. And how well did RIM's devices work together? The ecosystem thing? I guess most of us will never know. Most businesses and consumers just didn't care. Because getting mindshare is the hardest task.
Okaay. . . I'll word it more directly: Antitrust issues.
Originally Posted by Gatorguy
Okaay. . . I'll word it more directly: Antitrust issues.
And every single one of my posts implies they won't be issues. Do you have any actual reason to think they might?
Apple has 15% of the mobile phone business. What makes you think that antitrust issues would arise?
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackbook
Yup.
That's the same reason I doubt Samsung or any other smartphone hardware company has a chance in buying the whole company.
The sale won't get interesting until blackberry decides to split their assets. At that point I could see Apple and Microsoft teaming up to buy blackberry's patent portfolio. Blackberry's device and software arms are dead though.
Two words: Rockstar Consortium.
Huh? What's next? You're going to thumb-up your own post?
Kidding: why are you replying to yourself? Or was it Huddler screwing up, again?
Well, he can't get anyone else to compliment him, so he has to do it himself.
Even if someone doesn't feel this way; this single line is just way too funny!
Don't know if it was Huddler or me. The intent was to edit the original post. The result was a new one instead. :err:
What would possibly lead you to believe they wouldn't. How much of the mobile phone market did Google have when they made the Motorola offer? That's hardly the defining issue. I'm surprised you don't have any idea what triggers an antitrust review.
EDIT: I'll get you pointed in the right direction. Do a search for the Hart–Scott–Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act
Presumably the same applies to Google.
Correct. I already said that myself.
Stop using Chrome!
LOL!
We all know it'll go under review but I don't see any indication that it won't pass. BB is going to die anyway. A combined Apple-berry isn't going to amount to a larger market share than Apple alone. (Not saying Apple is interested).
It wouldn't be the market share that creates a problem anymore than it was market share that caused the DoJ to step in to tell Rockstar Consortium to hold on just a minute before getting too deep in the Nortel offer. Read up on the Hart–Scott–Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (1976)
Since then mobile IP issues have become front-page fodder. With the little bit of trickery that Rockstar pulled off, leading to their CEO announcing that whatever agreement and assurances Apple and MS gave don't apply to Rockstar (free to do whatever they want), the next go-round will get a whole lot harder look IMHO.