We’ve been through the Samsung-RIM merger talks before, and they’ve risen again. Research In Motion is counting on its delayed BlackBerry 10 platform to reinvigorate its brand, increase smartphone sales and save the company. Jefferies & Co. analyst, Peter Misek, however, doesn’t believe BlackBerry 10 will live up to RIM’s expectations.
“[W]e see little chance RIM can take share away from Apple with BB10”
“We see significant potential for [BlackBerry 10], and it certainly is a vast improvement over BB7,” the analysts wrote in an August 7th report. “However, we believe it is highly unlikely that it will be an improvement over iOS 6 and about equal to Android 4.1. Therefore, we see little chance RIM can take share away from Apple with BB10.”
“RIM, Nokia and Motorola provide stern warnings that any high-flying mobile phone company can crash in a two-year period,” wrote the analysts, reiterating that that they see no near-term issues with Samsung but that its “2.5-year outlook is concerning.”
Samsung has leveraged its scale, its vertical hardware integration and Google’s Android OS to attain its current position, but Misek believes that the company recognizes the increasing importance of software and the danger in not owning their software.
In a request for comment from All Things D, Samsung spokesperson said, “Samsung Electronics has not considered the acquisition of Research In Motion or licensing BB10.” Whether or not this is a true statement is anyone’s guess. Nevertheless, Misek’s claims did make RIM’s stock rise 10% on August 8th.
RIM’s smartphone market share plummeted 40.9% in the last year
RIM, meanwhile, has seen its market share continue to plummet. According to IDC data released on August 8th, RIM’s market share fell 40.9% in the last year, and Windows Phone looks to quickly take BlackBerry’s place as the number three OS in the world as it launches its next version later this year, months ahead of the BlackBerry 10 OS release.
RIM is expected to offer an update during its Sept. 27 earnings call. RIM, wrote the Jefferies analysts, will want to see how its new platform is received before it places a value on the company.
If RIM were to be purchased by an OEM, with which OEM do you see it having the brightest future? Samsung? HTC? LG? Sound off in the comments!