by David Stone, Technician
After a little over a decade of being a main mobile power in the business world, Blackberry (NASDAQ: BBRY) is fading to black.
The smartphone and tablet manufacturer is getting edged out by an array of factors: First they waited too long to release a device that could compete with Android and iOS, and then fell short on innovative features and operability. Secondly, they failed to market their devices to generate the kind of “tech buzz” needed to drive consumer sales these days.
While Blackberry reigned supreme as the go-to business message service and mobile emailing solution, they were surpassed by changes in industry and social popularity.
Perhaps they made changes too little too late, or perhaps they thought that their grip on the business world would ever cease. Either way, they will forever be an example of how refusing to adapt and change or not being able to see the coming change will extinct your business.
The announcement of profit losses was preceded by a work force reduction plan and the possibility of going private. Both indicate a company in turmoil, not a tech giant about to reinvent the way people connect and share data. The future for new devices looks bleak at Blackberry, but the future of the company looks like it might have some options that provide low-maintenance profitability.
In addition to being the 6th largest manufacturer of mobile devices (smartphones & tablets) Blackberry also provides mobile internet service to 91 countries on a worldwide network of over 500 mobile carriers.
Blackberry also holds a lot of proprietary patents, which much like Microsoft will generate plenty of income with little to no cost. This would essentially turn the company into a technology holding company, with a focus on maintaining licensing not developing new hardware. In effect, this would hand the company over to the lawyers and wrestle it away from the engineers. That does not bode well for any company that wants to be an industry trend-setter.
With stiff competition from Android and iOS, a former industry standard in the world of mobile computing is all but gone. Perhaps it will remain in the ring for a few more rounds with a cult-like following of users, or maybe they will break into the services sector and resurge as a mobile-enhancement services company.