OK so two websites are rumormongering this about now.... but when you think about it, it makes sense! Microsoft's only way to compete in the smartphone arena is to buy out a company like RIM, since RIM's Blackberries already are microsoft-savvy (i.e. exchange) and business-savvy devices.
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Microsoft to BUY RiM (Blackberry) !!! [Speculation]
- Thread starter MacTraveller
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Sources for this ridiculous speculation?
RIM are consistently on the up, why on earth would they sell out.
RIM are consistently on the up, why on earth would they sell out.
Hardly. RIM made 6 Billion dollars last year. Their market cap is 31 billion. Not so say that makes it any more of less possible, but the EU would never approve the sale much less the Canadian Government.
Microsoft has no reason to acquire RIM - they never have been in the hand-held phone business. Furhtermore you have to remember:
1) Microsoft has their own phone software platform, they aren't going to dump it since there is huge corporate need for its support.
2) MS also has another phone system - Danger
3) MS already has mail acquisition technology of its own that already directly interfaces with Exchange and does not require a dedicated NOC that RIM uses.
4) With what RIM is trading at, they could afford to buy out Yahoo at twice the current share - and their web business is in far more a world of hurt than their mobile business.
The only thing that MS could gain from RIM is selling handsets - otherwise they would obtain competing technologies that have nothing to do with each other. I just don't see it happening anymore than the Yahoo deal would.
Yah but that and the referenced link doesn't say they WILL take them over (as in rumor) just that they basically have the capital to do so. MS is always used in comparisons like this because they have a huge capital to back up risky moves.
Yeah, but it is nowhere near as feature rich as the BES server. That could be the only thing I can see as useful for MS.
Also note the BES server will interface with Lotus Notes as well.
I just makes more sense to improve the services that they offer since they already control exchange server. Why complicate things by acquiring technology that just requires another server on top of exchange. The Zune model indicates integration
So? Lotus Notes competes with Exchange too. Again, what advantage would that offer Microsoft when they would get much more out of convincing competitors to move to Exchange outright?
People who use Blackberrys buy them to avoid Windows Mobile.
Microsoft should get that through their heads. Putting Windows Mobile on a Blackberry device isn't going to garner any more/less customers if the customer's intentions were to not use WinMo in the first place.
Microsoft should get that through their heads. Putting Windows Mobile on a Blackberry device isn't going to garner any more/less customers if the customer's intentions were to not use WinMo in the first place.
RIMs shareprice has taken taken a hammering over the last few months. Stock looks very cheap. As reported in numerous places MS appear to have a standing offer to buy RIM for $50 a share. Of course RIM almost certainly don't have a standing acceptance...
I agree with that, and as I said, the BES server has way more features. If MS were to buy RIM, that's about the only good thing I can see from it.
I'm just saying that RIM technology will interface with other email systems. I know of several companies that run Lotus and will not switch because Exchange doesn't offer the same solutions integrated with the email system. These companies also have BlackBerries, and if MS were to support Exchange-only environments, they would lose clients.
People who use Blackberrys buy them to avoid Windows Mobile.
Srsly... the BB interface and system was so much more sensible and usable than the Windows Mobile interface.
