Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) has had a good run. When it began trying to reinvent itself at the start of 2013, most in the technology sector were pleasantly surprised by the quality of their new flagship smartphone. The quantity it shipped surprised few, however, and at this stage it appears the Canadian manufacturer is out of the smartphone game.
Last week it was announced that the BlackBerry z10 was going to see a price cut, and with the device’s low sales that was not surprising, however the 75% off tag was shocking. Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) has tried to put a positive spin on the change, but it’s clear that there’s few avenues left to the company.
No Way Out for BlackBerry (BBRY)
The big problem at Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) has been lack of cash. All of its competitors in the smartphone area have deep, deep pockets, bar a few exceptions like Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V), who have somebody else’s deep pockets. Research In Motion could not wait for success. It was this time around or never. Sadly that choice has been made.
There was a contradiction in the Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) business strategy in this regard. If the company did not succeed this year it would not survive, but it wanted to succeed in the enterprise sector. More than any other, that market needs time.
BlackBerry Apocalypse
Buyers in enterprise markets prefer one characteristic above all others; reliability. BlackBerry smartphones have no problem in this regard, but the company itself has been teetering on the edge for a long time. Few IT managers want to be left dealing with the headache that could cause. BlackBerry doesn’t just sell hardware, it manages servers.
Server companies need to prove that they’ll stick around forever, and they’ll continue to support older technologies. Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) has not succeeded in bringing either of these to the market’s attention. Enterprise market success would have taken years of building, just like it did the first time. Even with the price cut, few large companies are likely to jump into bed with Research In Motion.
So far in 2013, shares in Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) have lost more than 22% of their value. In the last month, the company has lost more than 35% of its value. It’s apocalypse for the Canadian smartphone maker.
