Hi everyone, Please join Omar, Tim and I around 4pm as we await RIM's earnings at about 4:30pm. It's an important release for the Waterloo, Ont.-based smartphone maker as it struggles to turn around its declining business and launch new BlackBerrys in the coming months. Feel free to submit questions and comments ahead of time -- what you think of RIM's chances, whether you think the market is misreading the company, and so on -- and we'll post as many as we can and try our best to answer your questions.
Hi everyone! We're about to get started. Again, RIM earnings will be out around 4:30 pm.
Hi everyone - If any of you have any market or stock questions about RIM, I'll try my best to answer them. I cover capital markets and finance here at the Globe
Mohsin, We'll see! Analysts think around November, but I'd heard anything from "late summer" to "early fall." Chances are, they won't make it for back-to-school rush, given the commentary. But we'll see.
Paul, Interesting comment. RIM's ASPs (average selling price) has been dropping steadily as the RIM brand loses value. There's little margin in that type of business, though, because they'd be right up against companies such as Huawei.
Just pointing out: because RIM's stock has dropped so much, its market capitalization, or market value, is now just $4.9-billion, meaning it's no longer the biggest tech name in Canada. That title now belongs to CGI Group
Hi Paul - It's a tough call to make. Who knows where this thing goes. At this point, it could slump a lot more. No one can predict. Averaging down typically works best when you're pretty sure a rebound is coming.
RIM is halted on the TSX.
Hi hobyung - I really don't think there's a true answer to that question. Right now people are trading RIM on guesses. No one knows anything. It's all fear and speculation.
BBM, I think the stats bear out most of the bad coverage, as well as RIM's own previous earnings.
Hi BBM - From my own personal experience, a chunk of my friends have all switched from their BlackBerries to iPhones, and they all love the new phones. Some of them do miss the keyboard though.
Divtastic - It's a great point. The problem in this market is that no one is trading on fundamentals. So while that's a good analysis, if the the majority of people don't care, it won't have much of an effect. Sadly.
Mike - Just keep in mind that when Apple released the iPhone, it was way behind the Berry. So who knows what could happen. But you're right, there would have to be a dramatic shift.
It's useful to point out, probably, that decline in handset businesses -- as opposed to tech more generally, and certainly compared to non-tech companies -- is very rapid. These are consumer facing companies, very reliant on brand and perception, and if innovation isn't forthcoming quick, then people forget about you pretty fast. RIM's not at that point yet, but a lot of analysts do think that even BB10 won't save the company from the grim nature of the coming quarters.
Kokasses - I personally believe that's the biggest problem. At this point, it's a marketing game.
Sibze, I don't think many people put much faith in that rumour. It could happen, certainly, but RIM's hardware division is about 80 % of revenues. And how do you launch new phones while selling that entire chunk of the company? It would be a distraction of monumental proportions, at a time when the company can ill afford even the smallest stray from focus.
Hi everyone, Please join Omar, Tim and I around 4pm as we await RIM's earnings at about 4:30pm. It's an important release for the Waterloo, Ont.-based smartphone maker as it struggles to turn around its declining business and launch new BlackBerrys in the coming months. Feel free to submit questions and comments ahead of time -- what you think of RIM's chances, whether you think the market is misreading the company, and so on -- and we'll post as many as we can and try our best to answer your questions.
