RIM Will License Out BB10 To Anyone, Says CEO
RIM is looking to license out BlackBerry 10 after all.
Looks as though RIM has decided to take the licensing route after all, allowing manufacturers to create their own BlackBerry 10 devices. Bloomberg reports that the new platform is in the final stages of testing, and that the company is currently trying to determine how other smartphone makers will be able to use RIM's range of products.
On Monday, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins said that the BlackBerry 10 platform is based on QNX, software that's already licensed out to be used in cars, nuclear plants and military drones. "QNX is already licensed across the automotive sector -- we could do that with BB10 if we chose to," Heins admitted. "The platform can be licensed."
Heins said that he wants RIM to expand beyond smartphones and tablets, moving into other areas of mobile computing and what he describes as "machine-to-machine" communications. Still, for now the smartphone sector is the company's bread and butter, and BlackBerry 10, which is essentially a fresh start for the fledgeling company, will be the make-it-or-break-it factor come 1Q13.
Licensing out the new OS has been a topic of discussion within RIM's offices for some time as the company weighs its future. Previously there have been reports that Samsung had an interest in licensing the new BlackBerry platform, and IBM has even talked about acquiring the enterprise aspect if BlackBerry 10 actually tanks next year.
Presently RIM produces its own products, but thanks to the success of Apple's iPhone and iPad, and Google's saturation of the smartphone sector using Android, RIM is looking beyond serving as a sole Blackberry device maker by licensing out BlackBerry 10 so that the new platform can saturate the market more quickly. Currently Google's Android dominates the market, a place RIM could arrive if it in fact takes the licensing route as indicated.
"We’re here to win,” he said, referring to how BlackBerry 10 will change its position in the smartphone market. "We’re not here to fight for third or fourth place."
RIM is seemingly riding on fumes as it works to bring BlackBerry 10 devices to the market in 1Q13. The company has placed its bets and is depending on the platform's upcoming success. Until then, investors are riding a stock roller coaster as prices rise and fall due to various reports. Company shares fell 2.1-percent to $8.12 at 2:47 p.m. today in New York after six straight days of gains. Overall the stock has lost 95-percent of its value since its mid-2008 high.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
-
twelch82 For this to be successful, they would need to not only say they'll license BB10, but are making a commitment to licensing out any future versions of the OS as well.Reply
Nobody's going to want to go through the effort of making devices with the BB OS if the worst-case scenario is no demand, and the best-case scenario is RIM getting back on its feet and terminating/not renewing the licenses. -
phatboe I wouldn't really say it's "desperate", I would say it's smart. RIM is nowhere near the size or MS, Apple or Google and as of right now that have very little market share. So it makes sense to license out the OS in an effort to collect income that RIM can re-invest into the QNX/BB10 platform so that it can catch up with the other, well established market leaders.Reply -
killerclick Apple bounced back from nothing to become what they are today. Maybe RIM can do the same thing with Blackberry, after all they are not in debt, and they're sitting on $7 billion and now have less than 10k employees. They could literally do anything.Reply -
schnitter killerclickApple bounced back from nothing to become what they are today. Maybe RIM can do the same thing with Blackberry, after all they are not in debt, and they're sitting on $7 billion and now have less than 10k employees. They could literally do anything.Reply
Well they've brought "new blood" to try and save themselves, but they have had deserters more than recruits because no one has faith in them anymore... and rightly so. Instead of licensing BB10, they should sell BBMessenger.