sleepy

Why Research in Motion Is a Takeover Target

MSFT buy RIMM? Yes please - we missed out on the Yahoo chance to suck the cash out and let MSFT fade away faster.

Sorry, but it's not about devices, or even OS's (although you need both). Remember CPM/86 or OS/2? Or even the old Mac OS. They all looked like winners at one time, but were beaten from behind by a poorer product. And all those early iPhone comparisons saying something else was better, faster, cheaper or had more features. But people bought iPhones anyway.

Everybody does mobile messaging well enough now. RIM should sell to the first offer, but it's probably too late already. RIM's fallback task is to hold on to enough revenue for 5-10 years while it finds a new place. But I doubt if the management has that creativity in them, as Apple didn't before SJ's return.

Blackberry’s 26 Advantages over iPhone

RIM, weaker in the market, has to concede all these points to remain competitive and has moved to near-saturation market share, destroying margins, unit sales growth opportunity, and forward control of their own platform. Might look good to an individual user for now, but it's not attractive to an investor.

Apple, immensely strong in market, hugely bigger margins, in tight control of their platform and carrier relationship going forward, can go wherever they like, including picking off any of your "disadvantages" that are real, whenever they want.

It's Time to Build a Real Mobile Web

I think Apple wants openness too, but it's a long term goal. Meantime, for at least five years, they have to work with carrier cartels. Exclusive carrier deals, including the Apple imposed condition that the standard contract for iPhone must have unlimited data, and insisting that that data transport is neutral and not linked to carrier walled gardens for content delivery, navigation etc. are far bigger issues that Apple has achieved for us. The penalty (for now) is that they protect the carriers voice revenues.

RIM Grabs More Smartphone Share from Apple

Well - sort of. But maybe Apple's happy to be making more dollars than RIM from half the number of phones while RIM and others do the hard work of advertising, margin cutting and general pushing to convert the planet to using mobile computers instead of PC's or dumb phones.

Apple's hugely greater margins are driven by technical leadership. I find it unlikely that Apple will repeat Sculley's mistakes with the Mac, or that the market will remain static.

Jobs' Integrity: A Reason to Buy Apple

Thanks for writing this. It's what many Apple admirers think, but can't say without being written off as "fanbois", "mactards" etc. Steve Jobs is a simpler guy than is generally made out. He has plenty of money for all personal purposes for the rest of his life, and he knows it.

Nokia Is the Smart(phone) Bet - Barron's

Carriers no longer want to subsidize Nokia's high end phones when iPhone still sucks subscribers away and Nokia has a declared intention to become a competing service company ("comes with music"); thus Nokia has lost pricing power at the high end, which damages earnings.

By giving exclusive carrier deals, Apple has avoided this fate.

I suspect China (Nokia's biggest market) wants to give its volume business to domestic handset makers in preference to Nokia. This hits both unit and dollar sales.