BlackBerry reported a $4.4 billion loss and a 56 percent drop in revenue for its fiscal third quarter on Friday and said it would step back from its once-core handset business through a partnership with the Asian contract manufacturer Foxconn.
(…)
The arrangement seems to be a way for BlackBerry to effectively hand over some of its handset business without running afoul of Canadian foreign investment laws. The government of Canada has made it clear that for national security reasons it would not allow the sale of BlackBerry or any significant portion of the company to any Chinese firm or a company with extensive Chinese operations, as is the case with Foxconn which which headquartered in Taiwan.
As he has suggested previously, Mr. Chen said that as the company slowly steps out of the handset business, it will focus its energies on its BlackBerry Messenger instant messaging service; software that allows companies to manage and control smartphones used by their employees; and developing mobile data products for automobile manufacturers and mobile security.
Damit kommt Chen den Forderungen einiger Investoren nach, sich vom Hardwaregeschäft zu trennen. Ob ein Messenger und Mobile Device Management-Lösungen (MDM) zum Überleben reichen werden, bleibt abzuwarten. Die nächste Runde eines Personalabbaus dürfte bevorstehen. Nach Weihnachten – was anständig ist.