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Does RIM's "Huge Loss" Signal Wider Handset Market Deterioration?

Posted by samzenpus on from the blood-in-the-water dept.

zacharye writes "RIM was expected to deliver a nightmarish, -30% year-on-year revenue decline into the May quarter — the company issued its latest profit warning just four weeks ago. Yet it ended up missing the lowered consensus estimate by 10%, generating just $2.8 billion in sales. The reasons for RIM's decline are well-known and will be rehashed again over the next 24 hours. But the size of the F1Q13 sales miss raises another question: apart from Apple and Samsung, is the handset industry drifting into serious trouble?"

4 of 278 comments (clear)

  1. So... by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 5, Informative

    HP/Compaq, Lenovo, Acer, Asus, Dell, Samsung, Sony, Fujitsu... who among these would you call small players? A small player in my mind is a store chain that sells rebranded or white label computers, not an asian mega giant.

    Just because YOU don't shop around, doesn't mean nobody else does.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

    1. Re:So... by Karlt1 · · Score: 4, Informative

      HP/Compaq - their PC division makes so little money they thought about getting rid of it.

      Lenovo - usually loses money every now and thn thy make a slight profit.

      Acer - hasn't done well since the netbook craze.

      Dell - Is seeing revenue and profit decline and trying to move away from PCs to services.

      Sony - reported billion dollar losses.

      Does that seem like a healthy industry?

    2. Re:So... by Karlt1 · · Score: 3, Informative

      How is this any different from the phone industry?

      Samsung - makes 26% of the industry profit because they can manufacturer their own components.

      Motorola Mobility - hasn't made a profit ad a standalone entity in two years.

      HTC - very slim profit. 1% of the industry profit.

      Sony/Ericson - losing money.

      RIM - losing money.

      Nokia- losing money.

      LG - losing money.

      Only three mobile companies are making money - Apple 66% + of the industry profits, Samsung most of the rest with HTC making 1%.

  2. Re:Eheh by DerPflanz · · Score: 4, Informative

    This is a weird argument. I had a N900, with all the advantages you describe here: Linux, real software, free. However, since I have a Galaxy Nexus with Android, I have the feeling the overall quality of apps is *way* better. And guess what, many of the good ones are free (as in beer) too. When choosing between paying some money for an app that does do what I want, compared to a app 'from a developer with a heart of his app' that looks ugly and stays in beta forever, I'd pay.

    Besides, developing for Android is a lot nicer than for the N900. I don't know how far MeeGo/Moblin/Maemo has become in the last year, but I really like Android from both a user's and developer's perspective.

    --
    -- The Internet is a too slow way of doing things, you'd never do without it.