TechStew

The Nokia of old is dead! Last year I predicted that this year would mark the demise of Nokia, at one time the biggest cell phone manufacturer in the world. After its disastrous dithering and the resulting market failure Nokia was snatched up by Microsoft for a measly $7.2b, a fraction of its worth from just a couple of years ago (in comparison, Skype was bought for $8.6b). However, I do not think that Microsoft really wanted to buy Nokia, rather it was forced into this move by Nokia’s dismal performance, and the fact that Nokia carried 90 per cent of all Windows Phone sales. Microsoft had no choice but to purchase the flailing smartphone maker in order to save its position in the market.

Good Night RIM & Nokia Research In Motion Once the king of the smartphone market RIM could run out of cash and ultimately fail, even with the launch of its now-delayed BlackBerry 10 device early next year. It was late to the consumer market, where Apple and a legion of Google Android phones have crushed it. BlackBerry 10, considered to be RIM's make-or-break product, was originally slated to be launched in the first quarter of 2013 and the delay has already contributed to a 40 percent drop in the company's stock price so far this year. The delay also caused its US market share to dip from 44% in 2009 to only 10% in 2011. Data from research group Comscore shows that share has fallen further this year. RIM cannot survive as a standalone operation in the face of these trends. The Wall Street Journal recently reported “outright buyers could include Asian handset makers like HTC or online retailer Amazon.com which has recently jumped into the tablet business.