Amazon Eyed RIM Acquisition Amid Struggles, But Blackberry Was Uninterested

Last summer, a major deal was brewing behind closed doors: Amazon had enlisted an investment bank to iron out the acquisition terms for a potential purchase of the communications systems company. Lately, RIM has been in the media spotlight mainly because of negative headlines; the company has suffered massive losses this year and witnessed its stock price plummet by almost 70%. Key among the reasons for this downfall are the poor sales of the RIM Playbook, which struggled to compete against rivals. Additionally, RIM had to cede market share in the mobile sector to other smartphone manufacturers.

Amazon saw this situation as an opportunity to take over the struggling company, but RIM wasn’t willing to go along with it. The management has now announced that they are not looking to sell the company in its current state. First, they aim to stabilize RIM, and later they might consider selling the corporation for a good price. RIM is pinning its hopes on the upcoming OS10, which is set to be released next year based on the QNX platform. The question is whether RIM can steer the ship around without a significant change in direction.

In any case, RIM will still enter into a collaboration with Amazon, and RIM’s technologies are expected to be incorporated into Amazon’s products. For instance, the BES Push Email System is planned to be integrated into future Kindle Fire models. Whether this marks a slow initial step toward an acquisition in the coming years remains to be seen.