Acquisition of Good Technology: BlackBerry strengthens software business – Handelsblatt

“3” smartphone company BlackBerry

BlackBerry CEO John Chen presented a common platform of BlackBerry and Good offerings within one to two years in view

(Photo: Reuters)

Toronto BlackBerry pressing ahead with its realignment in the software business for mobile devices with a takeover. The Canadian group buys for $ 425,000,000 in cash, the US company Good Technology as BlackBerry announced on Friday. The smartphone pioneer from Canada will in future focus more on software services, after being advised by the triumph of rivals such as Apple and Samsung fall behind in the mobile phone business. Through the acquisition of Good Technology from the California Sunnyvale might BlackBerry future make business easier for customers to manage smartphones, which work with different operating systems.

BlackBerry CEO John Chen presented a common platform of BlackBerry and Good- Offered within one to two years in view. The acquisition combines two companies that have been previously coated as quite bitter rivals each other with patent lawsuits. They agreed in 2004 with a comparison, but later this year criticized BlackBerry publicly new program of good.

The descent of BlackBerry

• Apple provides in January 2007, before the iPhone. While Steve Jobs lived grandly called a revolution, BlackBerry maker RIM is conciliatory: Not everyone can tap glass, the design of the BlackBerry device is therefore superior. In the new segment of smartphones RIM is in any case a bank.

• Totally unimpressed but not: A few months after the iPhone launch brings the Canadian company its first device with a touchscreen out the BlackBerry Storm. It should make for Must have the RIM smartphones even under normal loads. The unit is accident-prone and gets most durchwachsene Reviews. Nevertheless RIM increases its market share.

• RIM assumes in April 2010, the software company QNX whose operating system later, the outdated Blackberry replace software and smartphones, tablets but will also drive systems such as car electronics. At this time, Apple is already nearing the launch of the iPhone 4. RIM is technologically falling behind.

• RIM expresses itself publicly Although skeptical about tablet computers, but works even on such a device. In April 2011, the PlayBook comes out. It has the new operating system QNX on board, disappointed but still the professional world, not least because initially missing programs for e-mail, calendar and address book. Sales missed expectations until the price drops significantly.

• RIM announces in July 2011 to dismiss 2000 employees – officially to “optimize costs” the. In previous years, the workforce had grown rapidly. The morale suffers from the cuts, many talents and even some executives rely on its own initiative, the company in the Canadian Waterloo close to the US border.

• The server of RIM fall In October 2011, four days, most users have problems to access their mails and messages. The Panne meets RIM into Mark: Safety and reliability are previously a hallmark of the Canadian company. The bad crisis communication provides additional frustration.

• That’s the limit: RIM is impossible to name BBX its new operating system from trademark issues. Its new name is BlackBerry 10, or 10 BB, as RIM declared in December 2011th In addition, the company shifts the start to the end of 2012 Design.

• The pressure is too great – the longtime CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsilie occur in January 2012 returned, but remain on the Board. The previous Executive Thorsten Heins, 54, takes over.

• After several delays RIM presented in January 2013. The new BlackBerry OS 10 and six new smartphones. They should not only facilitate the work of managers, but fun – just like the iPhone or the numerous Android devices. But unit sales will remain below expectations, the market share keeps falling. The company renames itself and is now called as its main product.

• 2013 thinks the BlackBerry Management through a sale of the company after , At the end, the Canadian financial services company Fairfax with other investors one billion US dollars of fresh money. The German boss Thorsten Heins is in November 2013, the former Sybase CEO John Chen-takes. He directed the company from new.

BlackBerry shares closed 0.3 percent higher.