Hot on the heels of RIM's less-than-stellar Q1 2013 earnings report and BlackBerry 10 delay, another rumor has surfaced with purported details on which options the BlackBerry manufacturer is weighing for its future. Sources speaking to Reuters claim that one such option is for RIM to ditch BlackBerry 10 and adopt Windows Phone 8 in its place. It's said that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer actually approached RIM about the possibility of it using Windows Phone 8 and forming a partnership like the one that Microsoft and Nokia are currently in. However, RIM's board reportedly would like to see BlackBerry 10 through to its launch.
Another move that RIM is rumored to be considering would be to sell off its network to another firm. RIM's BlackBerry services, including its secure email, could then be opened up to work with other smartphone platforms. That's an option that we've heard in the past, as it's been said that former RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie was pushing for the company to open up its network to be used with non-BlackBerry devices. However, that plan was vetoed by RIM's board, which instead wanted to focus on BlackBerry 10. While this is all still very much a rumor at this point, considering RIM's recent earnings and the fact that it expects to next few quarters to be "very challenging," it seems likely that the company is carefully weighing all its options. Now we just have to wait and see exactly what'll happen.
Via Reuters
