Microsoft purchasing RIM a nice rumor but unlikely
111049
(InfoWorld) - Rumors that Microsoft may purchase BlackBerry maker Research in Motion are likely just that because of RIM's high price tag, though there would be benefits for both parties if a deal were struck, analysts said Friday. Michelle Warren, a senior analyst for Info-Tech Research Group in Toronto, sent out a note Thursday on industry speculation that Microsoft is in discussions with RIM, observing that the deal would give Microsoft ammunition to compete in the consumer device market against Apple. It also would position them well to fight any wireless strategy from Google, which has been buying up dark cable networks and is expected to make a big move in wireless communications in the next year or two, she said. "I think this makes sense basically because Microsoft has to do something different to order increase market share in the overall IT market," Warren said in an interview Friday. "It has to do something disruptive and eye-catching, and this speaks to its marketing positioning and future expansion plans." Microsoft has achieved a fair amount of success with its latest mobile OS, Windows Mobile 6, and has identified the mobile device space as an important one for the company's growth and revenue diversification going forward. Buying RIM would counter its current weakness in developing hardware for its mobile OS, Warren said. RIM would gain Microsoft's brand power and also engineering expertise for one of BlackBerry's competitive differentiators. Business users find a BlackBerry's ability to communicate with Microsoft Exchange Server for mobile e-mail an attractive feature. Microsoft also makes this option available in Windows Mobile. Synching up with Microsoft would allow the company to enhance this capability faster and more efficiently, Warren said. Neither Microsoft nor RIM would comment Friday on the possibility of a deal. Despite the advantages of a Microsoft-RIM merger, the deal just doesn't make economic sense, other analysts said Friday. To them, it's not even a remote possibility Microsoft would pony up more than the $47 billion in market cap RIM currently has to buy the vendor. "I just don't see it," said Matt Rosoff, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft. He acknowledged he was surprised byÂ Microsoft's purchase of digital advertising services firm aQuantiveÂ for $6 billion and so also could be mistaken in the case of RIM. However, it isn't likely that Microsoft, for which the aQuantive deal was its largest to date, would shell out much more than a few billion to purchase a company. "A RIM deal would be larger by an order of magnitude," Rosoff said. "I just don't see Microsoft making that size of acquisition." He added that some kind of strategic alliance between the two, which currently compete head to head in the mobile OS space, would be more likely. "A multiyear partnership agreement, where some money might change hands but we'd never know how much," would make more sense, Rosoff said. Roger Kay, president of market intelligence firm Endpoint Technologies Associates, agreed that Microsoft likely won't make a purchase that large. He also noted that although Microsoft has become increasingly "more comfortable" with developing consumer hardware -- with products like the Xbox 360 gaming console and Zune digital media player on the market -- there could be thorny competitive issues with mobile device makers that license Windows Mobile if Microsoft begin making hardware for this market.
756477
PERSPECTIVE This week's revelations from Microsoft concerning its forthcoming Zune portable media player have been appropriately called a "non-announcement announcement." But analysts tell BetaNews there's still good reason to believe this bewildering new market entry could actually succeed.
647544
Now head to head with Microsoft After dominating the enterprise mobile email space with the BlackBerry solution for so many years, RIM is no longer the only serious game in town. Despite a number of false starts, arch-rival Microsoft now appears to have closed the gap, at least in terms of forward looking commitment.â¦
30074
Research In Motion RIM.TO said on   Monday it aims to offer a Japanese-language version of its   popular BlackBerry device between April and June 2007.
753247
Could this mean the rumored 40GB model is finally coming soon?
401927
It was a matter of minutes before news of Microsoftâs bid  jumped from front pages to the vibrant world of technology blogs.  Hereâs some of the more interesting thoughts so far.
548114
Slim gains from low-latency RAM don't justify a steep price.
171973
Investor's Business Daily - Though new rumors have surfaced that IBM might buy chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices, many analysts doubt it will happen.
54230
Is Microsoft's acquisition of Yahoo even news at this point?
233244
Well, he would say that wouldn't he? !!!!! Microsoft's offer for Yahoo! is fair, it's not going up and the company should take a long, hard look at it, Bill Gates reckons.â¦
575330
Google YouTube Rumor : GoogTube? Michael Arrington posts on a rumor about a potential Google acquisition of YouTube. Somebody&#8217;s going to buy the site &#8212; and probably soon. The question is who? Or is it whom? Here&#8217;s Mark Cuban&#8217;s rant (Reuters via CNET) that any buyer of YouTube would be a &#8220;moron&#8221; because of liability/legal issues and [...]
156918
Europe's latest shot across Microsoft's bow shouldn't faze investors.
700670
I have no problem with Microsoft operating in a market environment. Given a choice, I am sure many of us would gladly pay for Windows and Office rather than use Linux and Open Office.
193482
Ziff Davis - Although there are no dates or delivery mechanisms specified yet, Microsoft is considering how and if it should 'open source' more of its technology.
652739
I donât like self-proclaimed prophets. So, you'll rarely see me quoting them. I guess my aversion originates in so many presentations where the next [insert application or company here] âkillerâ will emerge if we invest some money. And yes, I admit I sat on the side of the table talking about a couple  of those killer apps myself.
739665
Titanium Metals looks like a good buy, but industry trends may negate the appeal.
51949
Dual-core microprocessors won&#39;t mean doubled software license fees, according to an announcement by Microsoft and Advanced Micro Devices Inc.