(5-Jan-2012) Queen Elizabeth once said she suffered an annus horribilis – a year so bad it couldn’t be said in English.
Jim Balsillie and Michael Lazaridis, the co-chairmen and co-CEOs of smartphone maker Research In Motion would probably describe 2011 the same way.
They are on this year’s newsmakers list because of a series of events that has seemingly turned the tables on Canada’s premier technology company: It is losing market share, stock market value and respect.
IDC reported that RIM’s smartphone market share dropped from 15 per cent globally in third quarter of 2010 to 10 per cent in the third quarter of 2011. Shipments of BlackBerries fell from 12.4 million to 11.8 million smartphones during the same period.
Its net book value exceeds its market cap, a sign investors have no faith in RIM’s future.
