Microsoft just raised Billions in cash. The rumor is that they are going to buy RIM (Blackberry).

[onehandle]

Because Windows Mobile is a loser and Apple's gains in market share and the iPhone's gigantic success has them scared shitless.
__________________________

What's Behind Microsoft's Bond Offering?

http://www.smartmoney.com/Investing/Bonds/What-s-Behind-Microsoft-s-Bond-Offering

[Hawkeye-X]

1. I'll dump BB faster that you can say "Sprint"

if M$ owns RIM. I will NOT support M$ with their crapola mobile phone. Mom has a M$ phone, I have a BB Curve, and Dad has a iPhone, and Mom is already planning to dump her phone for BB.

Hawkeye-X

[Junkdrawer]

2. Gates was always a "smart device" guy...

but Word and PowerPoint on a cell phone was probably not the best idea ever...

[Deja Q]

3. Raised cash or dropped internal costs? (e.g. layoffs)

I never liked blackberry in the first place, and for some dumb reason I still like Windows Mobile, but I'll swap in an attosecond away from Windows Mobile if I must.

[onehandle]

4. Raised cash: What's Behind Microsoft's Bond Offering?

http://www.smartmoney.com/Investing/Bonds/What-s-Behind-Microsoft-s-Bond-Offering

At least one tech blog says they've been looking at RIM again. Not the first time.

[TornadoTN]

5. Please let this not be true... I love my Blackberry

I don't think MS will kill what works about Blackberry and has led to its success, but they have a nasty habit of putting their own spin on things and I won't be part of it because it restricts what you can do with the device and leads to all kinds of problems.

I'm a Mac guy with a Blackberry, but I'll run as fast as I can to IPhone if this comes to fruition.

[trotsky]

6. Windows Mobile is a loser?

On what planet?

And part of what helped the iPhone take off was their licensing of Microsoft ActiveSync technology - making it easy for corporations to integrate with existing infrastructure.

RIM's Blackberry is a kludged piece o' crap that quadruples the I/O load on your Exchange server. If MS buys them it would instantly improve my opinion of Crackberrys.

[JCMach1]

12. Windows Mobile is the one version of Windows that goes beyond what it should

i.e. it WORKS and does it well!

[bobbert]

7. I do not think windows mobile is a loser

There are a lot of business tools that run on Windows Mobile, probably as many as Blackberry. The two operating systems have pretty much the same capabilities for everything right now, but WM can use MS mesh. IPhones are not nearly as useful in the business world, but like the ipod, they sure know how to market them so that almost everyone wants one. Getting windows mobile on palm devices was the last great thing MS did, and I think all of the windows mobile treos are awesome. If they do team up with/buy out RIM, it would be a great thing.

[backscatter712]

8. Microsoft had better be careful.

Anti-trust enforcement is coming back...

[TheWraith]

9. Actually, Windows Mobile currently still outsells the iPhone.

And they sell about as many units as the Blackberry does.

[tritsofme]

11. Mostly by default.

And the iPhone is only one device.

Consumers seek out and pay premiums for Blackberries and iPhones.

They have their fervent defenders, while it seems more often than not that people just end up with devices running Windows Mobile.

[TheWraith]

13. Actually, people end up with Blackberries by default...

...since they're the IBM typewriter of the modern business. And Apple has a massive marketing juggernaut, while Windows Mobile is virtually unknown to a lot of people.

[NV Whino]

10. Oh hell.

And I liked my Blackberry. I'm sure I'll like the iPhone even better.