"RIM Acquires QNX... zzzz... what?" Whoa. Sorry. Almost nodded off there for a sec. But before you fall asleep, here's why Blackberry-maker Reserach in Motion's acquisition of QNX Software Systems is actually much more intriguing than a standard 'M&A' story.
QNX were previously owned by Harman - you know, those people who make receivers and JBL speakers - in order to improve how their products integrated into cars. But rather than getting Blackberries to work better in automobiles, a much better explanation for the acquisition is that it's all about battling Apple's iPhone.
Why? Well, QNX have become very good at making a stable, fast, small operating system that also has a graphical user interface. See where this is going? By acquiring the company, the makers of the Blackberry have suddenly got a lot of talent for creating a successor to their clunky and old-fashioned - if eminently practical - Blackberry OS.
As an added bonus, the QNX software supports touch screens and Flash. For a company that has been seriously threatened by Apple, this is definitely a step in the right direction, both for RIM and competition in the marketplace.
Source: Information Week
About the Author
Navneet Alang is a Toronto-based technology and culture writer whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New Republic and The Globe and Mail. Between 2010 and 2011 he wrote technology commentary for TECHi on Apple, cloud video and the future of the desktop computer.
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