RIM’s Acquisition of QNX is Much More Interesting Than It Sounds

“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: Saunderslog via Wireless North]