RIM fails to put rumors of selling off its hardware business to bed

This didn’t take long. Research in Motion has just issued an official statement regarding the rumor of the company splitting its hardware and software units into two separate entities; to then later sell off the handset part to the highest bidder. The company in a statement to the site Mobilesyrup said:

“RIM has hired advisers to help the Company examine ways to leverage the BlackBerry platform through partnerships, licensing opportunities and strategic business model alternatives. As Thorsten said on the Company’s fourth-quarter earnings call, ‘We believe the best way to drive value for our stakeholders is to execute on our plan to turn the company around.’ This remains true.”

One thing about spokespeople – they’re great at responding to your questions without really answering anything. This response is incredibly vague, and it doesn’t shoot down the rumor whatsoever. So we can all assume RIM is up for sale in some kind of capacity. This shouldn’t surprise anyone though, as rumors of the BlackBerry maker putting itself up for sale has been speculated for months.

The writings have been on the wall, and it’s written with permanent ink. The company just handed out pink slips to 2,000 employees a few days ago. The future of RIM is bleak, and honestly, the ongoing development of BB10 is starting to look more like a rouse. The company will continue to develop the platform until, of course, someone (a buyer) tells them to stop. The statement didn’t put down the rumors of a split and sale, instead, it only tipped the company’s hand as to what its plans really are — sale, sale, sale.

[via Mobilesyrup]