Research In Motion Might Sell Blackberry Hardware Business

Research In Motion is considering the sale of its hardware production business following the launch of BlackBerry 10.

RIM CEO Thorsten Heins was speaking during a strategic review where he talked about licensing RIM software to other manufacturers. If Heins’ plans move forward, we would be treated to non-RIM manufactured BlackBerry devices in the future.

During an interview with Die Welt, Heins revealed that selling off the company’s hardware productions has been seriously discussed. Heins was then asked if he would consider licensing Blackberry software to which he stated:

“Before you license the software, you must show that the platform has a large potential.”

Blackberry 10 has been receiving decent early reviews including several benchmark tests that showed its web browser smoking iOS and Google Android. Heins recently claimed that RIM was building a platform that will be “future-proof for the next ten years. ”

RIM has even claimed that BlackBerry 10 is being built for use in other devices such as vehicles.

At this point, RIM will take success wherever it can get it. The company lost one million buyers between Q2 and Q3, and revenues fell by five percent to $2.7 billion for a net loss of $114 million.

If the BlackBerry 10 OS is a run away success, RIM could easily reverse its decision and remain the sole seller of Blackberry software. However, RIM has largely been viewed as a service provider first and a smartphone manufacturer second, which could lend itself well to software licensing.

Would you buy a BlackBerry based OS smartphone made by another manufacturer?