The BlackBerry service in the UAE was not the only thing down this week: the stock of the smartphone's maker has dropped by 58 per cent this year.
Yesterday, the communications network operated by Research In Motion (RIM) suffered an outage spanning two continents for a third day, adding to a host of negative headlines that have shaken investor confidence in the past year.
"The current situation with the BlackBerry outages couldn't come at a worse time for Research In Motion," said Malik Saadi, an analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media. "If RIM does not resolve the problem once and for all, the results could be disastrous for the company in a time where it has already disappointed the financial community."
The Canadian company once dominated the smartphone industry with business-friendly devices, but it has struggled as Apple's iPhone has gained market share.
The last new RIM phone line to debut, the BlackBerry Torch, features a touch screen and pullout keyboard.
The company's PlayBook tablet experienced delays as executives differed over its concept and target consumer. The gadget was introduced only after the launch of the iPad 2. Tablets have been the fastest-growing segment in the electronics market, and RIM clearly missed an opportunity.
The company reported a 58 per cent decline in second-quarter profit from a year earlier after factoring in the cost of slashing 2,000 jobs and as revenue slipped on lower-than-expected sales.
Net second-quarter income reached US$329 million compared with $797m in the same period last year. Revenue fell 15 per cent to $4.2 billion in the quarter from $4.6bn in the same period last year.
A number of senior executives have left the company over the past year. Tyler Lessard, the vice president for global alliances and developer relations, was the latest executive to leave. Two senior marketing chiefs and the executive in charge of RIM's PlayBook tablet have also resigned.
"Research In Motion has lost credibility with investors," said Mike Abramsky, an analyst at Canada's RBC Capital, in a note to clients.
