RIM, the maker of Blackberries, is facing calls for a sale of patents and a break-up of the company as it struggles to compete with Apple.
In Q2, sales of its PlayBook tablet were 200,000 units – down from 500,000 in Q1 – with Apple’s iPad out-shipping it 46 to 1.
RIM’s Q2 US revenue halved compared to Q2 2010, its smartphone market share fell to 12% from 19% in Q2 2010. Its shares have fallen over 60% this year.
In July, RIM laid off 2,000 employees including its COO.
The company’s founders Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, who founded the company in 1984, have seen their personal stake in RIM – they each have around 5% - drop from $1.9bn to $460m.
The company is seen as having failed to respond adequately to the 2007 launch of the iPhone.
