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Dell is in a tailspin, with earnings down 18% from last year. What to do? Reinvent itself—by buying Research in Motion, the creator of the Blackberry, writes Richard Saintvilus at TheStreet. By gearing up for battle against Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon in the mobile device market, the PC maker can show Wall Street it's still a player. It should follow IBM's model "by letting go of what it knew and venturing into an area where it can lead," writes Saintvilus. "Its life now depends on it."
Dell's current strategy involves pinning its hopes to the success of Microsoft's new Windows 8 operating system, assuming that customers will ignore Apple and flock back to PCs. But this bet is too perilous. Instead, Dell should acquire Research in Motion and scoop up its BlackBerry software, its growing music service, and its Mobile Fusion platform, a product that links enterprise mobile devices. "RIM not only would make the story more interesting, but it could potentially signal the next chapter in Dell's lackluster growth." Read the full column here.
