iPhone News Updated

RIM collapsing as Apple iPhone wins the enterprise

As speculation turns to iPhone 5 comes news that Research In Motion (RIM) is dead. Sure, this might sound harsh but the company’s move to replace its leadership seems unlikely to bring it back from the brink. Apple [AAPL] has unleashed forces RIM has been unable to match.

[ABOVE: Focusing on end users is key to smartphone popularity.]

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Verizon’s Big iPhone Sales Likely Hurt Q4 Earnings

When Verizon Communications (VZ) reports fourth-quarter earnings early Tuesday, its 2012 guidance on wireless phone services could be a bellwether for the telecom group.

Wireless guidance is key, because the fixed, landline network business of phone companies has been in decline for a decade.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters have cut their Q4 earnings estimates in the wake of Verizon’s statement in early January that it had activated 4.2 million iPhones in the three months ended Dec. 31. Verizon Wireless, like AT&T (T), subsidizes the retail price of Apple (AAPL) iPhones for customers that sign two-year contracts. The subsidies lower profit margins.

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