3 of the Week’s Biggest Surprises: Google Inc (GOOG), Research In Motion Ltd (BBRY), Tibco Software Inc. (TIBX)

The long-term story is still intact, and Tibco Software Inc. (NASDAQ:TIBX) still grows at a respectable pace. I became a shareholder three months ago because of mouthwatering share prices after another huge earnings-related plunge. I’d buy here if I had missed that first opportunity. But the company needs to get North America to a corporate chiropractor to straighten out a badly crooked spine.

In a phone interview, Vivek told me that giant rivals International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) and Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) have essentially given up on competing with TIBCO’s features and technology. Instead, these companies win deals by promoting their “good enough” infrastructure software where you populate the entire data center with products from one company.

A competent sales team should be able to defeat those tactics with ease, but TIBCO’s people don’t always get the job done today. Future sales growth and investor returns depend on better performance in this area.

3. Does Ma Bell really love Research In Motion Ltd ?
The new Z10 handset from Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) made its U.S. debut this week as AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) introduced it in stores and online. That’s no surprise, since AT&T’s Z10 plans have been known for some time and all four of the major American networks have committed to selling BlackBerry 10 devices.

The shock comes from AT&T’s apparent lack of enthusiasm for the new product.

Does AT&T really care if the Z10 sells?.

The Wall Street Journal took a field trip to local AT&T stores and came away thinking that the company isn’t putting its back into promoting the Z10.

Two Manhattan stores didn’t have any Z10 signs in the store, and a secret shopper had to ask employees to grab a demo Z10 from the back. AT&T workers blamed the lack of promotion on difficulty setting the device up. That’s after both AT&T and BlackBerry trained store staff in how to use and sell the Z10.

That’s not how you bring a dying handset maker back from the brink of extinction, folks. Let’s hope the other major carriers do a better job selling this thing over the next few weeks, or the BlackBerry 10 revolution may die before it even gets started.

The article 3 of the Week’s Biggest Surprises originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Anders Bylund owns shares of Google and TIBCO. Check out Anders’ bio and holdings or follow him on Twitter and Google+. The Motley Fool recommends TIBCO Software and  owns shares of Oracle.

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