BlackBerry has been in bad form, of late, with the Canadian
firm struggling to shift enough handsets. Despite that, however, major
players in the technology industry are reportedly forming an orderly
queue to snap up the struggling smartphone maker.
Some of the biggest names in tech apparently have BlackBerry on their shopping list, according to a DigiTimes report.
Microsoft,
Xiaomi and Huawei are said to be in the running, as well as Lenovo,
which completed its Motorola acquisition not long ago.
Leading the
race is supposedly Microsoft. The software giant sounds rather serious
about sealing the deal, and has even requested investment firms to
evaluate the possibility of a buyout.
The reports states, however,
that no formal bids have yet been made. BlackBerry may feel it can turn
its own fortunes around in time, having recently announced its first quarterly profits in a number of years.
Despite
already swallowing up Nokia, Microsoft reportedly feels that BlackBerry
can bolster is mobile division further. Meanwhile Xiaomi, Huawei and
Lenovo are looking to expand their reach in North America, although
regulatory agencies in the US and Europe may be a problem for them.
On
top of that, BlackBerry’s extensive patents collection is also an
attractive asset, and is thought to be a big part of any takeover plans.
BlackBerry
may well be looking for a way out. It’s struggled since the dawn of
Apple and Samsung, and failed to keep up with the times. Any hopes that
we had for the BlackBerry Classic and BlackBerry Passport have quickly diminished.
These
sources may be way off though, so until we hear anything from the
company’s in question, we suggest you take these claims of a BB-buyout
lightly.
