Can a top PC maker save the struggling smartphone maker?
By Chris Martin | PC Advisor | 21 October 14
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Chinese tech giant Lenovo is tipped to buyout BlackBerry and it could happen as early as this week. See also: Best smartphones 2014.
Although BlackBerry recently launched a new smartphone in the form of the Passport, it is still widely regarded as struggling in the market. However, Lenovo could buy it out as soon as this week, according to Benzinga.
The source of the report states that Lenovo will first offer $15 per share but the deal will eventually be worth $18 per share.
Lenovo's CFO, Wong Wai Ming, said in January last year that BlackBerry – known at the time as Research in Motion – was one of many possible opportunities for the company.
We can't verify the source of this news and neither firm will comment on rumour or speculation. However, it's worth noting that Lenovo recently announced it will "create a new company focused on building a leading internet-based smart devices and services business in China" which will become operational in April 2015.
Lenovo could be aiming to do this with BlackBerry, but it's also nearing the end of the process of acquiring Motorola from Google which has just announced the Motorola-made Nexus 6. The acquisition should be completed by the end of the year.
It seems the news alone has been good for BlackBerry as share prices rose 3.4 percent to $9.81.
Even if Lenovo is interested in a deal, the Canadian government reportedly blocked the sale of BlackBerry to the Chinese firm last year. Analysts have said that Lenovo will face serious regulatory obstacles but a sale of the firm's handset business – like Microsoft buying Nokia - rather than network infrastructure may be passable.
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