You may’ve heard it – Lenovo is looking to acquire BlackBerry. The Chinese firm has barely scratched the surface with its Motorola acquisition; it wants more. And BlackBerry, we think, would be a perfect fit for them.
Some time ago, I’ve mentioned about something similar in a post exploring the future of BlackBerry. Lenovo has all the resources in the world to get the Canadian company back to the prime time, helping it reach many new clients in the Far East region.
However, any such acquisition will come with a caveat. For one thing, governments relying on BlackBerry phones wouldn’t like the fact that the company has a new owner, let along one from China. So they’ll need additional assurances their communications are still secure. Perhaps, BlackBerry could spin off some security division that would remain independent and provide services to those requiring extra dose of security.
Lenovo could leave all the software development in Canada and only deal with manufacturing (in China). Convincing BlackBerry’s traditional clients this is indeed the case is where most of the energy would go.
On the other hand, the Chinese firm would stand a chance to drastically expand to its enterprise market share, especially in its home land. We could easily imagine millions of Passports selling to China’s Communist Party officials.
Even though nothing is official until it’s official, the market has reacted, pushing BlackBerry’s share price north. Some speculate that Lenovo could offer as much as $18 per (BlackBerry) share, up from its current trading price of around $11. That fact alone should prompt some shareholders to think twice before saying “no.”
Meanwhile, I’m still waiting for my Passport review unit. BlackBerry’s PR staff is hard to come by…