It already has Nokia’s handset business, but now it looks like Microsoft is looking to acquire yet another former king of the mobile world: BlackBerry. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about a big technology company looking to acquire the struggling Canadian company, but Samsung’s rumored acquisition was proven to be fake. An acquisition by Microsoft, however, is much more believable, but nothing is confirmed at the moment.
It’s been a while since we heard any news about a potential BlackBerry sale, but a new report suggests multiple companies may be interested in acquiring the Canadian phone-maker. According to DigiTimes, Microsoft and a number of Chinese firms are all eyeing BlackBerry after its recent return to profitability. The Chinese news site, which we should note doesn’t really have the best track record, claims that Xiaomi, Lenovo and Huawei are all considering an investment in BlackBerry. Meanwhile, Microsoft has apparently hired an outside firm to determine whether a buyout makes sense. BlackBerry’s business-focused services could potentially help Windows fight off growing competition in the enterprise market from Google and Apple. As for these Chinese firms, a deal seems pretty unlikely. Lenovo allegedly came pretty close to buying BlackBerry back in 2013 before it was blocked by the Canadian government over security concerns. We don’t see why a similar strategy would do any better two years later.
