BlackBerry to be whole or to sell? Samsung buys for development enterprise user

Silicon Valley News August 14 reported the announcement, stock suspension, the resignation of major shareholders, has never ruled out the sale of the possibility of the BlackBerry this time sent a clearer signal of distress-the struggling BlackBerry has been difficult to only through their own efforts to achieve self salvation.

According to the BlackBerry Bulletin, it has set up a special committee to explore further "strategic options", including the sale of companies, including "possible joint ventures, strategic partners or alliances, corporate sales and other programmes" in order to increase the value of the company and expand its size to speed up the development of BlackBerry 10, And the outside world is more concerned about who will become the savior of the BlackBerry.

The whole sale is more difficult

The BlackBerry's biggest advantage is its information Security service, which is also the most sticky part of BlackBerry users. However, in the fast-moving global smartphone boom, the BlackBerry's old-fashioned design and poor experience have made it fast fading.

Coupled with the squeeze from the external Apple iphone and Google's Android camp, BlackBerry has been reduced to a handful of high-end playthings from business people's preferred communications device. The shrinking market share, the continued plunge in share prices, has made the BlackBerry faintly see the fate of the takeover.

As early as last year, BlackBerry hired JPMorgan and Royal Bank of Canada to advise on the company's strategic options. Torsten Heins, chief executive of the BlackBerry, said at the time that the sale was not the "main direction" he considered.

After a job-cutting restructuring, executive turnover, shrinking share and stock price plunge, the BlackBerry is fully committed to betting its future on BlackBerry 10. Although the flagship mobile phone Z10 has been widely acclaimed, it is hard to reverse the fate of the BlackBerry.

The BlackBerry brand, which launched two new machines, shipped about 6.3 million units in the first quarter, down 35% per cent year-on-year, according to IDC's latest data. Microsoft's Windows Phone, which was the bottom of the market for smartphone operating systems, rose to 3.2% per cent because of Nokia's models, while BlackBerry fell to 2.9% per cent.

It is obviously not realistic for the BlackBerry to be purchased outright today, and no one wants to be "stained" with black. It is also likely to be strongly resistant to the Canadian government. The Canadian government has said it will scrutinize such acquisitions and even raise objections directly.

Some of the core business is more likely to be sold than the overall sale, and BlackBerry is still maintaining a highly acclaimed information Security service.

such as the BB10 system as a new system, in the smartphone field and Android and iOS have a considerable gap, but the system itself has a certain advantage, that is, security.

It has been reported that by introducing BBM services compatible with iOS and Android, the BlackBerry is intended to transform itself into an information security service provider, extending the range of services that would otherwise allow business users to use within a business or government network to extend their management to non-BlackBerry devices. That is, BlackBerry companies can make data security, whether they use a BlackBerry, an iphone or an Android phone.

Haines has previously said that the BlackBerry has several options in the future, including selling hardware production and authorizing other handset makers to use BlackBerry systems or software. Some analysts believe that if the BlackBerry succeeds in pushing its own advantage to Apple and Android, it will win a lot of new markets, which is where the BlackBerry is most attractive to buyers.

According to foreign media, the U.S. government is planning to BB10 mobile phones as a unified government terminals, government procurement will promote the normal development of BlackBerry. In this way, BlackBerry's information security services, if sold separately will be hot, and its hardware product line of low value, Low-cost sales will attract a lot of eyeballs.

Samsung, Lenovo is most likely to buy

Knowing the value of the BlackBerry, who is the potential buyer? After the analysis and speculation of Tencent Technology, Samsung and Lenovo play the most. In fact, Samsung is bigger than Lenovo drama, why say there are three reasons:

First, reduce reliance on Android. Since Google's acquisition of Motorola, the balance of resources has made many Android mobile phone manufacturers have to prepare for the "back", the world's largest Android phone sales of Samsung is no exception, the development of their own operating system Tizen is a strong move, but Tizen progress seems to be not smooth. Therefore, for Samsung, the acquisition of BlackBerry can increase its don't look at Google "face" of the emboldened.

Second, avoid being asked to get more royalties from Microsoft. Google, while adopting a free strategy for Android licensing, has gained AdMob dominance in the marketplace by nurturing the mobile market, and Samsung is making large equipment profits by producing Android devices. Although the two make more money, but it is not easy, because the patent sitting behind Microsoft is the biggest beneficiary. (in the development of the operating system, Microsoft has accumulated a large amount of software and hardware combination of patents, these patents are tacitly recognized as the industry's recommended specifications, and Android is based on these specifications developed.) ）

It is reported that Microsoft in a few years ago to the Android device licensing and mobile phone-related patents. So far, except for Motorola, all the vendors have signed a project agreement with Microsoft. According to the settlement agreement between Samsung and Microsoft last year, Samsung will have to pay 5 of billions of dollars in royalties to Microsoft for every Android device it sells, and Samsung, the world's most-shipped Android phone, naturally does not want billions of dollars of royalties per year, So acquiring a large patent for the BlackBerry platform will build a patent pool, enough to negotiate with Microsoft to reduce or even waive some of the patent costs.

Third, enterprise users are Samsung mobile phone's next target. Compared to the heyday of the consumer-class market, Samsung has little share of the corporate customer base and can be ignored as zero. It is well known that BlackBerry's customers are mostly enterprise-class customers, and it is clear that the acquisition of BlackBerry will help the future development of Samsung handsets.

Wang, director of research at Isuppli China, told Tencent technology that "Samsung is the biggest buyer of BlackBerry, especially to help it get rid of Microsoft's high royalties." ”

Look at Lenovo again. Lenovo has been seeking to expand its mobile-device business. Earlier this year, Lenovo chairman Yang's response to the acquisition of BlackBerry was also tricky. He said to foreign media: "[the acquisition of BlackBerry] may be meaningful, but first I want to analyze the market and understand its specific advantages." "At least he did not directly deny the spread of Lenovo to buy blackberries."

For Lenovo, which is trying to expand overseas, the acquisition of Blackberries is helping its global market, relying mainly on BlackBerry's coveted telecoms operator networks. According to incomplete statistics, at least 475 telecom operators around the world have reached a partnership with the BlackBerry, and this huge asset is self-evident about the importance of Lenovo mobile phones.

In addition, Lenovo's acquisition of IBM's experience is not available to other buyers, the acquisition of the BlackBerry has the experience of winning a high percentage.

In addition to Samsung, Lenovo. The potential buyers, as well as Huawei, are thought to be however, with the view of Tencent Technology, Wang that Huawei is unlikely to buy BlackBerry, considering the core business of BlackBerry, for the European and American governments have been "security stick" swing outside the door of Huawei, even if the heart, will come from different institutions unimaginable obstruction.