Andre Yoskowitz
18 Oct 2013 22:32
PC giant Lenovo has signed an NDA to examine BlackBerry's books, as it looks to purchase parts of the company.
Reuters says any bid for the entire company would be met with extensive regulatory huddles and is likely not worth the attempt for the Chinese company.
BlackBerry has been exploring a sale or other strategic 'alternatives' since August and has seen significant interest for different parts of the company, including its patent trove valued at over $2 billion.
The company received a $9 per share bid for the entire company from its largest shareholder, but investors do not appear to believe that deal will ever take place as the stock has traded down to $8.20 since the offer was made.
BlackBerry's most marketable assets are its secure network, which still handles millions of confidential messages and emails daily, its patents, and its messenger application. Its consumer and enterprise hardware business is considered a blackhole, and does not appear to have any interest but could mark an easier entry point to the North American market for Lenovo if they so chose to look into that division.