[hoodoo1966]

I think you meant "lucrative"

[Meaty123]

I think Yahoo should buy BB and make a comeback... hahaha. If Microsoft buys BB, it is either blackberry's end or microsoft evolves BB10 OS. WP + BB10 vs Android and iOS in market share should be interesting...

[birdman_38]

I think Yahoo should buy BB and make a comeback... hahaha.

Yahoo is well on their way with their comeback. Their stock has doubled to $28 from $14 a year ago. It was reported they had more web traffic than Google last month. Doubt they have enough cash to buy BlackBerry though and take on a lot of dead weight that comes with it.

[thp_1]

I believe that if BBRY could pull off mobile computing in a way that threatens the consumer PC market, (ie me at home no longer needing a PC because my phone hooks me in to everything I need, so I don't need a PC or Windows operating system anymore, which I absolutely want by the way) then Microsoft may feel that it can't allow that because it eats in to their profits too much. They would buy BBRY to either kill it or gain control of its competition .


Ricocan

What is mobile computing? Every person has a different opinion on what it is. Aren't we basically mobile computing now? I mean you can already hook up a Z10 to a TV or monitor and use a BT keyboard and mouse if you want a 'PC like' experience. BBRY is never going to compete in a mobile computing future because they lack apps...the only way anyone is going to make the PC space redundant for consumers is to have all the availible software any consumer might need on their platform, so the closest contenders for that future are Apple and Google with iOS and Android respectively. Personally, I don't think there is such a thing as 'mobile computing', in so far as it isn't a concrete idea, most of what I've read is people wanting to have their phone act as a PC and to have it hook up to a large screen, news flash, you can do this already, although it's still flawed because just as desktop UI's don't scale to mobile, mobile UI's don't scale to the large screen. The only company that has solved this is Ubuntu with Ubuntu Mobile where the apps from the desktop are code for code the same as on the mobile and the UI knows the context the device is being used in. BBRY are out of their depth here because they have no big screen software experience. Much more exciting is 'the internet of things', common protocols shared by all electronic devices that enable them to communicate.

It's Sunday evening, you set your alarm on your phone for 6am, this syncs across all the electronics in your home, so five minutes before your alarm goes off, the lights in your home are slowly fading on, the coffee machine automatically makes a fresh brew, your car navigation computer is updating itself. You're walking the street and you see an electronic billboard for a concert, you can tap to buy tickets right then and there, or maybe tap twice to set a reminder two weeks from the concert date in case you change your mind and want to go. You're riding the subway and playing a game, as you get to your stop you lock your phone and put it away. Getting back into your house, your phone becomes part of your home network again and when you go to resume the game it asks if you want to switch output to the TV, your phone now becomes the controller.

Maybe that is moble computing to some people, but I think 'mobile computing' barely describes this kind of future.

[Felix_9300]

Remember what happened to Palm after HP bought them?

[offyoutoddle]

If MSFT bought BBRY, then it would probably be the end for BB10 as well. Why would they bother developing an unrelated OS, when they already have so much invested into their unified platforms (W8,WP8,WRT,XBOX1)?

Not the worst thing that could happen in truth. But its nonsense and won't happen I think.

[qwerty4ever]

Apparently the OP's prediction was flawed as confirmed by the technology media.

[bambinoitaliano]

I'm not sure why any blackberry fan would think this is a good idea. BlackBerry would cease to exist the minute this deal went through. If I'm wrong about that and somehow Microsoft would actually keep 2 platforms under their umbrella then I would happily admit it.

Posted via CB10

It's not necessary looking at this from user point of view, rather looking at the market as a whole. If swallowing up BB and killing it will help Microsoft further gain on the mobile computing system, why not? Sure being BB devices users we hope that it will be another company that would extend the development of BB10. It's a dog eat dog business world, we have to be realistic of the possibility.

[ray689]

It's not necessary looking at this from user point of view, rather looking at the market as a whole. If swallowing up BB and killing it will help Microsoft further gain on the mobile computing system, why not? Sure being BB devices users we hope that it will be another company that would extend the development of BB10. It's a dog eat dog business world, we have to be realistic of the possibility.

Less competitors and innovaters is never good for any industry in my opinion. So if Microsoft swallows up blackberry and kills a very innovative OS with unknown potential then I think it's a step back for us as consumers.

Posted via CB10

[bambinoitaliano]

Less competitors and innovaters is never good for any industry in my opinion. So if Microsoft swallows up blackberry and kills a very innovative OS with unknown potential then I think it's a step back for us as consumers.

Posted via CB10

I'm not disagreeing with you. It makes business sense for Microsoft to do that.

[the_sleuth]

Microsoft will be busy integrating Nokia's handset business into its own hardware unit. Personally I don't see what BlackBerry will add to Microsoft after its Nokia handset division purchase. BES10 does not support WP8 handsets currently (just BB10, iOS, and Android). Nokia's patent portfolio is better than BlackBerry's and Microsoft has licensed it for 10 years.

People are grasping at straws with suggestions of Cisco and other American firms. These American companies wanted to save BlackBerry back in 2011 but RIM execs were too arrogant at the time. Now we are nail biting at the suspense, who will it be? The only logical buyers now are the Chinese (ZTE, Huawei, and Lenovo) or going private. Just my 2 cents.

[kevinnugent]

I hope CISCO or some other giant buys RIM and save entire eco-system.

Sorry, but at this stage it's looking less and less likely there will be anything good (for us) coming out of all this.

[M65c02]

Sorry, but at this stage it's looking less and less likely there will be anything good (for us) coming out of all this.

YEP, agreed !!! I thought a year ago that the most likely scenario was for MSFT, at some time in the future, to purchase our moribund BB. And, I agree that this option is still on the table and perhaps that informal gestures/offers have already been made between the parties. With poor BB earnings in September, however, the value of BB may well drop to $2-3 a share (excluding a $for$ cash on hand per share discount). As another poster cited, the purchase of part of Nokia by MSFT prior to any run at BB appears shrewd as the Nokia news should serve only to further depress BB's share price and, thereby, make BB (i.e., shareholders) even more desperate for a sale. I've said for months that the buyer of BB should/will wait for the price to dip as low as $5-6 before making an offer at $6-8?!? (If the unit sales are even "worse than worse" as reported in a few more weeks, then the price may even dip under $5--and despite significant cash on hand.

BUT, if MSFT now does purchase BB, and after its commitment to Nokia, it will indeed be for patents, maybe some Canadian connections, and enhancing its already formidable govt contacts/contracts. OS5-7 enhancement will die immediately, OS10 enhancement will be announced as on-going supported product to prevent BB user panic but there will be no new support. One might even argue with some strength that a MSFT purchase strategically is more for putting BB down/out as a competitor than for acquisition of any of its tangible/intangible assets.

Absolutely, positively no way BB10 survives side-by-side W8 and especially after purchase of Nokia (w/Elop returning) by MSFT. A fully integrated eco-system where the user may view all his systems with near total transparency governed by Win8 is the goal. This hypothetical sale might lead to inclusion of a bridge back to OS10 but surely won't include OS10 as the primary OS anchor for MSFT-Nokia smart phones.

Yet, there is some value to stripping a few OS10 patented programming ideas for future revamping of W8, likewise a couple of hardware novelties, obviously some of the BB patented security features (incl BBM), and trying to retain the BB customer base ... but little else of value for MSFT. Frankly, I'm not sure that MSFT is ready to digest both the Nokia hardware and myriad of complexities that come with a BB sale except--and repeating from above--to eliminate BB as competition (kudos to Ray689). But, who cares, for a company such as MSFT its pocket change to acquire BB regardless of theory on current valuation.

You can be sure, however, that all the Big Boys now are lying in wait, ready to pounce after one final 15-20+% dip--temporary or permanent--in BB share price before making an offer that the BB board can't refuse.

[A7omic]

If Microsoft buys Blackberry it will:

Kill BB10 dead...period.

The interesting part is what would happens to QNX and specifically the QNX CAR platform? Microsoft and QNX are already competitors in this space with Microsoft having Sync. So would they:

1) purchase BBRY without QNX,
2) purchase with QNX and effectively kill QNX CAR as well or
3) purchase with QNX and slowly replace SYNC?

I think if MS wanted QNX they would have done this before BBRY purchased them but then again they have made some great improvements in the CAR platform since being with BBRY so it may represent a better opportunity now.

[theclipart]

microsoft, a company that STILL uses WORD as an HTML renderer in their email program... CAN FN SUCK IT. hate them. dont even put this out there in the universe, you guys. come on now.

[semperfi45]

Sorry, but at this stage it's looking less and less likely there will be anything good (for us) coming out of all this.

Looks like BB will die on it's own. Won't need any help. Then someone can buy the pieces and patents. What a circle jerk.

[tmb2013]

I'm not disagreeing with you. It makes business sense for Microsoft to do that.

No it doesn't. It makes no sense for Microsoft, or anyone else, to waste money buying assets that are largely valueless now. The assets that have value will be bought by someone, but "buying BB" to kill it off simply makes no sense. That is happening anyway organically.

[tmb2013]

YEP, agreed !!! I thought a year ago that the most likely scenario was for MSFT, at some time in the future, to purchase our moribund BB. And, I agree that this option is still on the table and perhaps that informal gestures/offers have already been made between the parties. With poor BB earnings in September, however, the value of BB may well drop to $2-3 a share (excluding a $for$ cash on hand per share discount). As another poster cited, the purchase of part of Nokia by MSFT prior to any run at BB appears shrewd as the Nokia news should serve only to further depress BB's share price and, thereby, make BB (i.e., shareholders) even more desperate for a sale. I've said for months that the buyer of BB should/will wait for the price to dip as low as $5-6 before making an offer at $6-8?!? (If the unit sales are even "worse than worse" as reported in a few more weeks, then the price may even dip under $5--and despite significant cash on hand.

The Cash on Hand was balance sheet number from almost 3 months ago. There is probably very little of that left. An accelerated sale process would not be required if the company were still generating significant positive cash balances.

[semperfi45]

No it doesn't. It makes no sense for Microsoft, or anyone else, to waste money buying assets that are largely valueless now. The assets that have value will be bought by someone, but "buying BB" to kill it off simply makes no sense. That is happening anyway organically.

I believe BB has some good patents, however, I'm not sure when they expire.

[kevinnugent]

I believe BB has some good patents, however, I'm not sure when they expire.

And aren't a lot of them shared with the other consortium members?

[Villain]

If Microsoft bought Blackberry it would be almost entirety for the patent portfolio. Absolutely no way they would use BB10 after they are finally syncing up its ecosystem with the Windows NT kernel. Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, XBOX One all use the same kernel and that (if done right will be a huge thing).

Blackberrys not near what Nokia was in patents but they still hold a lot. As far as enterprise goes MS has a pretty good grip on that market cause even BB and BES rely on a lot of MS features, services to function.

Could see keeping QNX for automobiles but I can't think of one positive MS would even want to use BB10... What benefit does it have over WP?

Not bashing Blackberry nor do I wish the demise either... Worked for RIM for 2 years and was a great company and being Canadian it was the one company we had to be proud of.

[M65c02]

The Cash on Hand was balance sheet number from almost 3 months ago. There is probably very little of that left. An accelerated sale process would not be required if the company were still generating significant positive cash balances.

Agreed, the cash often cited by BB supporters was insignificant in May and has dwindled to be even more insignificant in September's results. I have long since used the simple math that a $100 mistake on 25million phones, or $50 mistake on 40million phones eats away most of what appears to be a huge $4B cash position: Peanuts for a competitor in the smart phone industry.. Another way of looking at it is if BB really needs to sell phones at the price point of Apple, Samsungs, and HTCs, then it is lost. It needs to sell 20+mm phones regardless of price for realization of any perception of any independent future. Obviously, regardless of pricing, BB will be no where near having 20mm OS10 units in the mktplace after a year and, frankly, unlikely to get to even 7-8mm. SO, one way or another that cash is being drawn down and will show by the end of the year, if not the soon to be released September results. (I do think that BB has been penny wise and pound foolish in that it needed to be spending some of that cash for better promotion and consumer support that would allow one last stand to turn things around. .... obviously this hasn't happened either.)