[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/0...ref=technology

Why not just bypass the telecom companies? T-Mobile, which boasts the fastest Internet service on the planet, is currently worth about $26 billion, about 16 percent of Apple�s cash. Sprint is a little more expensive, with a market value of $37 billion. But Apple could pick up both and still have more than $90 billion left.

Found the article interesting....
Have to wonder why with Apple, Google and even Microsoft being so Cash Flush why a still great tech company like BlackBerry and their unique secure communications abilities along with long history of patents, and has not been bought on just a whim.

Also for all those that think bypassing the carriers would be so easy....

[Ment]

MS/Google/Apple don't want to incorporate B10 into their OS neither do they want to produce keyboard devices. The only part of BB that has value to them is the patents and they have court cases for years on the patents they already have.

[nuff_said]

Apple has a long history for not spending unless it's absolutely necessary. They will keep their money in the bank until they really need to reach into it. At this moment they have no profitable reason to purchase a US carrier. Too many chances for them to lose money pumping dollars into a business model they have not "mastered".

[Ment]

Apple has no need to buy a telecom. They can force them into favorable contracts as it is with minimum buys that have the telecom on the hook if they can't sell them.

Same with their CPU/GPUs. Instead of buying factories they just buy the design teams and contract the manufacturing out.

[early2bed]

Frankly, it's because Blackberry has little to offer a successful smartphone company other than the patents. Anyone who buys Blackberry is going to have to deal with some baggage that they don't want like the hardware business, QNX and a lot of employees in Canada. The more likely buyers are the ones we have heard about like Lenovo and Foxconn - companies that might want a smartphone OS and a retail smartphone channel. However, if the Canadian government is still going to stand in the way then it's probably not worth it.

[Sith_Apprentice]

Why not just buy the largest cable internet provider in the country? lol

Comcast has a current Market Cap:126.86B


Or multiple Defense contractors?

Boeing Market Cap: 93.14B
Lockheed Martin Market Cap: 50.39B

[DigitalMadness]

Apple has a long history for not spending unless it's absolutely necessary. They will keep their money in the bank until they really need to reach into it. At this moment they have no profitable reason to purchase a US carrier. Too many chances for them to lose money pumping dollars into a business model they have not "mastered".

Which offshore bank is Apple hiding their money these days?

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Which offshore bank is Apple hiding their money these days?

Bitcoin.....

[nuff_said]

Which offshore bank is Apple hiding their money these days?

Probably the same one many of the 1% use. I'd tell you but I'm not privy to that info.
I'm confident Apple has more than the figure stated in the article in their possession.

[WJF84]

Probably the same one many of the 1% use. I'd tell you but I'm not privy to that info.
I'm confident Apple has more than the figure stated in the article in their possession.

You'd tell us but you don't know?

Good grief.

Posted via CB10

[richardat]

MS/Google/Apple don't want to incorporate B10 into their OS neither do they want to produce keyboard devices. The only part of BB that has value to them is the patents and they have court cases for years on the patents they already have.

Patent value is questionable in my mind. Of course, patent value is always controversial.....with some saying they are worth gazillions, and others saying they have been sold on inflated bubbles of value.

In BB's case...one would think they hold many critical patents from the early days of smartphones, but it may be that the other players have their own versions of the tech, and/or have already licensed the critical patents. Since evaluation would take going through the patent portfolio, an incredible amount of foresight, and industry knowledge....and A LOT of time, we just can't be sure...but it is pretty clear that:
1.they weren't willing to pay very much for them before....no sale even at really cheap price
2.they seem to be getting along without them

So, I wouldn't hang one's hat on BB's patent value!

[Dave79]

They rarely use their money because they are locked into heavens, they have paid no tax on those founds but moving them would change their status and the tax implications would be huge. That's why to distribute a dividend they had to resort to borrow money from banks.

[lnichols]

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/0...ref=technology



Found the article interesting....
Have to wonder why with Apple, Google and even Microsoft being so Cash Flush why a still great tech company like BlackBerry and their unique secure communications abilities along with long history of patents, and has not been bought on just a whim.

Also for all those that think bypassing the carriers would be so easy....

Why buy it at a premium when you can buy it in bankruptcy for pennies on the dollar? That us what most are probably thinking with BlackBerry. Or they were waiting for Heins and Watsa to cut it all up and buy the pieces they want.

Posted via CB10

[bakron1]

This is a result of when you make products that people want to buy, plain and simple folks.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Why buy it at a premium when you can buy it in bankruptcy for pennies on the dollar? That us what most are probably thinking with BlackBerry. Or they were waiting for Heins and Watsa to cut it all up and buy the pieces they want.

Posted via CB10

If you want something and it is one of a kind, you don't wait for it to go on sale. If you do someone else may buy it first. Maybe one of these players has a number in mind... but honestly what is a few billion dollars to any of them?

I don't understand it, but there doesn't seem to be any interest in the BlackBerry company as a whole.



Posted via CB10

[abwan11]

Maybe there is a master plan at work. Chen could be the scout sent out by a suitor to size up blackberry and try to piece it together to fit their criteria of a viable business before they swoop in. The future buyers may have looked at blackberry during the sale process and felt this way was the safest bet, to position blackberry where they need them to be.

Posted via CB10

[early2bed]

If you want something and it is one of a kind, you don't wait for it to go on sale.

That's what HP said

[TGR1]

If you want something and it is one of a kind, you don't wait for it to go on sale. If you do someone else may buy it first. Maybe one of these players has a number in mind... but honestly what is a few billion dollars to any of them?

I don't understand it, but there doesn't seem to be any interest in the BlackBerry company as a whole.



Posted via CB10

Unlike Google and MS, Apple hasn't made a billion+$ purchase, have they?

I suspect running the BB system may be too specialized, hard to integrate with existing stuff, and thus too costly/low return for the above companies.

[nuff_said]

You'd tell us but you don't know?

Good grief.

Posted via CB10

Yes if i knew I'd tell you. Google has a great search engine I'd you're really interested in knowing potential banks.

Good luck in your search!

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Unlike Google and MS, Apple hasn't made a billion+$ purchase, have they?

I suspect running the BB system may be too specialized, hard to integrate with existing stuff, and thus too costly/low return for the above companies.

I don't see any one wanting to continue the company as is. Mainly it would be a technology mining expedition.

But for Microsoft, QNX would fit into their embedded systems division. Some features of BES could be incorporated into Exchange or maybe Outlook.com. Add the patents to Nokia's and they would have a very strong portfolio....

High end secure devices for the small niche that needs them could be provided... at a price.

Posted via CB10

[Hyphenation]

Apple doesn't really seem to make "big splash" type purchases, and it's hard to see what value they'd get from a BB acquisition. Right now they appear to be focused on very practical acquisitions to improve their mobile chips:
Apple looking to buy Japanese chipmaker- Nikkei Asian Review
Exclusive: Apple Recently Acquired Low-Energy Chipmaker Passif

[TGR1]

Apple doesn't really seem to make "big splash" type purchases, and it's hard to see what value they'd get from a BB acquisition. Right now they appear to be focused on very practical acquisitions to improve their mobile chips:
Apple looking to buy Japanese chipmaker- Nikkei Asian Review
Exclusive: Apple Recently Acquired Low-Energy Chipmaker Passif

The recent hirings for chip engineers has been fueling a lot of speculation too about more in-house chip works. So now Apple is nibbling away at Qualcomm's stronghold? Albeit they are still locked by patents.

[tmb2013]

What Apple really wants to do is bring all chip engineering and design in-house, ideally they would like to have manufacture in -house too. They want Samsung out of the supply chain and they don't want to run the risk of ever having a fab steal their designs again.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

What Apple really wants to do is bring all chip engineering and design in-house, ideally they would like to have manufacture in -house too. They want Samsung out of the supply chain and they don't want to run the risk of ever having a fab steal their designs again.

Having the ability to truly create a custom device from the silicon up, means it is very hard to make any hardware comparisons. It would basically come down to strictly device capabilities. And who know what Apple R&D might come up with that would separate them from the rest of the field - if they would just start spending more on R&D..

[Ment]

What Apple really wants to do is bring all chip engineering and design in-house, ideally they would like to have manufacture in -house too. They want Samsung out of the supply chain and they don't want to run the risk of ever having a fab steal their designs again.

Apple isn't going to make or buy a fab. They'll continue to outsource to Samsung/TSMC perhaps even Intel down the road. Samsung Exynos ARM SOCs is very different than Apples designs so they didn't copy very well .

What Apple will do is procure the exclusive rights to fab lines. They tried to do this with TSMC but TSMC didn't want to commit to whole factories to Apple long term given their other lines of business.