buyer for BlackBerry is to be a difficult task. Several times the Canadian multinational had shown signs of being on sale, including statements of the Executive Director, Thorsten Heins, who in May said that this would be a possibility, although not the first choice for the future of a company that is quickly getting no options.
Three months later, the announcement that Blackberry wants a buyer, made on Monday with the news that it has formed a committee to study strategic options, has only one interpretation to Francisco Jeronimo, an analyst at IDC in London: “Of course there is interested. What they are saying is ‘we can not find a buyer, we are available to offer.’ “
BlackBerry has to offer a financial positive, with about three billion dollars (2300 million) in cash and short-term investments, and no debt. Has technology: the latest operating system, BlackBerry 10, failed to interest consumers, but it had good reviews from analysts and the specialized press (on Tuesday, the company launched a new model, equipped with the previous operating system). In turn, the system 10 is based on the BlackBerry called QNX is used in other industries, including the automotive industry.
There is also the messaging system itself, once very popular and it has recently been extended to other platforms, with the release of apps for Android and iOS, Apple. And the BlackBerry also has a patent portfolio that is a valuable asset in the telecommunications industry – was because of the patents that Google bought Motorola Mobility for 12,500 million dollars (9,400 million euros at current exchange rates).
“The company has not only the business smartphones , but also the business of mobility services. Potential buyers or partners may be competitors in these areas of business or technology manufacturers who are interested in the large patent portfolio, “explains the PUBLIC Bill Menezes, an analyst at Gartner in the U.S.. “Other potential buyers are investors who can see an opportunity to profit by dividing the company,” taking it out of the bag and separating the mobile communication services.
Any investor, however, will also buy the risks of a business in freefall. The company has almost lost the thread of consumers and are seeing enterprise customers move to competition, although this is a slower process. Gartner has bleak prospects for the BlackBerry, estimating that next year, less than 1% of phones shipped to retail across the world will be the brand. In 2016, according to this analyst, only one in 100 will users of these mobile phones.
Potential buyers
Microsoft could be a buyer considers Francisco Jeronimo, especially the technology of BlackBerry aimed at the business market. “Consumers are killed for the BlackBerry segment, without any possibility of conquering”, says flatly.
Microsoft has had a slow growth. The system Windows Phone this year surpassed the BlackBerry and has become the third smartphone platform with more market share, but the share remains small. The IDC data indicate that, in the second quarter, the Android system led with 79.3% market share, followed by iOS with 13.2%. Windows Phone had 3.7% and the BlackBerry 2.9%. There is no official indication that Microsoft is interested.
Already the Chinese manufacturer Lenovo is being cited as another potential buyer. The multinational company has a strong position in the market of smartphones in China, which is just behind the Samsung, but has a smaller presence in other territories. In addition, HP is on the heels of the race for the title of world’s largest manufacturer of PC – but this market is shrinking, unlike mobile phones and tablets.
In March, the Executive Director of Lenovo, Yang Yuanqing, said the purchase of the Canadian manufacturer “might make sense”, but it was necessary to analyze the business. Speaking to Bloomberg, a spokesman for the company said that now is not being made any assessment for an acquisition.
intention to purchase by Lenovo still raise a political problem: most U.S. utilities use BlackBerry and the American government would not let this type of services to be provided by a Chinese company.
No purchaser, the BlackBerry looks set to shrink. “Becoming would a niche or a service provider and smartphones very specific, at best,” predicts Bill Menezes, Gartner. Francisco Jeronimo, IDC says would “continue to lay off, cut costs,” but believes that there will be interested, if the value of the business down for the right price.
No comments:
Post a Comment