Blackberry recently disclosed that it was officially For Sale and has already begun their due diligence by seeking guidance from Industry Canada around the countries foreign take-over laws which could potentially block many tech companies from acquiring the company.
They keyword is Vertical Integration. Apple started this trend and it has blindsided most other mobile and PC vendors. Some made hardware, some made software but no one was making it all under one roof… except Blackberry. Keeping that in mind, lets take a look at the short list of buyers:
Microsoft – They have the cash but they already own Nokia for hardware and a powerful OS.
Apple – Nope.
Amazon – Unlikely. They are focusing on content mostly, Kindle is just a cheap platform to distribute that content and acquiring Blackberry would be like Toyota buying Lamborghini.
Google – Already owns the OS, the cloud and hardware (Motorola).
Lenovo – Hell would have to freeze over before Industry Canada allows a Chinese company to BB.
Samsung – They have the cash, hails from a democratic country, has been helping Blackberry tease the industry with BBM on Android leaks and despite being on top of the world right now they still do not have a competitive OS. This is the key, like I said before, to competing with Apple and maintaining relevancy in the post PC era. Samsung is missing an OS that can complete their vertical integration and BB10 fits the bill. There are many other reasons they may buy Blackberry but owning an OS that works on everything from cars to smartphones is a huge advantage in the Vertically Integrated world.
Thats my story and im sticking to it.