Samsung offers to buy BlackBerry for $7.5 billion - report [ux2: denied]
Two Apple rivals may come together in an effort to take on the iPhone, with a new report claiming that South Korean electronics giant Samsung has made a bid to buy struggling Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry for $7.5 billion.
Word of the alleged offer was first reported on Wednesday by Reuters, which cited both a person familiar with the matter and documents pertaining to the proposal.
Samsung's pitch would apparently pay between $13.35 and $15.49 per share for the company, which would be as much as 60 percent over its current value. The documents also targeted BlackBerry's value at $6 billion to $7.5 billion, including a $1.25 billion of convertible debt.
According to sources, executives from both companies met last week to hammer out a deal, though an official statement on the outcome has yet to be released.
For Samsung, which last week warned investors of continued profit slide for the important holiday quarter, the IP gained by a potential acquisition would significantly bolster its bread and butter Android handset business. A recent Kantar WorldPanel ComTech report saw Samsung smartphone shipments down in both the U.S. and Europe, both major markets where Apple gained ground with the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
After the news broke, shares of BlackBerry surged nearly 30 percent in afternoon trading, just before the markets closed.
Update: Shortly after reports of Samsung's supposed BlackBerry bid circulated online, BlackBerry issued a statement denying the rumors, saying, "BlackBerry has not engaged in discussions with Samsung with respect to any possible offer to purchase BlackBerry."
Update 2: Samsung has also denied the rumored meeting with BlackBerry, telling Reuters, "Media reports of the acquisition are groundless."
Word of the alleged offer was first reported on Wednesday by Reuters, which cited both a person familiar with the matter and documents pertaining to the proposal.
Samsung's pitch would apparently pay between $13.35 and $15.49 per share for the company, which would be as much as 60 percent over its current value. The documents also targeted BlackBerry's value at $6 billion to $7.5 billion, including a $1.25 billion of convertible debt.
According to sources, executives from both companies met last week to hammer out a deal, though an official statement on the outcome has yet to be released.
For Samsung, which last week warned investors of continued profit slide for the important holiday quarter, the IP gained by a potential acquisition would significantly bolster its bread and butter Android handset business. A recent Kantar WorldPanel ComTech report saw Samsung smartphone shipments down in both the U.S. and Europe, both major markets where Apple gained ground with the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
After the news broke, shares of BlackBerry surged nearly 30 percent in afternoon trading, just before the markets closed.
Update: Shortly after reports of Samsung's supposed BlackBerry bid circulated online, BlackBerry issued a statement denying the rumors, saying, "BlackBerry has not engaged in discussions with Samsung with respect to any possible offer to purchase BlackBerry."
Update 2: Samsung has also denied the rumored meeting with BlackBerry, telling Reuters, "Media reports of the acquisition are groundless."
Comments
Should go for Yahoo and AOL next!
So instead of spending $7.5B on credible, research-driven R&D, let's buy another company!
What could go wrong?
A has-been company known for not seeing the future in front of them and making spectacularly bad design and product decisions being bought by a company now being seen completely void of good ideas that weren't blatantly stolen from someone else.
Sounds about right. Mozel tov!
A has-been company known for not seeing the future in front of them and making spectacularly bad design and product decisions being bought by a company now being seen completely void of good ideas that weren't blatantly stolen from someone else.
Sounds about right. Mozel tov!
u talk'ng about Apple?
The OS could serve them well, perhaps? Through the BB brand they can get some kind of 'reset'.
Now, we may finally get to see dodos mating.
u talk'ng about Apple?
Nobody is talking about the company that is selling record number of phones.....we're talking about the company whose phone sales are DROPPING LIKE ROCK!
I guess they plan to recreate this?
The OS could serve them well, perhaps? Through the BB brand they can get some kind of 'reset'.
They've got their own in Tizien (sp?), something's got to give....
I guess they plan to recreate this?
Okay now I have the image of Samsung and BB holding hands as they plunge.
u talk'ng about Apple?
still being a total tool I see.
I'm an avid Samdung hater but this would be a good move by Samdung.
Blackberry has so very nice security patents and a decent OS (way better than Tizen)
Nah... just like WebOS was (or could have been), Samsung will buy Blackberry, and that OS will essentially be hung out to dry, or stagnate. The engineers that had anything to do with that OS will jump ship. Blackberry the OS will then cease to exist because Samsung - as we all seen them do in years past - couldn't code their way out of a "Hello World!" program if their lives depended on it.
Only thing of value (for now) is their IP and patents. That's it, and even that is on borrowed time.
Samsung doesn't know where they're headed. Invested in making KNOX, which has been a failure. Then making a deal with Google to share KNOX IP for use in Android to improve security. Then partnering with BB on mobile security. Now they want to buy BB? Then there's the newly announced Tizen smartphone (2nd time around) and switching their smart TV's from Android to Tizen.
This is a company without any clear direction.
If this is true, Blackberry would be foolish not to jump on this offer.
QNX has to be worth at least half of this offer.