The launch of the BlackBerry 10 mobile platform in January
PC maker Lenovo is considering a bid for smartphone maker BlackBerry, and if successful, the purchase would be one of the largest and most significant Chinese acquisitions of a Western company.
Lenovo’s ownership of BlackBerry would highlight Chinese companies’ desire to establish a foothold in the West and gain not only industrial expertise but more products to sell to their customers, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Spokesmen for both Lenovo and BlackBerry have declined to comment.
Lenovo would be joining other companies as a potential bidder for BlackBerry, which is based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The company’s co-founders Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin have expressed their interest in a public filing, and Cerberus Capital Management LP, has signed a non-disclosure agreement to look at BlackBerry’s books, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The newspaper also cited a person close to the matter as having said that bids for BlackBerry are expected by 4 November.
BlackBerry officially opened itself to bidders in August, after years of ceding smartphone market share to rival companies, such as Apple and Samsung.
