Vodafone rumored to be mulling RIM buy

By on Oct 5, 2011 at 5:05 PM
Business October 5, 2011

Shares of Research In Motion stock are popping for the second day in a row on rumors that the company may be looking for a buyer. RIM’s stock was up as much as 14% on Wednesday morning as mysteriously sourced rumors suggested U.K. carrier Vodafone is considering an acquisition. Investors see RIM quickly running out of cash — the vendor burned through more than half of its $2.9 billion in cash during the second fiscal quarter alone — and analysts still aren’t convinced management can right the ship. Some still see promise in RIM’s upcoming QNX lineup however, and the company could certainly hold tremendous value for a potential buyer. Market rumors last week suggested that RIM was pulling the plug on the BlackBerry PlayBook and its tablet efforts in general, but RIM broke character and quickly put the rumors to bed. With the company’s stock on the rise, we doubt RIM will dispel this new round of rumors even if they prove to be inaccurate.

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  • http://www.searingarrow.com AlienSix

    More BGR exclusives, you heard it first

  • KenG

    Damn, I wish ATT would buy RIM, that would kill two (dodo) birds with one stone.

  • BBA Brian

    Canadian Government would never approve.  This is a dead story. 

    • Sosa

      You said a mouthful RIM’s product is a major financial gain for Canada. That makes this story an epic FAIL!

    • Anonymous

      U R correct. No they wouldn’t. They would rather see then company file for bankruptcy (Nortel) instead. Canadians are funny that way. Only America gets to rape Canada for it’s resources  true story™©®

      • greatness10

        Scroat, you are such a douchebag, literally. You have no idea about anything in life other than how to troll RIM articles, i wish you would choke on something. Oh, and btw, I loved how everyone chirped you yesterday when your precious iphone turned out to be a joke…and of course, you were nowhere to be found…such a panzy.

    • Nah!

      Neither would Vodafone shareholders if they have any sense!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Fuller/584626026 Mike Fuller

    So now we are reporting Rumours without a source.

    Rumors a s circulating that Apple is about be be bought by Google..

    • Dieselx13

      You got the rumors wrong! It’s the other way around. Rumors are circulating that apple is buying google since apple has way more money than hoogle’

  • Fred Rogers

    The problem I have with site is that’s its not impartial in the slightest. The site would get much more respect if you just called it “Apple Fan Boy Report”.

  • Justin Lisenby

    Carriers generally aren’t in the business of owning mobile device companies. This is just a rumor made up by some analyst that wants to see RIM stock jump. Wait till DevCon and we will see what RIM has in store. If it’s good, then we can kill these rumors dead. If not, then we can find the highest bidder. BlackBerry DevCon 2011: Do or Die. 

    • Nah!

      Agreed. Vodafone wouldn’t really gain by doing this. Not RIM or any device manufacturer. It would be like Microsoft buying Acer. No point.  Maybe someone is sniffing around but very much doubt its Vodafone.

      If there is someone there my wildass guesses are Cisco, HP (yes I know) or even Oracle (the latter I never would have said till they bought Sun)

      The other thing to note is that RIM stock has always been a roller coaster. Now its price is so low that move isn’t even that exceptional.

  • Max

    Buy it and throw it on the junk heap.

    • Applesucksfatties

      did you change your poopy pants yet? Your presence is starting to stink up the place.

    • Anonymous

      Just like i did your mom last night when i picked her up on sunset blvd.

  • Neoprimal

    Has a carrier EVER purchased a company that manufactures cell phones? I mean – how would that even work?

    So they would sell their cell phones through competing carriers? or keep them exclusive to themselves? How would that even work for a product like the BB?

    Seems a bit out there, even as a rumor. I’d believe it more if the news was that Acer, HP, Dell, Samsung, LG or HTC were the rumored interests.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_Z6SWMSRC7J3TZWOLN3HEGNXEBE Anonymous

    Here’s why Apple will announce the iPhone 5 yesterday, exclusively on BGR. 

  • BGRSucks

    You guys are desperate for traffic.  Must be low on funds yourself.

    • zacamandapio

      I was going to post that.
      Exactly my thoughts.

  • zacamandapio

    The reason RIM’s Stocks are going up and will continue to go up is because people realized they were undervalued.  Now they want to invest on a company that is going to give them lots and lots of earnings. 
    RIM is not running out of cash.  Just another BGR exclusive. 

  • http://MobileGenius.wordpress.com JM

    It really looks as though a merger or acquisition is the only way that there will be a significant change in leadership and direction at RIM. In a way I hate to see it but they have ignored every sensible opportunity to solve issues on their own this far.

    • Nah!

      Agreed. The possibility of serious change at RIM whether by acquisition or just a coup would be enough to blip the shares. Without change they are on a downward spiral.

  • Anonymous

    Why buy RIM now when in two years they will be dead? BB7 is a bust. QNX and the “superphones” will fail for sure and all they will have left is dumb and dumber running the show. Look for a buyout around the sub 10 Buck range. By then tweedledee and tweedledum will have been fired and the shareholders will be desperate to make back 5 cents on the dollar. No one wants to type on a physical keyboard. RIM guaranteed will be dead in two years. true story™©®

    • sheesh

      My God, are you on staff at BGR? Clearly you don’t have a life. All of it is spent typing stupid messages on this blog. 

      Perhaps you would watch last week’s Saturday Night Live on Hulu. I think you were in one of the sketches. 

    • Mduvernay

      Everyone. Subscribe to Scroat, he not only sees the future, he can tell you the mega millions jackpot numbers for this weekend. 

      • Applesucksfatties

        Eventually his “RIM will be dead in two years, nobody wants to type on a physical keyboard” mindless cut and paste rant will come true.    I like how he threw in the word “guaranteed” in his post this time….   because his same rant a year ago wasn’t guaranteed… but now it is.  I’m curious in 2 years, it it will be “super guaranteed in 2 years”?

        I bet the real story is that he is just pissed off that he doesn’t have anyone to send greeting cards to from his new i3GS+ version 2….

      • Applesucksfatties

        ….or he keeps asking Siri questions and it keeps telling him to “f*ck off” … 

    • Applesucksfatties

      Scroat….make yourself useful and go change Max’s poopy diaper. The smell and the drool are making me sick.

    • Anonymous

      Scroat you need to go back in that room you came out of with tim cook and finish jacking him off.

  • zukidrvr

    “RIM was pulling the plug on the BlackBerry PlayBook.”
    Here we go again… BGR just can’t resist printing complete falsehoods, over and over and over. When did you stop beating your wife?

  • Anonymous

    I read this rumor earlier today. No idea why a carrier would want an OEM, which would alienate other OEMs.

    Last week rumor was that Carl Ichan was buying up RIMM stock… which didn’t pan out. Now this rumor of Vodafone, which more than likely won’t pan out either…

    Sounds to me that the real truth is stock manipulation by some broker somewhere.

  • Anonymous

    How can Lazaridis and Balsillie stil be in charge? They’re terrible.

    • Nah!

       uhmmm…….. could it be related to the fact that they own 10% of the shares and appointed all their mates to the board?? Just my wild guess ;-)

  • Anonymous

    Its funny they say RIM burned through there cash when they don’t have no proof of it, and not only that RIM makes money a lot of ways BGR don’t know.

  • http://twitter.com/MaxPayne79 Winter Bourne

    i do think that next year we’ll see a rim sale. once the qnx systems are introduced later this month, i would be surprised but not shocked at an acquisitions before the devices hit the stores. most likely it;ll happen after they hit the stores but if i were rim and looking to be bought, i’d sell shortly after devcon while the iron is hot…if it’ll be hot at all. let’s hope so cause i think this is it. they have one shot, sadly.

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