Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing told the French financial newspaper Les Echos that a deal “could possibly make sense, but first I need to analyse the market and understand what exactly the importance of this company is.”
The comments sparked a 14.1 percent leap in BlackBerry’s stock, up US$1.84 to $14.90 in recent trading.
Blackberry’s new Z10 touchscreen smartphone – which uses the all new Blackberry 10 operating system – went on sale in the US last week with delivery promised on March 22, and Australian carriers Telstra, Optus and Vodafone are now taking pre-orders for delivery from Monday March 25.
The phone – which maintains separate divisions for work and home use – has received favourable reviews, but many critics suggest it has come too late, with Apple’s iPhone and an array of Android-powered smartphones now dominating the market, and Microsoft also vying for a distant third spot