Ex-Apple Chief John Sculley Considering BlackBerry Acquistion
A change of ownership might do BlackBerry some good, but who's interested in taking possession of the struggling smartphone maker? A man from Apple's past -- former CEO John Sculley -- might be the answer. Sculley, who says he's been a "long-time BlackBerry fan and user," is reportedly kicking around the idea of making a bid for the Canadian outfit, though nothing is yet official.
Sculley isn't the only suitor. Company co-founders Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin are considering a buyout, and Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. CEO Prem Watsa made a preliminary offer of $4.7 billion to acquire BlackBerry.
The Canadian handset maker has struggled to regain relevancy in a market place that's now dominated by Apple (iOS) and Samsung (Android). New handsets and a revamped mobile OS, BlackBerry 10, both failed to generate the kind of excitement and sales the company had hoped, leading company executives to consider a sale.
On paper, Sculley seems like an intelligent fit. He ran Pepsi and spearheaded the Pepsi Challenge campaign that challenged Coca-Cola drinkers in the 1980s, and perhaps more importantly, he believes in BlackBerry's potential.
"The only thing I would say is, I think there’s a lot of future value in Blackberry," Sculley told The Globe and Mail in an interview. "But without experienced people who have run this type of business, and without a strategic plan, it would be really challenging . Whoever buys it would have to have a strategic plan that was credible and could succeed, and they would want to have an experienced team that would be able to implement that plan."
Sculley isn't the only suitor. Company co-founders Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin are considering a buyout, and Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. CEO Prem Watsa made a preliminary offer of $4.7 billion to acquire BlackBerry.
The Canadian handset maker has struggled to regain relevancy in a market place that's now dominated by Apple (iOS) and Samsung (Android). New handsets and a revamped mobile OS, BlackBerry 10, both failed to generate the kind of excitement and sales the company had hoped, leading company executives to consider a sale.
On paper, Sculley seems like an intelligent fit. He ran Pepsi and spearheaded the Pepsi Challenge campaign that challenged Coca-Cola drinkers in the 1980s, and perhaps more importantly, he believes in BlackBerry's potential.
"The only thing I would say is, I think there’s a lot of future value in Blackberry," Sculley told The Globe and Mail in an interview. "But without experienced people who have run this type of business, and without a strategic plan, it would be really challenging . Whoever buys it would have to have a strategic plan that was credible and could succeed, and they would want to have an experienced team that would be able to implement that plan."
