科技前沿:黑莓待价而沽求生存

BlackBerry has put itself up for sale as part of a wider strategic review to help the ailing Canadian handset maker in its battle for survival in the fiercely competitive smartphone market.

黑莓(Blackberry)已准备出售自己，这是整体战略评估的一部分，旨在帮助这家陷入困境的加拿大手机制造商在竞争惨烈的智能手机市场生存下来。

In a sign of the failure to stem subscriber defections following the launch of its much heralded BlackBerry 10 devices, the maker of the once must-have device for the business world conceded that it needed to look at options for its future including a sale or alternatives such as joint venture.

这家曾是商界必备设备的制造商承认，它需要研究未来选择，包括出售或者合资等替代方案。这一迹象表明，其大力宣传的黑莓10设备上市后，未能阻止订户流失。

Shares in the group, which had fallen by more than a third in the past month following a profit warning in June, gained 5 per cent to almost $11.

黑莓股价上涨近5%，至近11美元。自6月份发布利润预警以来，过去一个月里黑莓股价累计下跌逾三分之一。

At that share price the company is valued at about $5.3bn, a steep drop from a market capitalisation of more than $41bn just three years ago.

按目前股价计算，黑莓市值约为53亿美元，与仅仅3年前高达410多亿美元的市值相比，一落千丈。

But by the time the company’s new BlackBerry 10 handset was launched, many analysts said they lacked clear technological advantages to the myriad smartphones already on the market. Initial sales have been disappointing

等到该公司的黑莓10手机上市时，很多分析人士表示，与市场上已有的形形色色的智能手机相比，黑莓欠缺明显的技术优势。初期销量令人失望。

BlackBerry will set up a special committee chaired by board member Timothy Dattels to look at the options, with recent speculation suggesting that the group could consider partnerships with private equity groups or even separate its business into handset and services operations.

黑莓设立了由董事会成员蒂莫西•达特尔斯(Timothy Dattels)带领的特别委员会，研究各种选择。近期有人猜测，黑莓可能考虑与私募股权集团结成合作伙伴关系，甚至把企业分拆成手机和服务运营两大块。

A take-private deal akin to that of Dell would at least allow the group the benefits of rebuilding away from the public eye, according to analysts.

分析人士表示，类似于戴尔(Dell)的私有化交易将至少让黑莓在公众视线以外重建。

Rivals such as China’s Lenovo have also been linked with takeover interest in the past, although others such as Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft and Huawei have been mooted as interested parties by analysts.

过去中国联想(Lenovo)等竞争对手曾表示过收购兴趣，不过Facebook、亚马逊(Amazon)、微软(Microsoft)以及华为等其他企业也被分析人士列为有兴趣的潜在收购方。

However, bankers have privately warned that the value of its assets has dropped in the past year given BlackBerry’s dwindling subscriber base and uncertainty over its intellectual property, and pointed to a worrying cash burn in its accounts.

不过，银行家们私下警告，由于用户基础下滑，知识产权不确定，过去一年来资产价值已经下跌，并指出其“烧钱”速度令人担忧。

There is also a political angle given how embedded the devices are in governments. “While Lenovo would likely be the most willing buyer,” says Jefferies, “we think the US government would block an acquisition due to national security concerns.”

考虑到黑莓设备在政府部门中的渗透率，还存在一个政治角度。杰弗里斯表示：“尽管联想很可能是意愿最强的买家，但我们认为美国政府会以国家安全担忧为由，阻止收购。”