Word on the street is that Amazon was interested in buying Research in Motion last summer and even hired an investment bank to review a potential merger, but, never got to the point of making a formal offer because RIM’s management did not want to sell or break up the company.
(Reuters) – Research In Motion Ltd has turned down takeover overtures from Amazon.com Inc and other potential buyers because the BlackBerry maker prefers to fix its problems on its own, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
The good news is that Amazon and RIM are still discussing ways to expand their commercial ties. Research in Motion really has no media ecosystem to speak of. Amazon has one of the largest.
Amazon sells a tablet that competes with the BlackBerry PlayBook, but, the Kindle Fire, at this point, seems to be a play to bring consumers into Amazon’s ecosystem. The BlackBerry PlayBook needs content and Amazon wouldn’t mind more consumers playing in their ecosystem.
[Via Reuters]