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Samsung Electronics didn’t waste time nipping that rumor in the bud.
The Korean conglomerate has flat-out told Reuters that it isn’t interested in buying Research In Motion or licensing its next-generation BlackBerry 10 operating system.
“Samsung Electronics has not considered the acquisition of Research in Motion or licensing BB10,” a representative told CNET.
The comment came after an analyst speculated this week that RIM might make an attractive target for Samsung.
RIM declined to comment on the speculation.
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While Samsung remains the most dominant Android player and largest handset vendor in the world, the company has been angling for its own proprietary operating system to lessen its dependence on Google. Still, Android has helped hand Samsung the smartphone crown and allowed it to take its fair share of the industry’s profits.
Samsung also makes phones running on Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system, but those devices haven’t fared as well as its Galaxy line of Android phones. The company has its own homegrown operating system called Bada, but it’s in select markets and isn’t in the U.S.
RIM, meanwhile, has expressed a willingness to partner and even explore licensing its upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system, which is expected to launch next year. The company continues to fend off talk that it’s in a death spiral and is working feverishly to get its first BlackBerry 10 products out the door even as its market position weakens. CEO Thorsten Heins told CNET earlier that he believes the company’s still-large base of 80 million users will help its turnaround efforts once BlackBerry 10 emerges.
The company’s weakened stock price has made it a potentially attractive acquisition target. Since September, RIM has lost more than three-quarters of its market capitalization and currently trades around $7.60.
Updated at 6:41 a.m. PT and 8:31 a.m. PT: To include a statement from Samsung and RIM.
