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RIM surrounded by rumours but IBM and Samsung unlikely buyers

Analysts sceptical of benefits to purchasing ailing smartphone firm

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It appears we are now in the midst of silly season, no doubt as the world and his wife / her husband and their children are currently enjoying their two weeks break in the sun away from the stresses of cloud computing and the consumerisation of IT.

With hard news in short supply, rumours are flying thick and fast around the IT world, with the fate of Research in Motion (RIM) the latest drama to hit the headlines as first Samsung and then IBM, were both put forward as showing interesting in buying the ailing firm.

Samsung has already distanced itself from such claims, while IBM is keeping quiet, but given that RIM appears to be in a downward spiral and has already said it would considering licensing its software to other vendors, it's not unreasonable to think it could be the target of serious a takeover bid soon.

Would Samsung or IBM make sensible suitors though?

Not according to Ovum analyst Nick Dillon who noted that Samsung is far more likely to stick with Android, or push its own Bada platform, especially as RIM's latest operating system is an unknown quantity.

"It doesn't really make sense for either company. Nothing has changed since the last Samsung rumour. QNX is a technologically capable platform, but is unproven in the smartphone market," he explained to V3.

As for IBM, Dillon was equally sceptical.

"IBM removed itself from the devices market seven years ago and as far as I'm aware has shown no signs of wanting to get back in it," he added.

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