Every BlackBerry M&A Rumor That Turned Out To Be False

Another day, another BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ: BBRY) buyout rumor.

This time it was Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) that was the rumored buyer (again), and it turns out that the source of the rumor, an article published by The Inquirer, was a recap of a previous rumor that drove BlackBerry shares up nearly 6 percent earlier this week.

The BlackBerry rumors have gotten so out of control lately that many onlookers, including Jacob Wolinsky, are wondering:

While a comprehensive list of every BlackBerry rumor would be nearly impossible to put together, here’s a group of some of the major BlackBerry rumors in the past several years.

1. Apple Buyout: 5/11/2015

This rumor is the freshest of all, and the debate over whether or not this latest Apple/BlackBerry gossip has merit rages on.

2. Huawei buyout: 4/1/2015

Blackberry shares reacted to an article (in Chinese) published on JuJiao.com that suggested that the Chinese company Huawei might be interested in acquiring BlackBerry.

3. Samsung Buyout: 1/14/2015

BlackBerry shares surged 30 percent in January, as the market seemed to take the rumors that Samsung Electronics Co . Ltd (OTC: SSNLF) was interested in acquiring BlackBerry for up to $7.5 billion particularly seriously.

4. Qualcomm Consortium Buyout: 11/1/2013

A group that included QUALCOMM, Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM), Cerberus Capital Management, and BlackBerry co-founders Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin made a joint bid for BlackBerry in 2013, but the deal ended up falling apart.

5. Facebook Buyout: 10/29/2013

Back in 2013, there was a rumor around Wall Street that Facebook Inc FB might acquire BlackBerry to enter into the hardware business.

6. Lenovo Buyout: 10/17/2013

Chinese PC company Lenovo Group Limited (OTC: LNVGY) was reportedly weighing a BlackBerry takeover, but the company never pulled the trigger.

7. Google/Samsung/Intel/LG/Cisco Buyout: 10/4/2013

Some rumors come straight from BlackBerry itself, including the rumors of a takeout by Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Intel Corp (NASDAQ: INTC), LG Display Co Ltd LG, Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ: CSCO), or Samsung after BlackBerry reportedly talked to all of these companies about a buyout back in 2013.

8. Fairfax Financial Buyout: 9/23/2013

BlackBerry actually agreed to a $4.7 billion buyout deal with Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (OTC: FRFHF) to take the company private, but the deal ended up falling through.

9. IBM Buyout: 9/4/2012

Way back in 2012, International Business Machines Corp IBM was interested in a potential acquisition of BlackBerry for its BlackBerry Messenger service and its worldwide server network, but a deal never materialized.

10. Oracle Buyout: 4/17/2012

Once upon a time, even Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL) was interested in taking over BlackBerry and entering the smartphone business, but the asking price was reportedly too high at the time.

11. Microsoft And Nokia Buyout: 12/20/2011

Microsoft Corporation MSFT and Nokia Corporation NOK once reportedly considered a joint takeover of BlackBerry back in 2011.

12. Amazon Buyout: 12/20/2011

Prior to the launch of its own Fire Phone, Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN reportedly went as far as hiring an investment bank to look into an offer to buy BlackBerry for a launch into the mobile phone business.

Disclosure: the author holds a short position in Amazon.