Should BlackBerry go private?

It has been a whirlwind year so far for BlackBerry. The Canadian smartphone and messaging pioneer set off to get back in the mobile game with a brand new OS and the types of devices that users have been clamouring for while killing off others that showed no future.

Playing catch up with competing ecosystems, BlackBerry has managed to release three new handsets in various markets and is likely going to push out at least one more new flagship device before the year is over. Now there are murmurings that the company is looking to go private. A report from Reuters states that Thorsten Heins and Co. are debating the merits of going private and that such a move would "give them breathing room to fix its problems out of the public eye," the report states.

The harsh reality surrounding BlackBerry and its investors is that the company shares have plumetted more than 19 percent this year. Its market value has fallen to $4.8 billion, from $84 billion at its peak in 2008.

Will there come a point where even stellar product releases as well as well-placed advertising campaigns fail to turn BlackBerry around? If so, selling the company as a whole or selling its assets and parts may be the only recourse to satisfy investors. Should BlackBerry consider going private? What other options does the company have to keep moving forward.

Source: Reuters