People familiar with the matter said that Ford Motor Co. has made a decision to abandon the use of Microsoft Corp.s Windows for its Sync mobile-phone multimedia software and switch to BlackBerrys QNX software, which is scheduled to be put into use in 2016.
The same people said that such a step is considered to help the company reduce its costs and also provide it with a system, which hardware manufacturers and other software developers find more comfortable to use.
One of the auto analysts, who work for Gartner Inc. – Thilo Koslowski, said for Bloomberg: “This would be a huge infusion of trust and confidence to have BlackBerry and QNZ expanding into a Ford. This is really the crown jewel in BlackBerrys crown and could make the rest of the company shine as well.”
The company has been in search of partners to create the third version of the Sync infotainment system, which turns out to be extremely popular. Microsoft is said to still be in the competition, but it is much more likely for BlackBerry win the prize. Over the last few months, Blackberry has undergone serious changes in order to ensure its survival, including the appointment of John Chen as Chief Executive Officer, the release of the BBM application for iPhones, Windows- and Android-based phones, as well as choosing a more aggressive marketing strategy for its software solutions.
The people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be named, because the decision is still private, revealed that BlackBerrys QNX is expected to be less expensive than licensing Microsofts Windows. They also said that the company expects such a step to make the third version of the Sync system faster and more flexible.
When asked to comment the rumors, Susanah Wesley, who is a spokeswoman of Ford Motor Co. wrote in an e-mail cited by Bloomberg: “We do not discuss details of our work with others or speculate on future products for competitive reasons.”
Ford Motor Co. rose by 0.85% in New York on Thursday to settle the session at $15.39 per share, marking a one-year change of +20.61% and a market capitalization of $60.70 billion. According to CNN Money, the 17 analysts offering 12-month price forecasts for Ford Motor Co have a median target of $18.00, with a high estimate of $22.00 and a low estimate of $12.00. The median estimate represents a +16.96% increase from the last close.
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