Back in 2011, BlackBerry backed out of a licensing venture with Chinese investors, simply because it did not want to alienate customers like the DOD. Lenovo surely knows that any takeover would come with an even larger backlash. Other customers will have issues Unlike the Canadian government, BlackBerry's customers have no power to block a merger with Lenovo. That being said, Lenovo surely knows that customers would likely be upset, for the same reason as the U.S. government would be. BlackBerry prides itself on top-notch security capabilities, and this is what's most important to its customers too. So Lenovo would surely have to worry about an exodus of customers, should it gain control of the Canadian smartphone maker. That being said, there are reasons to believe in BlackBerry. But takeover rumours are not one of them. It looks like the company will have to boost its shares the old-fashioned way: by winning back its customers, choosing the right strategy, and returning to profitability.