In an exclusive report this morning from Reuters, “several sources familiar with the situation” have said that BlackBerry Ltd. (NASDAQ: BBRY) may be considering the option of taking the company private as it tries to bring the company back from near death. The company had no comment.

The company also could put itself up for sale and wait for the offers to start rolling in. BlackBerry could be in for a long wait if it chooses to go that route. And as for going private, BlackBerry has little to offer to a private equity or hedge fund buyer. Does anyone really believe that a stock that now trades around $10 a share is going to return to its glory days when shares were 10 times and more higher?

Going private might give the company more time to work out its problems, but private buyers are not known for their patience. BlackBerry has struggled for so long now that if there were some way to make money by taking the company private, it would have happened already.

BlackBerry’s Z10 touchscreen phone has sold decently and the Q10 keyboard phone has not been a total flop. But that is damning with faint praise. BlackBerry’s share in the smartphone market is minuscule, and it is destined to remain there.

Hope springs eternal, though, and BlackBerry’s shares are up about 9% in premarket trading this morning, at $10.05 in a 52-week range of $6.22 to $18.32.

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