There’s nothing solid on this yet, but there are murmurs (from respectable, if not necessarily reliable sources) that Panasonic may be girding its loins to buy itself some Leica. Perhaps not all of it, perhaps just a little bit, but they’re definitely sniffing around. Given Leica’s skill with glass and Panasonic’s with consumer electronics, they might make a good team in the digital camera sector.
Panasonic is no stranger to purchasing a missing piece; they just bought Sanyo after a few tense months, and that’s (they hope) a match made in electronics heaven.