If they continue to support their older devices two new models a year might be enough to keep them going.
BlackBerry vows to make even fewer phones
It isn’t just Microsoft that’s going on a drastic phone diet. BlackBerry’s CEO John Chen today indicated that the Canadian enterprise vendor would cut its device portfolio from the four devices previously promised for 2015 to “two or one” a year. “We are reducing jobs, but it is not so much as reducing; we are shifting it, so …
COMMENTS
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Friday 24th July 2015 15:43 GMT James 51
Re: @g7rpo: What do they offer anymore
My advice would be to try them if you can. The passport is very different from any other phone out there. The Q10 has the advantage of a removable battery but the passport has the trackpad built into it's keyboard (accurate positioning using the touchscreen is the Q10's only real weakness).
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Friday 24th July 2015 18:04 GMT fruitoftheloon
@James 51 Re: @g7rpo: What do they offer anymore
James,
Indeed! The missus has a Q5, which I will spend more time with first.
I will have words with independent phone shops to have a play with the Passport, I love the idea of the keyboard/trackpad thing; but need to see if my theory aligns with its' practice...
A key req. for me is the audio quality, as Spotify offline is used a lot hereabouts... Hence some research is needed.
Thanks for the tips, have one on me matey!
Cheers,
Jay
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Friday 24th July 2015 08:16 GMT legless82
I'm not sure how they can fix their device business.
It's been woefully mismanaged in terms of getting the right devices out there at the right time, and actually making the market aware that the devices exist. They've burned their relationships with many of the carriers, meaning even less exposure to the consumer. Many of the people I speak to are not even aware that Blackberry still exists as a business and that they are producing devices still. Even fewer know about the BB10 platform, and still think that Blackberry devices are pretty much the same as the Curve they owned 7 years ago.
The real shame is that their devices really are better than ever. I currently use a Blackberry Passport as my personal device, having switched from a Galaxy S4, and it's the best device I've ever used. It's certainly a better device than my work-issued iPhone 5S.
It seems at times that they've pulled a masterstoke of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
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Friday 24th July 2015 18:55 GMT Waspy
Same here, love my passport but most people either think BlackBerry have gone bust, still only make the legacy style curve phones or simply have an irrational hatred of them.
Anyway, I've said countless times in reg forums that bb10 devices would prob be perfect for most businesses over needlessly expensive iphones and Googlefied Samsungs but those same three sorts of people are also running IT departments so BlackBerry don't get a look in. And really, BlackBerry only have themselves to blame.
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Friday 24th July 2015 15:06 GMT Jim84
Moon on a stick wishes
Typical blogger comment here, but they should just do four phones per year. An iPhone alike, a slightly thicker version of the iPhone alike with a slide out keyboard, a classic device, and a cheap materials version of the classic device. The home button on the iPhone alikes should be raised rather than recessed and able to act as a trackpad like that on the current classic.
It is a shame that they don't seem to be able to get all Android apps working in BBOS as there are clearly benefits to making both the hardward and OS.
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Saturday 25th July 2015 12:21 GMT mevets
Chen quote.
The quote from Mr Chen:
“We are reducing jobs, but it is not so much as reducing; we are shifting it, so we are taking a lot of the hardware, hence that traditionally we make four phones a year or design, made, manufactured, whatever. We are not going to do that anymore. We are going to at least cut it down a lot; maybe two, maybe one, but not so many,”
really clarifies the challenge BB faces.
As he was talking to Fox, it isn't likely anyone noticed...
ps: Only BB utilizes trust mode? fact checker, we have a cleanup on aisle 5....
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Tuesday 28th July 2015 10:40 GMT enormous c word
1 Device
Just one device with a removable battery and a removable full-size touchscreen or a half-size touch-screen + half-size keyboard. Their choices are simple either innovate back to being cool (in which case, I'd suggest that the *coolness* should be in the physicality of the device - not just the software) -or- re-badge someone else's Android Phone -or- a fork of cyanogen