BlackBerry CEO: Priv was a mistake, we'll focus on cheap Androids this year

[froggyboy604]

BlackBerry CEO John Chen has come out and said that the keyboard-toting smartphone was simply "too expensive", and that the firm will instead focus on the mid-range market this year with the launch of two affordable Android handsets.

"The fact that we came out with a high-end phone [as our first Android device] was probably not as wise as it should have been," Chen said during an interview with The National.

Read More

I agree with Blackberry CEO that Blackberry should of focus more on releasing cheaper smartphones.

Blackberry was out of touch with most Google Android users who mainly buy Android for its cheaper price, and large number of apps compared to Windows Phone, and Ubuntu smartphones which have fewer apps.

Some Android smartphones like the $4 and $10 Android smartphones are even cheaper than Flip phones, feature phones, and other non-smartphone cell phones which still cost $20-50.

More people are buying cheaper Chinese branded Android smartphones made by ZTE, Huawei, Xiaomi, Meizu, and Lenovo which also owns Motorola, so there are fewer buyers who would buy a more expensive Android smartphone from Blackberry, LG, Sony, or Samsung.

I also read online that cheap smartphones from India like the $4 Android smartphones are becoming more popular because of their cheap price.

 

[Demon_Skeith]

cheap price means cheap product. I rather get some quality and not buy a new phone every few months.

 

[lb]

How about they just go back to Blackberry 10 OS instead? Eh? How about that?

 

[IntoxNitram]

How about they just go back to Blackberry 10 OS instead? Eh? How about that?

Wouldn't happen. They know it wouldn't take off. Microsoft is still struggling in the mobile market - if a big player like that are struggling for market share, BlackBerry know the only way to retain as a company is to produce devices for another operating system.

 

[froggyboy604]

How about they just go back to Blackberry 10 OS instead? Eh? How about that?

There is still the Blackberry Passport, and other BB10 smartphones which users can buy. BB10 can also run Android apps with an Android Blackberry Runtime, and users can manually install the Google Play store to use Android apps which are not available on the Amazon Android App Store which comes bundled with BB10.

In a way, people who buy the Blackberry Priv Android smartphone have fewer App store choices because the Priv can't install native Blackberry Apps, and only works with Android apps.

But, BB10 smartphones like the Passport can run both Android and Blackberry Apps until Blackberry decides to shutdown the Blackberry App store forever. BB10 users will be stuck using the Amazon App store, and manually installing the Google Play store on BB10 to install Google Play apps on BB10.

Wouldn't happen. They know it wouldn't take off. Microsoft is still struggling in the mobile market - if a big player like that are struggling for market share, BlackBerry know the only way to retain as a company is to produce devices for another operating system.

I agree it is unlikely to happen for BB10 for more BB10 phones to be made because Blackberry is cares most about making phones that more people want to buy.

A lot of smaller mobile operating systems like Firefox OS, Sailfish OS, Samsung's Tizen, Web OS, Palm and Ubuntu are not doing very well at getting enough active users where it is more worth it to spend a lot of time and money on their operating system.

 

[lb]

Wouldn't happen. They know it wouldn't take off.

It won't take off with Android either, so it would be better to die out with the pride of having stuck with their OS until the end than with the shame of having bowed down to Google.

 

[froggyboy604]

It won't take off with Android either, so it would be better to die out with the pride of having stuck with their OS until the end than with the shame of having bowed down to Google.

It could be easier for the owner of Blackberry to sell Blackberry to another Android company like Google, Samsung, or Lenovo if Blackberry becomes a more popular Android smartphone makers like how Motorola got sold to Google. But, Google sold Motorola to Lenovo because Motorola was still not doing well when Google was running Motorola.

Motorola was a somewhat popular Android smartphone and tablet maker in the past. I think if Motorola made Windows Phone, Linux, and Symbian smartphones, it may have problems finding a buyer like Google and Lenovo to buy it.

 

[lb]

There would also be the option of not selling it at all and just close it down altogether, like the guys from Jolla intend to do...

 

[froggyboy604]

There would also be the option of not selling it at all and just close it down altogether, like the guys from Jolla intend to do...

I think people who own bought shares of Blackberry from the Stock Market would be disappointed and angry if Blackberry closed down like Jolla.

If Blackberry closed down, the Blackberry shares which people bought would be worthless. But, if Blackberry got sold to Samsung, Lenovo, Google, or LG, Blackberry shares will be worth more, or at least not worthless like if Blackberry ever closed down like Jolla.

A lot of Blackberry workers and former workers may still have some shares from working at Blackberry if they did not sell all their shares, so they probably won't the value of the shares to be zero, and rather Blackberry be sold, and hopefully their shares won't be worthless, and increase in value.

The Canadian Government probably will lend Blackberry money to stay open because Blackberry is one of Canada's most famous technology company. The Canadian government uses a lot of Blackberry smartphone, software, and tech.