BlackBerry publicly repented release expensive smartphone on Android – CNews.ru

Error Recognition

The Executive Director of the BlackBerry John Chen (John Chen) confessed in an interview with The National, the company made a mistake, releasing its first smartphone on Android as the flagship. Due to the high cost of the new product was unclaimed, and BlackBerry experiment on the use of someone else’s platform failed.

Complaints of price

Many corporate BlackBerry customers complained the price. “I’d like to buy your phone, but $ 700 – it’s too much for me. An amount of $ 400 would be interested in me anymore “- Chen gave an example of dialogue. He said that corporate audiences for their main.

«The decision to make our first top-end Android-smartphone device probably was not as wise, as should have been,” – said Chen, saying that in 2016 the company intends to fix the bug and release two models of Android-smartphone in the middle price range.

head of the company did not say when the device will be on sale, but said that one of the models will have a QWERTY standard mechanical keyboard, and the other is without a keyboard, a touch screen.

Chapter BlackBerry John Chen: was wrong to release expensive Android-smartphone

Low sales

The first smartphone based on Android, the company announced in September 2015 model is designed as a slider . It has a 5.4 inch display and a mechanical keyboard that slides out from the bottom. The company has established its brand in the smartphone software designed for data protection and management.

In the I quarter of 2016, according to BlackBerry data, 600 thousand. BlackBerry Priv, 250 thousand. Pieces smaller than the expectations of independent experts has been sold. Recently, the manufacturer has reduced the price to $ 650 Priv.

Likely sale

Chen, who stands at the helm with the BlackBerry 2013, said in an interview that the company continue to release updates to BlackBerry 10. But the release of new devices on this platform, the vendor is not.

In the IV quarter of the 2015-2016 fiscal year, which ended February 29, 2016, the company’s loss was $ 238 million. year before the amount of loss was $ 304 million. Thus, he declined. However, in plus the company has not come out.

In October 2015 Chen said that the BlackBerry can leave the smartphone market during the year, if the business is to produce mobile devices continue to cause damage.

The concentration on Software

After the company will do it, she can concentrate on development of software for the management of corporate mobile devices (this direction brings the vendor 32% of total revenue). In the IV quarter of 2015-2016 fiscal year, the company showed a higher rate of growth of sales in this segment compared with other developers. In the current fiscal year, Chen hopes to raise corporate software sales by 30%.