Is Blackberry done for at this point?

vladi · Mar 15, 2015

Savor said:
BlackBerry's biggest mistake was they were not willing to change and adapt to a newer era. They didn't know how. Same with Atari for video games or mobile pioneers like Motorola and Nokia.

Physical QWERTY went out of fashion once displays got bigger and bigger and with better 3rd party keyboards like SwiftKey and Swype.

BlackBerry only catered to the business sector which was a bigger demographic in the previous generation of the smartphone era. But once most consumers finally moved away from feature phones like the RAZR to the consumer-friendly iOS and Android ecosystem, the business sector shrank. Now most of the business sector or famous celebrities went from owning a BlackBerry to owning iPhones.

Not enough services and apps to keep an ecosystem intact and continue to exist.

BlackBerry stuck with their old ways and got left in the dust. BB10 was just way too late.

Motorola is doing ok right now. At least with the Moto G and E's. Nokia is the one company I am confused about. I thought back in 2011 that WP would be 2nd place after three years. I was completely wrong with that prediction and I now know why. Nokia confuses me. Owned by Microsoft with their label over Lumia phones but Nokia still makes Android phones and tablet? Supposedly Nokia will make a smartphone comeback next year? I really don't know what Nokia wants to do after they continued to use resistive screens two years after iPhone 2G. But Nokia is the one I want to see make a comeback. BlackBerry? I don't really care. They didn't really bring anything innovative to the industry except email push support and BBM that Apple copied with iMessages. Like a more popular Palm that got alot of hype it didn't deserve when smartphone competition wasn't as strong or refined like it is now. Typing on QWERTY is a joke now and much slower. Windows Mobile, Symbian, and Palm OS all dead platforms. BlackBerry is next.

Typing on a QWERY is slower? .... Nope! Yeah its slower than T9 but its not slower than software keyboard cause software keyboards are still in crap phase, completely underutilized. Funny how over almost twenty years after the fastest way to type is still with those 6 hardware keys. T9 is phenomenal.

As far as the Qwerty goes its not about typing, its about having many hardware keyboard buttons that do lots of things. For example you cant call a contact with one tap from your iPhone, you cant turn on a flashlight with one tap, you cant compose a new message with one tap, you cant tell your phone to navigate you home with one tap. All those things are available with your QWERTY. Its about being more efficient.

0dev · Mar 16, 2015

We will get QWERTY back when modular phones hit the streets I reckon.

lowendlinux · Mar 16, 2015

I don't think BB is going anywhere though they may just drop out of the consumer market I just can't see them leaving enterprise. Business wants different things than consumers do that keyboard and their SW reflect that.

0dev · Mar 16, 2015

lowendlinux said:
I don't think BB is going anywhere though they may just drop out of the consumer market I just can't see them leaving enterprise. Business wants different things than consumers do that keyboard and their SW reflect that.

Business has already started using iOS and Android and hooking them up to Microsoft Exchange.

lowendlinux · Mar 16, 2015

0dev said:
Business has already started using iOS and Android and hooking them up to Microsoft Exchange.

Exchange isn't the only thing required though. Every company has various and different requirements to be on the network. I grant that iOS and Android have both made inroads especially with BYOD.

0dev · Mar 16, 2015

lowendlinux said:
Exchange isn't the only thing required though. Every company has various and different requirements to be on the network. I grant that iOS and Android have both made inroads especially with BYOD.

That's why Samsung has KNOX and Apple has built in a lot of enterprise features for iOS in the past few years.

SlCKB0Y · Mar 16, 2015

cube said:
It is like saying Apple was dead at the beginning of OSX.

No, it's like saying Apple was dead just before Jobs came back and their recovery was one in a million. BB is dead... some company will buy them for scrap and break them up for their patents and other IP.

AustinIllini · Mar 17, 2015

lowendlinux said:
I don't think BB is going anywhere though they may just drop out of the consumer market I just can't see them leaving enterprise. Business wants different things than consumers do that keyboard and their SW reflect that.

My company offers a Windows phone, iPhone, or Blackberry to Managers and up. None of them take Blackberry anymore.

Lloydbm41 · Mar 17, 2015

vladi said:
As far as the Qwerty goes its not about typing, its about having many hardware keyboard buttons that do lots of things. For example you cant call a contact with one tap from your iPhone, you cant turn on a flashlight with one tap, you cant compose a new message with one tap, you cant tell your phone to navigate you home with one tap. All those things are available with your QWERTY. Its about being more efficient.

You are right. It isn't one tap. It is no taps. You can use your voice. Or do one tap. Or a swipe and a tap. Multiple configurations exist for both iOS and Android phones.

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lowendlinux said:
I don't think BB is going anywhere though they may just drop out of the consumer market I just can't see them leaving enterprise. Business wants different things than consumers do that keyboard and their SW reflect that.

Based on the extremely tiny amount of sales of the Classic and Passport, I doubt BB will remain in the consumer sales much past 2015. This quarter is shaping up to be a huge deficit for BB.

Savor · Mar 17, 2015

I remember around 5-6 years ago when I would see tons of Hollywood celebrities in photos show off their BlackBerry. Now it is mostly iPhones esp if you watch the MEAN TWEETS segment from Jimmy Kimmel.

Looking back, my fav BlackBerry design is from the Bold 9900. Except I would have preferred it to be thicker, autofocus, bigger battery, and kept the faux leather back from the 9000. I see a few people walk around with it and I still think it is a sexy design for a smartphone released about four years ago. It was everything the original 9000 was in design but thinner and sleeker.

We could pretty much get one of those 9900 for under $100 but I have no interest in the apps or in pre-BB10 software. Might as well get a Motorola Moto G (2013) or Nokia Lumia 635. Newer, faster, more apps, and cheaper too.

BlackBerry seems as old as...

0dev · Mar 17, 2015

Yeah the 9900 was a sexy phone. The Q10 was as well to be honest.

Really the problem was never the hardware, it was the fact the company itself was run into the ground by people who had to be dragged into the 21st century. The biggest mistake BB ever made was laughing at the iPhone because it had no physical keyboard. They should have done what Google, HTC, and Samsung did and follow suit. If they did that with something better than the utterly awful BlackBerry Storm (which were selling on eBay for just £20 a year after release because it was seriously that bad) they could easily still be relevant today.

Danoc · Mar 21, 2015

Just for information, as many people are giving wrong information: Blackberry is making money on handset business for the last 2 quarters, which is not the case of many smartphone makers, and has not plan to exit this business.

Blackberry's first goal is to be profitable, the market share is not a this point an issue.

Disclaimer: I own an iPhone 6 and a Blackberry Passport.

Savor · Mar 21, 2015

I remember when I first saw QNX on PlayBook, I really believed RIM had potential to make a comeback. It was similar to how I felt about Windows Phone becoming #2 by 2014 after Microsoft teamed up with Nokia. I was proven wrong by each one.

Windows Phone came out way too late which was in 2010. Yet, 2-3 years after iPhone and Android is like an eternity in mobile tech. With BlackBerry, I was excited about QNX heading to smartphones but they made us wait too long for it. By the time the Z10 was released in January 2013 when Harlem Shake was all the rage, it was DOA. Not even a year passed and you could pick up a Z10 for $200. Epic failure just like the HP TouchPad being DOA with its fire sale after a couple months of release.

It is Android or iOS. Nothing else. You either go one or the other or use both. Three's a crowd. It isn't a three-horse race anymore. Microsoft trying to use Xiaomi by building a WP ROM for Android is desperation on their part. What Android or MIUI user wants to use Windows Phone and their limited apps and customization? BlackBerry offerring a way to sideload Android apps is desperation on their part. Both were way too late in building an ecosystem and have to rely on another competitor's ecosystem to survive...

Google gets blamed for copying iOS but they at least worked longer than Microsoft and BlackBerry in cultivating an ecosystem. Nearly 7 years vs Microsoft and BlackBerry which actually came BEFORE Android but did nothing. To dual boot WP or sideload Android apps is simply copying someone else's answers and cramming...

Lloydbm41 · Mar 21, 2015

Danoc said:
Just for information, as many people are giving wrong information: Blackberry is making money on handset business for the last 2 quarters, which is not the case of many smartphone makers, and has not plan to exit this business.

Blackberry's first goal is to be profitable, the market share is not a this point an issue.

Disclaimer: I own an iPhone 6 and a Blackberry Passport.

Not sure where you are getting your info, but Blackberry was in the red approx $11 million 2 quarters ago and had a slight profit of $6 million last quarter.

Next week on the 27th, we will hear how badly this quarter was for Blackberry and it is expected to be a bloodbath. Handset sales make up nearly half of Blackberrys revenue and if analysts are correct, the stock is about to be dumped en masse.

Danoc · Mar 22, 2015

CEO John Chen said it a couple of times in recent interviews. I think last time I heard him was with Pogue at the Yahoo Tech interview.

He was referring to the handset business unit only, not the whole company.

FFR · Mar 22, 2015

Lloydbm41 said:
Not sure where you are getting your info, but Blackberry was in the red approx $11 million 2 quarters ago and had a slight profit of $6 million last quarter.

Next week on the 27th, we will hear how badly this quarter was for Blackberry and it is expected to be a bloodbath. Handset sales make up nearly half of Blackberrys revenue and if analysts are correct, the stock is about to be dumped en masse.

Actually if you used generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), Blackberry posted a loss for the last quarter.

ryankul · Mar 23, 2015

Picked up a Blackberry Classic today at Verizon. It is pretty amazing so far! Amazing keyboard, nice bright responsive display, great call quality and apps via Blackberry World and the Amazon app store. First phone I've owned in awhile that actually feels like it's built to last. Hoping Blackberry keeps making handsets. If you need a physical keyboard they're the best option.

Just my 2 cents

pdqgp · Mar 24, 2015

4,400+ people in our company with half or more with devices and I've not seen one in six years. Everyone has either an iPhone or Android device. There are a small number of people with Windows Phones too.

Even out in the market at trade shows, etc. I rarely if ever see a BB device.

BB is done IMO.

LadyX · Mar 24, 2015

0dev said:
It's a shame because their hardware and OS are actually very good but they did take way too long to actually get with the times. I used to have some hope but there's no point anymore.

Their OS is very good? Lol, have you actually used BlackBerry smartphones??

0dev · Mar 24, 2015

LadyX said:
Their OS is very good? Lol, have you actually used BlackBerry smartphones??

I am not referring to BB7 or below, but BB10 is absolutely a good OS.

ryankul · Mar 25, 2015

LadyX said:
Their OS is very good? Lol, have you actually used BlackBerry smartphones??

BB10 is a really solid os. Swiping and slide out navigation options and the fluidity of the whole os is top notch. My only complaint is I wish all the apps I needed could be obtained from Blackberry App World. No biggie using the Amazon app store etc but it would just be easier.

Savor · Mar 26, 2015

I gotta say the BlackBerry Storm 9530 is one of the worst touchscreen smartphones ever. I thought the iPhone 3Gs was hard to use, but I don't understand how RIM was so popular back in 2006-2009 during their heyday? I don't really expect anything from a resistive touchscreen from nearly seven years ago or majority of phones prior to 2010. I know the Nokia resistive flagships were just as bad. But this Storm is unbearable to use. Worse than the iPhone 2G or Palm Pixi Plus. I only got it because my Stepfather was going to give it away and it was just there inside our garage as I am helping them move. I figured perhaps I can keep it for a pmp and some light browsing. It can't do either even half right. Typing on it is downright horrendous.

I am going to sell it on Craigslist. Maybe get a Nokia Lumia 520 or another 635 with the money. I am starting to like the 635 more and more for the excellent battery life. It got 9 hrs & 35 min from Phone Arena and charges faster than my Xiaomi but obviously because of its smaller battery (1830 mAh). If you know its limits and only use it for its strengths, the Lumia 635 is a solid phone. I am typing on it now and it streams YouTube videos very well. WP is a much better OS than RIM's POS from the previous decade. BlackBerry had such OVERRATED popularity back then. I am glad Google and Apple took over.

Even Longer · Mar 27, 2015

Savor said:
I gotta say the BlackBerry Storm 9530 is one of the worst touchscreen smartphones ever. I thought the iPhone 3Gs was hard to use, but I don't understand how RIM was so popular back in 2006-2009 during their heyday? I don't really expect anything from a resistive touchscreen from nearly seven years ago or majority of phones prior to 2010. I know the Nokia resistive flagships were just as bad. But this Storm is unbearable to use. Worse than the iPhone 2G or Palm Pixi Plus. I only got it because my Stepfather was going to give it away and it was just there inside our garage as I am helping them move. I figured perhaps I can keep it for a pmp and some light browsing. It can't do either even half right. Typing on it is downright horrendous.

I am going to sell it on Craigslist. Maybe get a Nokia Lumia 520 or another 635 with the money. I am starting to like the 635 more and more for the excellent battery life. It got 9 hrs & 35 min from Phone Arena and charges faster than my Xiaomi but obviously because of its smaller battery (1830 mAh). If you know its limits and only use it for its strengths, the Lumia 635 is a solid phone. I am typing on it now and it streams YouTube videos very well. WP is a much better OS than RIM's POS from the previous decade. BlackBerry had such OVERRATED popularity back then. I am glad Google and Apple took over.

Allow me to disagree. I never used Blackberry prior to BBOS 10, but Passport is a great phone for business use, I really liked it. Of course, if you are looking for as many games and apps as possible, Blackberry is the wrong place. But it is outstanding, for what it is: a business device.

Nevertheless, I did return it back, because I have to write non-Latin characters sometimes (e.g. customer communication in Russian) and for that use hardware keyboard lacks of the flexibility of an on-screen one.

I would surely keep the Passport otherwise.

Lloydbm41 · Mar 27, 2015

BB sold a whopping 1.6 million phones last quarter. To be fair, majority of that number is probably 'shipped to stores'.

The gig is up. Consumer products should be dumped completely.

Savor · Mar 27, 2015

Nobody wants a 10/10 condition BB Storm 9530 for a measly $30. I have an 8 GB card with some videos in it and when I try to play some of them, the phone automatically reboots. And the reboots take a very long time (over 2 min) and kills battery fast each time. Easily the WORST smartphone I ever used and I only have been using it for a day! An iPhone 3G or T-Mobile G1 (aka HTC Dream) are much better and more usable after nearly seven years and alot more people would buy them for under $40. Same with the Nokia N97 with its crappy resistive screen and archaic Symbian.

I actually like the original Bold 9000 more which was released that same year in 2008. That was RIM sticking to what they were great at it and refining it. Email encryption support and BBM was really the only reasons why RIM became so popular. I actually thought they didn't deserve the hype from their heyday of 2006-2009. It was in 2011, the gamechanger year for the industry, is when RIM should have gotten more hype by using QNX but didn't get enough credit and sales for it. The 9900 was the true successor to arguably their best phone ever in the Bold 9000. And QNX on PlayBook was the best OS they ever used. 2011 was their best effort with undeserved hype from 2009 and prior.

By the time BB10 was released in early 2013, it simply was way too late and looked nothing like QNX even though it was built on it.Had too many confusing gestures and Z10 was discounted quickly. While QNX on PlayBook was a copy of webOS better used in landscape mode, it was more straightforward and easier to use. They made a $28M profit in Q4 which is how much many American summer movies can make it in a weekend. Whatever they bring out only caters to less than 1% of the industry.

Is Blackberry done for at this point?

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