1. UKAsh's Avatar
    As reported by The Wall Street Journal

    Abstract: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1139...999775288.html

    BlackBerry Chief Executive John Chen said in an interview Monday that its Passport smartphone, which will go on sale starting Wednesday, will cost $599 in the U.S. without subsidies. The phone will be priced differently in some other countries based on taxes and tariffs, he noted.

    Mr. Chen said that compared with similar smartphones produced by competitors, the Passport should cost in the $700 range. "But I figure that to try to get the market interested, we're going to start a little lower than that."
    09-22-14 07:46 AM
  2. hamsterwheel's Avatar
    Well I would say that's the right strategy and the right price.
    09-22-14 07:50 AM
  3. SK122387's Avatar
    Wow, that's so great if this turns out to be true. I was really fearing that it would cost $800 or something.


    I can't wait to get my hands on one, and hopefully John Chen also realizes that Shop BlackBerry needs to sell the Passport directly, to go with this great price.

    Posted via CB10
    09-22-14 07:50 AM
  4. Rahul1234's Avatar
    Is that a good price?

    Posted via CB10
    09-22-14 07:50 AM
  5. muhlan's Avatar
    That is not a good price, it is an awesome price.
    09-22-14 07:52 AM
  6. mlbrowninsc's Avatar
    If this turns out to be true and a model is sold with LTE support on AT&T then I'm buying the day it's available. I think that's a great price point for this phone.

    Z30 on AT&T
    09-22-14 07:52 AM
  7. jon4400's Avatar
    Mind Blown

    Posted via CB10
    09-22-14 07:53 AM
  8. sickyute's Avatar
    Yes!!!!

    Posted via CB10 running on Z10STL100-1/10.3.0.1154
    09-22-14 07:55 AM
  9. dakid72's Avatar
    I need to send John Chen a Christmas card....he just became my new best friend.

    This is by far the greatest news since CB will announce me the winner on Fri ...

    Posted via CB10 on the BB Z10
    mithrazor and Techno-Emigre like this.
    09-22-14 07:58 AM
  10. harryhayde's Avatar
    Sweet! Now just to wait and see about vzw availability

    Posted via CB10
    09-22-14 07:58 AM
  11. co4nd's Avatar
    That is a really great price. I wonder what their margin will be?

    To bad they didn't release this info before the 12th, as I may have decided not to purchase an iPhone 6.
    Last edited by co4nd; 09-22-14 at 11:49 AM.
    NinjaB likes this.
    09-22-14 07:59 AM
  12. Uzi's Avatar
    Can't see the article, can you paste here

    Posted via CB10
    09-22-14 08:01 AM
  13. jojo beaconsfield's Avatar
    Great and the Classic at $235,I don't know about that and will try and confirm and get back
    09-22-14 08:04 AM
  14. Carjackd's Avatar
    Great entry price for this amazing device.

    Posted Pantlessly via My Kick @ss Z30!!!
    09-22-14 08:08 AM
  15. muhlan's Avatar
    The margin should be only secondary for Blackberry right now. The most important thing for Blackberry is to regain market share and a good perception. A great phone for a reasonable price might just do the trick.

    Like Mr. Chen said in the WS article: $700 would be a price more inline with competing offers, but to get a people interested Blackberry had to set a lower price.
    wardy87 likes this.
    09-22-14 08:10 AM
  16. light_barer's Avatar
    Can't read the entire article a subscription is needed to do so.
    09-22-14 08:11 AM
  17. Ed Gar's Avatar
    Some CBlians really prayed hard for this.
    09-22-14 08:12 AM
  18. darkoman4's Avatar
    That is cheaper than the cheapest iPhone. Good strategy by Chen.
    wardy87 likes this.
    09-22-14 08:13 AM
  19. jojo beaconsfield's Avatar
    Go to ..The Globe and Mail
    09-22-14 08:15 AM
  20. UKAsh's Avatar
    Article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1139...999775288.html

    SINGAPORE— BlackBerry Ltd. BB.T +0.93% plans to sell its new square-screen smartphone at a lower price than rival products, as the company attempts to regain some of the ground it has lost in the global market.

    BlackBerry Chief Executive John Chen said in an interview Monday that its Passport smartphone, which will go on sale starting Wednesday, will cost $599 in the U.S. without subsidies. The phone will be priced differently in some other countries based on taxes and tariffs, he noted.

    Mr. Chen said that compared with similar smartphones produced by competitors, the Passport should cost in the $700 range. "But I figure that to try to get the market interested, we're going to start a little lower than that."

    Apple Inc. AAPL -0.82% 's new iPhone 6 starts at $649 without contract, while the iPhone 6 Plus costs $749 without a contract. Samsung's flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone went on sale in the U.S. earlier this year for about $650 depending on the carrier.

    The release of the handset, which has a 4.5-inch square screen and BlackBerry's signature physical keyboard, will be the first global launch of a device since the company's BlackBerry 10 phones flopped in 2013. While the company has begun to focus more on its core enterprise business, it must also use innovative new consumer products to lure enterprise users, Mr. Chen said.

    The Waterloo, Ontario, firm hasn't talked about the device's features ahead of its launch. But Mr. Chen, who was visiting Singapore Monday, said the phone's larger screen would appeal to users who need to be productive on their phones, such as those working in the medical field. The Passport's screen size and high resolution allows users to view 60 characters on each line, which is substantially more than typical, rectangular smartphones such as iPhones.

    "You really are seeing a more entire picture than seeing a sliver" of a screen, he said.

    Mr. Chen said that the battery will last 36 hours and a large antenna will benefit reception, while the keyboard can also be used for scrolling through content displayed on the screen.

    BlackBerry will launch the phone simultaneously Wednesday in Toronto, London and Dubai. The Passport will also be available "immediately" in some stores, and in one to two weeks "a lot of places will have it," including markets in Asia, Mr. Chen said.

    BlackBerry in November will also launch the latest version of its device-management software, and will likely release in December its Classic smartphone, Mr. Chen said, which is designed to appeal to fans of its keyboard and email services.

    Mr. Chen, who took over at the once-dominant smartphone maker less than a year ago amid mounting losses and declining sales, has engineered a high-stakes makeover, with BlackBerry focusing on providing secure smartphone technology for the enterprise market.

    "The reason why our focus is so enterprise is because what we know how to do is security and productivity" he said. "Security, cybersecurity, personal identity protection. This is going to be a big deal."

    Mr. Chen also conceded that BlackBerry hasn't gained much ground in Asia, with the exception of Malaysia and Indonesia.

    "I think there's a tremendous amount of opportunity in both Southeast and North Asia," he said, without giving specifics on how the company plans to tackle these markets.

    "Next year the focus has got to be on growth" Mr. Chen said. "Growth comes from vertical products. Better phones, newer technology."

    Analysts are skeptical, however, that BlackBerry's new phone will help the company turn around.

    The Passport is a "good phone, but it will never really hit the mainstream as a premium offering," said Daniel Pang, a researcher with IDC Malaysia. "Most consumers are too invested in other platforms" such as Android or iOS, he said.

    Mr. Pang said BlackBerry's market share in Southeast Asia is "next to nothing" except in Indonesia, where the company has made gains since it launched its low-cost Z3 smartphone in May.
    petertinh, Nayalm, dakid72 and 7 others like this.
    09-22-14 08:16 AM
  21. BriniaSona's Avatar
    Can someone post the contents of the article, i dont want to pay to read it.
    09-22-14 08:18 AM
  22. nycspaces.'s Avatar
    Great news, now let's figure out a US launch/availability date and empty some wallets. The only excuse for any keyboard aficionados is the insane size. Can't wait to get one of these.

    Posted via CB10
    09-22-14 08:19 AM
  23. ummie4's Avatar
    more important to me is ... "and in one to two weeks "a lot of places will have it,""
    aminrajabi and TGR1 like this.
    09-22-14 08:25 AM
  24. greenberry666's Avatar
    Chen has smashed the jaw of our expectations with a left hook (price) and a jab (immediately available).
    Our mandibles are lolling about.

    Cool!
    09-22-14 08:28 AM
  25. Easy-G's Avatar
    I have mixed feelings about this price point. As a consumer, I'm glad to hear about the lower than expected price. But, is it the right move for BBRY?

    BlackBerry is taking a big gamble with the Passport. There's a good possibility that BlackBerry people, like myself, that were going to buy it at $599 would have also bought it $699. In this sense, BlackBerry has pissed away $100 on every single Passport they sell.

    The big question is, will a $100 price drop get current BlackBerry owners to upgrade sooner, will big business buy more units than they would at $699, and more importantly, will it actually convince Android and iOS users to give it a try?

    How will this affect on contract prices? Are we likely to see the Passport start at $99 on two years? If so, holy **** give this phone right now!!! I suspect that with a lower starting price, it will be longer before we see the inevitable $50-$100 on-contract price drop.
    09-22-14 08:30 AM
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