[Balti43]

The girl at the verizon store gave her a bad impression of the blackberry and got dragged into buying an iphone 5. She said blackberry had no future and wouldn't get any apps that he wanted the US isn't welcoming bb10
Posted via CB10

[jrlong]

You've gotta get your "Jabba the Hut" on when going in for a Z10 so you can be immune to the "This is not the phone you're looking for..." Jedi mind trick.

[Dave Bourque]

Well you should be able to convince her otherwise right?

Posted via CB10

[Balti43]

Tried my friend is too tied into thinking apple is better now so I'm thinking of just letting it go and once BlackBerry gets more momentum maybe I can make him reconsider unfortunately he said he wasn't impressed by it. I even used the what's so impressive about the iphone5 (because he has a iphone 4s) its kind of a lost cause. But it's a shame that reps aren't trying to push BlackBerry. Apparently the rep started down talking the BlackBerry when he asked to see it.

Posted via CB10

[BB.David]

Sounds like he would've gotten an iPhone 5 anyway, with or without that rep.

[JayChouHD]

LOL what a mistake.... the only thing that I can give it to apple is the build design of the iphone 5

[StutterStep]

Tried my friend is too tied into thinking apple is better now so I'm thinking of just letting it go and once BlackBerry gets more momentum maybe I can make him reconsider unfortunately he said he wasn't impressed by it. I even used the what's so impressive about the iphone5 (because he has a iphone 4s) its kind of a lost cause.

[SkypilotOfHope]

The girl at the verizon store gave her a bad impression of the blackberry and got dragged into buying an iphone 5. She said blackberry had no future and wouldn't get any apps that he wanted the US isn't welcoming bb10
Posted via CB10

So are sales reps getting more commission when selling iOS devices there or I wonder if that was just their opinion?

Posted via CB10

[TgeekB]

Tried my friend is too tied into thinking apple is better now so I'm thinking of just letting it go and once BlackBerry gets more momentum maybe I can make him reconsider unfortunately he said he wasn't impressed by it. I even used the what's so impressive about the iphone5 (because he has a iphone 4s) its kind of a lost cause. But it's a shame that reps aren't trying to push BlackBerry. Apparently the rep started down talking the BlackBerry when he asked to see it.

Posted via CB10

It sounds like your friend got the right phone for him. You are not going to talk everyone into getting a Z10, nor should you. If they are not impressed with it, then they would just go around bad-mouthing Blackberry. We don't need that. Show your Z10 to people and, if they are impressed, you have made a convert. If not, move on.

[web99]

The girl at the verizon store gave her a bad impression of the blackberry and got dragged into buying an iphone 5. She said blackberry had no future and wouldn't get any apps that he wanted the US isn't welcoming bb10
Posted via CB10

My impression from what you have said is that your buddy wanted an iphone all along. You did mention that he wanted apps, which BlackBerry did not yet have. He was probably just using the Verizon sales rep as an excuse.

From all of this, he seems like he got a phone he is happy with. Maybe down the road after BB10 has been in the US market for a longer time and gets a bigger ecosystem with more apps, he' ll consider BB.


Posted via CB10 from my spectacular Z10

[hankj25]

I walked into a Verizon store and spent about 10 minutes playing with the phone. The rep told me she'd taken an online tutorial on the phone earlier in the week and that she came away very impressed. However, she said that a lot of customers are going to be shying away from it because of the lack of apps, sounds like they're not allowed to "sell" sideloading, so they don't, and when customers start talking about apps it only makes sense to point them towards one of the big two.

She said that most of the people that work at the store really like the phone, and that whenever a customer comes in wanting a business device, they'll point them right to it immediately. I asked her how it had been selling and she said they got 10 in and had half of them presold. She said she sold one on Friday, but as of 5:30pm last night, hadn't seen another sell.

Those of us who use it primarily for work and or high volume communicating will never understand why so many people focus on apps, but it's a fact of consumerism. If this phone is going to overtake Windows for a solid #3 position, the apps have to be there. With all that cash, you'd think BBRY could spend some of it working on the top 1000 downloaded IOS apps and making sure that we have Native apps for the Z and Q10.

[web99]

Those of us who use it primarily for work and or high volume communicating will never understand why so many people focus on apps, but it's a fact of consumerism. If this phone is going to overtake Windows for a solid #3 position, the apps have to be there. With all that cash, you'd think BBRY could spend some of it working on the top 1000 downloaded IOS apps and making sure that we have Native apps for the Z and Q10.

From what I observed, prior to the launch Alec Saunders and his team did a lot to try and get the major apps on board. They offered cash incentives, port-a-thons, etc and also to send their development teams to the front door to offer assistance to the big-named apps within 24 hours if they were interested in building their apps for the BB10 platform, but that was not enough to get some on board.

If Blackberry could have built those apps themselves instead of having to persuade the developers, I am sure that they would have. But the ball right now is in the app developers court and many are taking a wait and see attitude on the Z10, because of it's reputation over the last few years.

It's that whole cycle where the app developers want to see more sales before they commit to developing and the customer wants to see more apps before they commit to buying. Like it or not, it will take time to get all the big name apps on board.

[misterBB84]

I'm in the upstate New York area and from I see just talking to people there seems to be a good sense of interest. Though I haven't seen anyone with the phone, everyone I personally spoke to and gave them a little demo from my phone, I definitely got them thinking. Unfortunately a lot of people out there are just so content on what they have been and are scared to try new. Or they are stuck in the mind frame of "Oh so and so has one so it must be Good". Hopefully when BlackBerry speeds up advertising in the United states to bring more awareness I'll see more people rocking the Z10. LONG LIVE BlackBerry!

Posted via CB10

[crohns]

Its all about advertising and actually getting the phones in the hands of the people. Almost nobody has actually played with one of the phones. They need to do a better job of getting more demo units out so people can play around with them.

[nextlevel88]

So are sales reps getting more commission when selling iOS devices there or I wonder if that was just their opinion?

Posted via CB10

I believe sales reps get their commission based on the plans and accessories they sell. It has nothing to do with the device.

Posted via CB10

[ChaoticBlissPA]

So are sales reps getting more commission when selling iOS devices there or I wonder if that was just their opinion?

Posted via CB10

I was wondering the same thing. Back in the late 90s I used to sell cell phones and made more of a kickback on certain phones, i.e., I made more off selling an Ericsson than, say, a Nokia.

[Bbnivende]

Its all about advertising and actually getting the phones in the hands of the people. Almost nobody has actually played with one of the phones. They need to do a better job of getting more demo units out so people can play around with them.

Totally agree. I very seldom find working Z10's sitting on a display to play with. They are either plastic slabs or loaded with a demo program which is more frustrating than helpful. Conversely, most often there is a nice display of iPhones connected to the internet. If I didn't have a BB , I wouldn't give the Z10 a second look. " You only have one chance of making a first impression."

[Bbnivende]

From what I observed, prior to the launch Alec Saunders and his team did a lot to try and get the major apps on board. They offered cash incentives, port-a-thons, etc and also to send their development teams to the front door to offer assistance to the big-named apps within 24 hours if they were interested in building their apps for the BB10 platform, but that was not enough to get some on board.

If Blackberry could have built those apps themselves instead of having to persuade the developers, I am sure that they would have. But the ball right now is in the app developers court and many are taking a wait and see attitude on the Z10, because of it's reputation over the last few years.

It's that whole cycle where the app developers want to see more sales before they commit to developing and the customer wants to see more apps before they commit to buying. Like it or not, it will take time to get all the big name apps on board.

My question is whether BB could have subsidized the creation the major apps that they are missing.

[Kris Erickson]

Well if its true that BB offered to send ppl to help the top app makers in a doing a native app for Z10 and they still refused that is about all you can do.

2 quick things:

First my friend had a BB then went andriod then back to BB and now he went to iOS. He bought a Mac Book Pro, got his wife a 5 and himself a 4s, got a Ipad mini and he's got about 20-30 apps ( exact number I don't know but he has folders and folders full of apps/games). He said he is never changing as it will cost too much to get all his apps. He said if BB is willing to give him all those apps for free he would change..

Second, I just don't get app developers. If someone offered me to help from a support team to get an app made for their platform I would jump all over it. Also, I would be dumb not to tap into a new source of income. Well thats just me.

[ovalfastlx]

Totally agree. I very seldom find working Z10's sitting on a display to play with. They are either plastic slabs or loaded with a demo program which is more frustrating than helpful. Conversely, most often there is a nice display of iPhones connected to the internet. If I didn't have a BB , I wouldn't give the Z10 a second look. " You only have one chance of making a first impression."

Local AT&T store had a z10 in demo mode, after swiping down and tapping the close option, I got to use the real phone OS


using Tapatalk

[RussBerry007]

I'm in the upstate New York area and from I see just talking to people there seems to be a good sense of interest. Though I haven't seen anyone with the phone, everyone I personally spoke to and gave them a little demo from my phone, I definitely got them thinking. Unfortunately a lot of people out there are just so content on what they have been and are scared to try new. Or they are stuck in the mind frame of "Oh so and so has one so it must be Good". Hopefully when BlackBerry speeds up advertising in the United states to bring more awareness I'll see more people rocking the Z10. LONG LIVE BlackBerry!

Posted via CB10

I'm upstate too. I really don't care what people buy as long as I have what I want...sounds selfish but....

Due to sales....employees 'assume' everyone wants an i ph ph ph...can't say it......

[kill_9]

I walked into a Verizon store and spent about 10 minutes playing with the phone. The rep told me she'd taken an online tutorial on the phone earlier in the week and that she came away very impressed. However, she said that a lot of customers are going to be shying away from it because of the lack of apps, sounds like they're not allowed to "sell" sideloading, so they don't, and when customers start talking about apps it only makes sense to point them towards one of the big two.

BlackBerry forces the BlackBerry Android Player onto every BlackBerry 10 smartphone and the BlackBerry Tablet OS too. If the manufacturer provides the ability to sideload Google Android applications the sales representatives should be allowed to promote it as a feature. There is some serious miscommunication or reality distortion field surrounding BlackBerry 10. Thorsten needs to get out of his Ivory Tower in Waterloo and into the front-line trenches for some hand-to-hand combat.

[hankj25]

BlackBerry forces the BlackBerry Android Player onto every BlackBerry 10 smartphone and the BlackBerry Tablet OS too. If the manufacturer provides the ability to sideload Google Android applications the sales representatives should be allowed to promote it as a feature. There is some serious miscommunication or reality distortion field surrounding BlackBerry 10. Thorsten needs to get out of his Ivory Tower in Waterloo and into the front-line trenches for some hand-to-hand combat.

I didn't say that they can't talk about sideloading. I probably should have chosen a different way of putting it. I'm guessing about 70-80% of smartphone buyers don't have the technical skill to sideload apps. I know if I was a store rep, and a customer told me that apps were very important, I'd point them to an Android device or iPhone. Otherwise, you risk having a non expert messing with phone and computer settings, and quite likely, being dissatisfied with their device. Not a lot of people have the technical sense to do it, so I don't blame the rep for making the statement she made.

When you have to build in a backdoor fix into your Flagship phone, you've got an issue. This is very simple to me. If BB wants to stay viable, it needs more apps. You can build the greatest phone in the world, but if 60-80% of your customer base can't run the apps they want on it, it won't sell enough to keep you afloat. I'm holding off on upgrading..I'm due, but I want to see the Q10 and also wait until summer to see what progress Appworld makes. If the Z10 had the same types of apps I run on my ipad, my ipad would be on ebay and a z10 would be in my posession.

[Bbnivende]

Local AT&T store had a z10 in demo mode, after swiping down and tapping the close option, I got to use the real phone OS


using Tapatalk

THANKS !! Worked ... But this is like a big secret . BB get rid of the demo mode or make normal operation the default .

[richardat]

From what I observed, prior to the launch Alec Saunders and his team did a lot to try and get the major apps on board. They offered cash incentives, port-a-thons, etc and also to send their development teams to the front door to offer assistance to the big-named apps within 24 hours if they were interested in building their apps for the BB10 platform, but that was not enough to get some on board.
.

First, I agree with you, they are taking a wait and see attitude, which is not only understandable, it's the correct move. I don't agree with you about Saunders though. None of us know what negotiations he undertook, but they weren't enough obviously. By the end, after establishing close ties with the developers, I I would have told the top 30, listen, WE are GIVING you up to 1 mil. dollars, to hire a small team of developers under the condition that they work on the BB10 version of the app, along with support, for 2 years. ALL profits from the app go directly to you for 2 years. You cannot lose. The developers are YOUR employees, you hire them. I believe this would have gotten most top apps on board, and frankly, that's what I would have spent all my attention on.

The cash incentives and portathons (still the worst and most laughable idea ever) were aimed at tiny apps, in a bid simply to get the numbers up. The entire point being, let's have that bullet point: most apps ever at launch!! YAY....that sure sold didn't it?

The idiotic: we'd send a team to their door!!! UGH!! BAD SIGN. Public rhetoric, which won't make relations any warmer with the developers....when he said that, he was giving them a slight slap publicly, for the sake of his own image, and it certainly suggested to me he wasn't in the midst of any deep, meaningful negotiations/relations with them.

I have no faith in his judgment, but having said that, Saunders may well have been told: hit that number at any cost, that's your prime directive. So I can't blame him for that.

BB you are making my head explode this morning....LOL

OP: BE HAPPY for your friend. He got a phone he wanted, don't make it negative for both of you. The iphone 5 is a great phone, he obviously was pretty happy with his 4. Now you won't have the situation 2 weeks from now when he says: how do I download x? You can't, X isn't available? WHAT? Why you tell me to buy this??!! He even told you he wanted apps.

Yes, he could always switch later if he changes his mind, but why keep trying to change it? Are you his mommy? Must you control the phone choice of those around you? If he's happy with it, then there is no problem. :-)