[Soulstream]

What future device sales?

What I meant (and transmitted poorly) is that it seems all OSs seem to converge on the same subset of features, "borrowing" good/useful features from eachother.

I meant that BB unique features will become less and less unique and reasons to actually buy BB hardware less and less obvious.

[Soapm]

What I meant (and transmitted poorly) is that it seems all OSs seem to converge on the same subset of features, "borrowing" good/useful features from eachother.

I meant that BB unique features will become less and less unique and reasons to actually buy BB hardware less and less obvious.

I know, I was asking more tongue in cheek. Hate to be sarcastic but it appears BB is being backed into a corner. I hope they fight to get out.

[lnichols]

There are crap apps on all platforms, but Android has tons of beautiful, well-designed apps that take advantage of the most recent design language (Material Design in Android 5.x, currently).

Here is a Tumblr full of examples:

Android Niceties

Right but I'm not using obscure apps on the BlackBerry and much of the Polish is lacking compared to the apps I've seen on iOS devices. If I leave BlackBerry I'll definitely go iOS because it is just an all around higher quality offering than what I've seen with Android, and I do have a GS5 in use in the household so I've seen it on the high end devices.

Posted via Z30

[MarsupilamiX]

Right but I'm not using obscure apps on the BlackBerry and much of the Polish is lacking compared to the apps I've seen on iOS devices. If I leave BlackBerry I'll definitely go iOS because it is just an all around higher quality offering than what I've seen with Android, and I do have a GS5 in use in the household so I've seen it on the high end devices.

Posted via Z30

Pretty much this.
I got the same impression, especially since having a work provided HTC One.

As a consumer, and as long as BlackBerry doesn't have something interesting this year, I'll very probably migrate to iOS.

If I'm gonna spend around 600-700$, I feel like getting the far better overall package when going with an iPhone.

[lnichols]

Pretty much this.
I got the same impression, especially since having a work provided HTC One.

As a consumer, and as long as BlackBerry doesn't have something interesting this year, I'll very probably migrate to iOS.

If I'm gonna spend around 600-700$, I feel like getting the far better overall package when going with an iPhone.

Yeah me too. I'm going to wait until new iPhone is released for final decision. But if I'm going to leave BlackBerry and be spending that much on a device, then I'm going to go with Apple, because just like I abandoned Windows for OS X because it was an abomination of software built to run on too broad a spectrum of hardware and race to bottom pricing, Android seems the same. IOS owns enterprise anyway, and is just going to provide a better overall experience than Google can and I won't have apps and menus that look like they were written in visual basic.

Posted via Z30

[nuff_said]

Yeah me too. I'm going to wait until new iPhone is released for final decision. But if I'm going to leave BlackBerry and be spending that much on a device, then I'm going to go with Apple, because just like I abandoned Windows for OS X because it was an abomination of software built to run on too broad a spectrum of hardware and race to bottom pricing, Android seems the same. IOS owns enterprise anyway, and is just going to provide a better overall experience than Google can and I won't have apps and menus that look like they were written in visual basic.

Posted via Z30

Agreed. Love BlackBerry 10 but since it launched, and being one of the first to jump on board, I'm getting tired of waiting for them to get their act together. I understand I'm no longer their target customer, but I was, so second guessing. Since the company changed their direction I'm entitled to do the same. Waiting to see the slider and what Chen has in store on the app gap. If it's another bandage solution leading to more android functionality on my BlackBerry 10 device I'm out. That's not a solution. I bought my BlackBerry 10 phones for the native experience not an Android one.

As for iOS owning enterprise you're bang on. From what I'm reading about iOS 9 it looks like they are moving more towards security, and if Chen is willing to help Apple, like he said in an interview, on top of BES 12 supporting non BlackBerry devices, it's only a matter of time before they'll have to throw in the towel in enterprise, like they have in consumer, also.

They laugh at me because I'm different; I laugh at them because they're all the same. 

[Soapm]

I'm going Android because it appears phones are now disposable and I want tap and pay...

[Bbnivende]

For myself, it is the camera , devices , lack of BlackBerry support and apparent lack of stability in the OS. I say apparent because really my Z10 has been fine so far but perhaps after an update not so much.

I really prefer BB10 over Android or iOS. I have them all and I always pick up the BB10 first and the Android last. I particularly do not like the way Android follows me around. It is not an ecosystem, it is eco-intrusion.

It is the devices themselves that I find disappointing. When I purchased the 9900, I felt that the actual phone ( not the OS) was equal in quality and design to the other leaders in smartphones but no longer. I am glad that I no longer need a PKB because it is shocking that BlackBerry has the nerve to sell phones that are prone to rapid keyboard failure.

Back on topic, I have all the apps I need and I am not offended by Android quality apps .

I only buy a phone every three years or so and I just do not want to be stuck with a lemon for three years so most likely I will leave for iOS in 2016. My wish is that Foxconn would take over the design and implementation of BB10 devices - share some of that iPhone goodness.

[Soapm]

I'm suggesting they go back to being Bentley, and be content with your less than 1% market share that are proud to be Bentley owners... But to do that, you have to give them the best darn flawless device on the market...

I guess Chen clarified my thinking in his interview with Maria Bartiromo. He's not making Bentley's or any consumer product, he's going to make armored cars...

And since most of us don't have a need for an armored car, I guess we'll be sent packing...

[lnichols]

I guess Chen clarified my thinking in his interview with Maria Bartiromo. He's not making Bentley's or any consumer product, he's going to make armored cars...

And since most of us don't have a need for an armored car, I guess we'll be sent packing...

Yep. Sad really. Feels like my time from the PlayBook on, supporting this company and buying their products had been a complete waste of time and resources. And if I don't buy their phones, then I could seriously care less if the company folds. I definitely won't recommend their products for consumer or business. They simply can't be trusted as a company to stick with what they started and will shift focus if the current plan doesn't pan out as expected leaving all the customers from the old plan in the lurch.

Posted via Z30

[Soapm]

Yep. Sad really. Feels like my time from the PlayBook on, supporting this company and buying their products had been a complete waste of time and resources. And if I don't buy their phones, then I could seriously care less if the company folds. I definitely won't recommend their products for consumer or business. They simply can't be trusted as a company to stick with what they started and will shift focus if the current plan doesn't pan out as expected leaving all the customers from the old plan in the lurch.

Posted via Z30

Yup, Chen really put lipstick on the pig in that interview. Because security, unless we return to the days of the great stage coach robberies or the days of the great bank heist, is really a dead end street. Most hacking isn't breaking the encryption, it's stealing a password or some other human created vulnerability which their best security will equally have.

So what they'll make you is "more secure???"

I've been with BB since the two way pager days and to be honest, my Classic seems like just another phone. It hangs, it lags, applications crash and I've had to reboot it several times. This isn't the quality of device I've grown accustomed to. I will see how this plays out, but I hope Chen has an ace and two jokers up his sleeve...

[luc4625]

Yep. Sad really. Feels like my time from the PlayBook on, supporting this company and buying their products had been a complete waste of time and resources. And if I don't buy their phones, then I could seriously care less if the company folds. I definitely won't recommend their products for consumer or business. They simply can't be trusted as a company to stick with what they started and will shift focus if the current plan doesn't pan out as expected leaving all the customers from the old plan in the lurch.

Posted via Z30

Don't be sad, the purpose of any business is to make a profit. That is what Chen is heading for, would you rather they stayed with the plan to lose a billion per quarter? Lets not get on his back just because he's a relatively small company playing with giants. He's doing the right thing- Make money at all cost so he can stay alive and reinvest. Watch his interview in Waterloo, please change your mindset.

[lnichols]

Don't be sad, the purpose of any business is to make a profit. That is what Chen is heading for, would you rather they stayed with the plan to lose a billion per quarter? Lets not get on his back just because he's a relatively small company playing with giants. He's doing the right thing- Make money at all cost so he can stay alive and reinvest. Watch his interview in Waterloo, please change your mindset.

Yes but if they are not developing devices that I want to buy, and don't value me as a customer anyway, what do I care if they make a profit? Why should I care if they even exist at that point if whatever they are transitioning to isn't going to benefit me in any way?

Posted via Z30

[Bbnivende]

Yes but if they are not developing devices that I want to buy, and don't value me as a customer anyway, what do I care if they make a profit? Why should I care if they even exist at that point if whatever they are transitioning to isn't going to benefit me in any way?

Posted via Z30

I totally agree. It is only as a Canadian or a shareholder or possibly a IT professional do I care about Chen's transitioning of BlackBerry into a software company. I guess that some posters are hoping that Chen's strategy will lead to a revitalization of the handset business in the distant future. I do not see that happening. All I can envision is a sale of the assets of the handset division in the not so distant future.

As an aside, it was a bad day for CB when BBRY became a forum topic. I am sure that more than a few novice investors / fans lost money through purchasing BBRY . A fan site is possibly the worst place to seek investing advice / opinions. Let the flaming begin.

[Soapm]

I totally agree. It is only as a Canadian or a shareholder or possibly a IT professional do I care about Chen's transitioning of BlackBerry into a software company. I guess that some posters are hoping that Chen's strategy will lead to a revitalization of the handset business in the distant future. I do not see that happening. All I can envision is a sale of the assets of the handset division in the not so distant future.

Our perhaps, like Android, he will make an OS that can run on many hardware combinations...

As an aside, it was a bad day for CB when BBRY became a forum topic. I am sure that more than a few novice investors / fans lost money through purchasing BBRY . A fan site is possibly the worst place to seek investing advice / opinions. Let the flaming begin.

Don't fold your hand yet, I don't think he's totally bluffing, he may at least have 3 of a kind...

[luc4625]

They simply can't be trusted as a company to stick with what they started and will shift focus if the current plan doesn't pan out as expected leaving all the customers from the old plan in the lurch.

Posted via Z30

I'm sorry I don't understand this comment about trust. I can say the same thing about trusting Apple in 1990, was I offended that they changed their plan after getting crushed by Windows in the 90's. No. That's how business works.

[Soulstream]

I think they need to pray to all the gods from all religions, just one god isn't going to cut it anymore.

[Deckard79]

To transition into a software company, first they need to build quality software that is secure.

Their software on pc and other mobile platforms is full of bugs and of a generally poor standard, which doesn't exactly fill me with confidence over their long term survival.

Examples:

Blend (pc)
Blend Mobile apps
BlackBerry Link
Multiplatform BBM

Honestly I could do better. Which, considering software development isn't my first job, is saying something.

Posted via CB10

[to boldly go]

I still see the perception about app gaps to be a very big red herring, i still have seen no response to my note to be specific about what apps you want that you were having problems getting, rather than talking in generalities about it. Are you demanding that every android app in the universe be functional on a BlackBerry? The few apps that i wanted that werent on BB world i just got thru using apk-dll, no downloading guzzle playstore or using the amazon app. Took just a few minutes, done. If you want BlackBerry to bust its *** becoming an android clone, i think BlackBerry just said ha ha, go get yourself an android. I believe in its present state BlackBerry is already light-years ahead of android and apple, and the jumping on a new phone every season bandwagon isnt serving anybody except the carriers and samsung / lg / and apple. My bloody LG from 2013 is still on contract and ATnT has clearly told me they wont bother to update that phone because there are newer versions now. (not that i care.) A $600 phone that is more than 99% spyware apps. Versus a BB Bold for $175, a BB10 for $200, a BBZ30 for $275, a BB Curve for $100, a Q5 for $135, and another Z10 for $135. Wow did i really spend $400 more for all my BlackBerry adventures put together than i paid for one 'brand-new-top-of-the-line at the moment' android phone? And as you know i could have got every one of those BlackBerrys for even cheaper, but they were all new not refurbished phones. So i think i have got my quota of mandatory upgrades for the next five years, considering they all work and i still like them all. Some of the buying was just for fun "i want that!" buying, and i dont think i have too many BlackBerrys, i do have 1 too many androids.

The short story is, BlackBerry just does not have to play that copycat android game to be the best. (They did it to a respectable degree, though.) They just need more people to pick one up into their own hands before they write the brand off. They may never catch up to the race to be number one, but, then again, they might. Even if they are not running in that particular race.

[DaedalusIcarusHelios]

BlackBerry should grab onto Apple open-sourcing Swift 2 and add support for BB10. It might help a little bit if an iOS developer can easily port their app over to BB10. I'm not sure if they would be more willing than Android developers making their app available for BB10.

[kraidx]

[QUOTE=nuff_said;11673964].

" I bought my BlackBerry 10 phones for the native experience not an Android one. "

This


Posted via CB10

[lnichols]

BlackBerry should grab onto Apple open-sourcing Swift 2 and add support for BB10. It might help a little bit if an iOS developer can easily port their app over to BB10. I'm not sure if they would be more willing than Android developers making their app available for BB10.

That would be a good thing to do. IOS apps are better than Android ones based on what I see anyway. Make Swift apps an option in BB10. Make an interpreter to make the menus and such look like Cascades equivalents. Reduce, or better yet eliminate the need for the non-Open Handset Alliance and Google Play Services. This Android runtime has been more of a hindrance to the platform and development for it than a benefit, all the way back to the PlayBook.

Posted via Z30

[RubberChicken76]

Not sure why some want BB to further reduce their customer base by cutting off the PKB then drown in the crowded pool of touch screens??? I know touch screens are the future but as long as you can, you might as well keep your devoted customers.

I remember when they said manual transmissions were a thing of the past... Sure, there's not as many as there once were, but they still make them to this day...

I think they need both. Touch screens because that's what most smartphone customers want ; but some new physical keyboards that many BlackBerry users want.

The classic (which I now have) and Leap feel like "do-overs" for the Z10 and Q10 instead of upgrades for those device owners

[Avenzuno]

That would be a good thing to do. IOS apps are better than Android ones based on what I see anyway. Make Swift apps an option in BB10. Make an interpreter to make the menus and such look like Cascades equivalents. Reduce, or better yet eliminate the need for the non-Open Handset Alliance and Google Play Services. This Android runtime has been more of a hindrance to the platform and development for it than a benefit, all the way back to the PlayBook.

Posted via Z30

Love it! The Apple Swift 2 route is a much better direction for BB10 than the unsecure, weird-activity-underneath & malware-infested Android OS. Going Android has gone nowhere for BlackBerry. Chen & Co. should embrace Swift 2 ASAP to attract developers and consumer users, and make the former RIM valuable again!!

[twiggyrj]

Love it! The Apple Swift 2 route is a much better direction for BB10 than the unsecure, weird-activity-underneath & malware-infested Android OS. Going Android has gone nowhere for BlackBerry. Chen & Co. should embrace Swift 2 ASAP to attract developers and consumer users, and make the former RIM valuable again!!

Wouldn't that limit the app selection to Cydia apps? Wouldn't it require BlackBerry to have the app store to download all the apps available on iOS and if so there really isn't a big reason to create an iOS swift runtime. Porting code over however could be handy but I don't see many iOS developers doing that for BlackBerry.