[TBone4eva]

Interesting interview of Chen in the Washington Post today on his background and his plans for the company. His plan is still to move towards software and make the company profitable by the end of the year (I'm guessing fiscal year) or sooner. As far as handsets, he says he want to continue to focus on enterprise and then work of differentiation and do something different, but he doesn't know what it is yet.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...3e7_story.html

[thurask]

Inb4 "but he's not really saving BlackBerry!!!!!!111!"

[anon(6038817)]

I really enjoyed reading that. I especially liked learning more about his background and humble beginnings.

He seems like a down-to-earth guy and knows his stuff.

I think if anyone can turn things around for BlackBerry it's Chen. hopefully he can keep their device business going, too.

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[aha]

Yes, he confirmed again that BlackBerry is gone for consumers like me.

[aha]

Inb4 "but he's not really saving BlackBerry!!!!!!111!"

He is saving BlackBerry... for regulated markets who really need and can afford security.

[nuff_said]

Good read

[world traveler and former ceo]

Inb4 "but he's not really saving BlackBerry!!!!!!111!"

How so???.... had he not come on board, where do you think BlackBerry would be today?....

Posted via CB10

[thurask]

How so???.... had he not come on board, where do you think BlackBerry would be today?....

Posted via CB10

In the gutter; I'm not making that point, I'm waiting for someone to make that point, as usually happens here.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

John Chen has done an outstanding job saving the business!

But the BlackBerry that CrackBerry is based upon, that went critical long befroe Chen showed up.

[IndianTiwari]

Excellent read . Lots of positivity in his interview .

[JulesDB]

He will save BlackBerry when the cash flow will be positive and the stocks will begin to raise from the position where are stuck at.

Posted via CB10

[Al moon]

"end of the year" this in chen talk is the year 2025

[anon(6038817)]

"end of the year" this in chen talk is the year 2025

Yes, because every other successful overhaul and turnaround of an iconic company and brand was done in well under 3 years, right?

Under the circumstances I think he's done a remarkable job.

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[Al moon]

Yes, because every other successful overhaul and turnaround of an iconic company and brand was done in well under 3 years, right?

Under the circumstances I think he's done a remarkable job.

Sent from my Torch 9810 via Tapatalk

Uh every device released under chen has been a flop because of poor marketing and overpricing. In one interview he states that the smartphone market is saturated, i mean really he just figured this out now ? in another statement he says the priv was a flop because they overpriced it when anyone with common sense knows that $700 in sea of androids is a lot of cash for a device that most people wouldn't be interested in. The only thing he's done well is figure out creative ways to mess things up.

[anon(6038817)]

Uh every device released under chen has been a flop because of poor marketing and overpricing. In one interview he states that the smartphone market is saturated, i mean really he just figured this out now ? in another statement he says the priv was a flop because they overpriced it when anyone with common sense knows that $700 in sea of androids is a lot of cash for a device that most people wouldn't be interested in. The only thing he's done well is figure out creative ways to mess things up.

What amount of marketing would have convinced millions of iOS and Android users to just abandon their well-established app and media ecosystems for BB10?

The plan all along has been to try Android, but there was a tremendous amount of development and resources that needed to be devoted to it - all while he was trying to keep the company as a whole from going under. He had to keep releasing BB10 devices, unpopular as they were, until they could get Android going. But no marketing could have suddenly BB10 popular.

Obviously they miscalculated on the price point for the PRIV. Chen acknowledges this. Their forthcoming mid-range Android phones should be more marketable and appealing to a broader audience.

At the end of the day, I'll defer to the man who actually has experience running a business and a proven track record of turning failing businesses around.

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[Al moon]

What amount of marketing would have convinced millions of iOS and Android users to just abandon their well-established app and media ecosystems for BB10?

The plan all along has been to try Android, but there was a tremendous amount of development and resources that needed to be devoted to it - all while he was trying to keep the company as a whole from going under. He had to keep releasing BB10 devices, unpopular as they were, until they could get Android going. But no marketing could have suddenly BB10 popular.

Obviously they miscalculated on the price point for the PRIV. Chen acknowledges this. Their forthcoming mid-range Android phones should be more marketable and appealing to a broader audience.

At the end of the day, I'll defer to the man who actually has experience running a business and a proven track record of turning failing businesses around.

Sent from my Torch 9810 via Tapatalk

Well for one he could have gotten a little more attention by not overpricing every bb10 device that came out, if you show someone something that they arent particularly interested in to begin with and then surprise them with a price point that you know isn't going to gain interest then why use that strategy. Heck you can go to bb site now and the classic is more expensive than the passport which at this point and time is still way overpriced for devices that are on eol. I highly doubt that their whole plan all along was to go to android, its more like a last effort attempt to see if they can make any kind of money selling hardware. As far as overpricing the priv this is something that they could have figured out themselves even before releasing the device they shot themselves in the foot charging a whole lot of money for something that a lot of people didn't know much about. I understand these guys aren't doing these things to fail but it seems like they used the same strategy and did the same thing for every device.

[bakron1]

Interesting read and as most folks know I don't believe in positive and negative thinking. All the positive thinking in the world is not going to save a company who has made to many bad decisions in the past.

It takes hard work, good business fundamentals, timing and management to turn a company around. And in some cases the current business dynamics needed to make that happen just aren't there.

I really think Blackberrys survival is in the software and security end of the business and being able to provide those services across all platforms which Blackberry has done in some of their recent purchases of software security companies.

If they are going to still build hardware, it will be in the form of affordable Android devices their enterprise clients have been asking for. Now it's a wait and see game and it should be interesting down the stretch.

[Al moon]

Interesting read and as most folks know I don't believe in positive and negative thinking. All the positive thinking in the world is not going to save a company who has made to many bad decisions in the past.

It takes hard work, good business fundamentals, timing and management to turn a company around. And in some cases the current business dynamics needed to make that happen just aren't there.

I really think Blackberrys survival is in the software and security end of the business and being able to provide those services across all platforms which Blackberry has done in some of their recent purchases of software security companies.

If they are going to still build hardware, it will be in the form of affordable Android devices their enterprise clients have been asking for. Now it's a wait and see game and it should be interesting down the stretch.

You are absolutely correct sir they have just made too many mistakes doing what they did. They would have been better off making cheap bb10 phones to keep cost down while actually probably selling phones and they chose the same route with the priv instead of making something affordable to kind of test things out they went ll in and failed.

[curves2000]

Following the company very closely myself over the years I believe that even John Chen has been surprised at how hard it's been to turn around the device end of the business.

There isn't a chance in hell he would have proceeded to launch Passport, Classic, Leap, Silver Edition and Priv knowing the device sale numbers at today's pathetic rates. When he kept saying he needed 8 mil, 5 mil, 3 mil a year in sales he couldn't have been happy. The amount of resources, time, effort and layoffs haven't been good. I believe it's been the single hardest "nut" for him to Crack as we have seen people come and go in sales positions as well.

I believe the latest hires and the upcoming devices are going to be the final kick at the can. They simply can't continue to extend and pretend that the device business will lead to anything meaningful financially. Those resources will needed to be deployed elsewhere.

Best of luck though because I am a diehard fan who loves the hardware. The thought of not having a physical keyboard makes me feel sick.

Posted via CB10

[Prem WatsApp]

Excellent read . Lots of positivity in his interview .

Cheers...

that's good to hear. That doom and gloom mentality is just too depressing, even with coffee and a red... :-D



�   There's a Crack in the Berry right now...   �

[Prem WatsApp]

Following the company very closely myself over the years I believe that even John Chen has been surprised at how hard it's been to turn around the device end of the business.

There isn't a chance in hell he would have proceeded to launch Passport, Classic, Leap, Silver Edition and Priv knowing the device sale numbers at today's pathetic rates. When he kept saying he needed 8 mil, 5 mil, 3 mil a year in sales he couldn't have been happy. The amount of resources, time, effort and layoffs haven't been good. I believe it's been the single hardest "nut" for him to Crack as we have seen people come and go in sales positions as well.

I believe the latest hires and the upcoming devices are going to be the final kick at the can. They simply can't continue to extend and pretend that the device business will lead to anything meaningful financially. Those resources will needed to be deployed elsewhere.

Best of luck though because I am a diehard fan who loves the hardware. The thought of not having a physical keyboard makes me feel sick.

Posted via CB10

Let's mourn together when and IF it's really over... :-)))

�   There's a Crack in the Berry right now...   �

[Prem WatsApp]

Let's mourn together when and IF it's really over... :-)))

�   There's a Crack in the Berry right now...   �

There is a business case to keep hardware alive, even if it's just barely breaking even.

The business case is exposure, company legacy, avoidance of loss-of-face, secure end-to-end solutions, etc.

Listen "between" the lines (India interview).

(Now, here comes the flak for me for believing and / or suggesting above)

:-D

�   There's a Crack in the Berry right now...   �

[GWooster]

John Chen sounds really confused, atleast in that India interview. He starts by saying BB10 OS isn't dead because important customers want it, then he says he wants to make money by going all Android. Why are they not even considering building application support for BB10 OS? Can't be that he hasnt even thought of it. I think it's time for someone smarter to replace John Chen and bring a fresh new perspective that leverages the USP of Blackberry instead of undercutting it.

[Invictus0]

John Chen sounds really confused, atleast in that India interview. He starts by saying BB10 OS isn't dead because important customers want it, then he says he wants to make money by going all Android. Why are they not even considering building application support for BB10 OS? Can't be that he hasnt even thought of it. I think it's time for someone smarter to replace John Chen and bring a fresh new perspective that leverages the USP of Blackberry instead of undercutting it.

Chen/BlackBerry have been quite clear on where the market for BB10 is now (high security industries), Android is basically their play for everyone else.

Chen wouldn't commit to saying that we'll never see another BB10 device again, but he noted that the market for BB10 devices has been squarely in the high-security business, such as governments and hospitals. BlackBerry will continue to support those customers with software updates, but since they don't upgrade their devices very often, the impetus to come out with new hardware often is low.

BlackBerry CEO wants to sell 5 million phones a year | The Verge

They've tried for years to bring apps to the platform, it hasn't worked unfortunately.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Chen/BlackBerry have been quite clear on where the market for BB10 is now (high security industries), Android is basically their play for everyone else.

No Android is also going to be "the" enterprise focus... Unless BlackBerry is planning some new devcies.

I would imagine the $40 million hardware write off was BB10 inventory that is now having to be sold at cost to keep it selling. If BB10 was really going to be used.... they wouldn't be writing off inventory and marking it down. Any mention of BB10, is made to keep sales going in the here and now. Once inventory is gone... so will be BB10.