[faithfuluser]

Does anyone know why BlackBerry is pricing their phones so ridiculously high?
I mean how do they expect people to consider buying a BlackBerry when rivals like Samsung (with the galaxy S4 for example) are cheaper and have way more features?
I might be missing something here, so please let me know if there's a valid reason for these high prices.
Thanks.

[Pilchard]

Blackberry executives live on another planet where lower spec phones sell for more money than higher spec ones

[kevinnugent]

Don't worry, wait a little while and the prices will drop considerably ala the Z10.

[white shirt only]

I might be missing something here, so please let me know if there's a valid reason for these high prices.
Thanks.

BB10 vs Samsung Touchwiz. Premium UI vs Low end UI.

[faithfuluser]

BB10 vs Samsung Touchwiz. Premium UI vs Low end UI.

The UI is definitely better on BB10, but does it justify the price? In terms of hardware, Samsung beats BlackBerry, especially with the S4.

[darkehawke]

BB10 vs Samsung Touchwiz. Premium UI vs Low end UI.

Unpopular ui vs popular ui.
BlackBerry 10 dies not have the reputation to charge the prices they are charging. This is made obvious as not many people are buying the phones.
I couldn't care less what anyone here says about the ui. It is not us who matters. About time BlackBerry realises that they are small time players

Posted via CB10

[faithfuluser]

Don't worry, wait a little while and the prices will drop considerably ala the Z10.

But I'm talking about phones that are SUPPOSED to be cheap, like the Q5. They're pricing it way too high for a phone that's supposed to be "affordable". No one is going to buy it, especially when Android phones are cheaper.

[kevinnugent]

But I'm talking about phones that are SUPPOSED to be cheap, like the Q5. They're pricing it way too high for a phone that's supposed to be "affordable". No one is going to buy it, especially when Android phones are cheaper.

Oh, I know. But after a little while, when no one is stupid enough to pay $450 for a low end phone the price will halve. To where it should have been at the start.

[Blacklatino]

I think it's too high as well. At this point, the price is just one of several issues right now. Otherwise, BlackBerries selling at .01 and .00 should be flying off the shelves because it's not a bad smartphone at all. Whenever a brand gets a negativity cloud, it's hard to lose that consumer image. Thorsten made a decision about the Playbook after previously making comments(TNTM) about complaints from the previous two years regarding RIM BlackBerry. No BB10 for the PlayBook, Stocks are lower, and BlackBerries are not selling as well as expected. So, it's easy to say......"here we go again" or "nothing has changed", when in fact it has. Just isn't working or it's not enough........so far.

[BravoZuluDelta]

I agree. BlackBerry needs to look at how companies like Honda and Hyundai became what they are today. When Honda entered the American market, Japanese import vehicles had much the same reputation as BlackBerry phones do now. So Honda flooded the market with cheap, utilitarian vehicles that were overall quite reliable. Get the brand into as many hands as possible, then slowly add features to change brand sentiment. Once that positive sentiment is banked, then increase prices and add premium features.

More recently, look at how far Hyundai has come using a similar model. Remember the Elantra from the 90s? Dirt cheap, and because of that, you saw quite a few of them even though no one you knew would ever consider it a good brand. Look at them now - a friend of mine just replaced his BMW with a 2013 Elantra and loves it.

BlackBerry has fallen so far out of the US market that they are basically a brand new player - with the added hurdle that their product has largely been dismissed by the population. Flood the market with cheap yet reliable devices and get the brand back into households.

EDIT: Here's an idea - since phones are largely subsidised now that you can't go much lower-priced than $0 for 2-3 years, partner with some carriers to offer yearly upgrades to the customer on that contract. So the customer is signed on for three years, and gets three subsidised phones during that contract. Make it a cheap, almost disposable phone - Curve-level, small screen, no HDMI or LTE - focus entirely on processing and RAM to allow BB10 to run smoothly. Make it the Nokia 5110 of the smartphone world.

[Chicago777Guy]

Maybe they are trying to build a brand image by pricing them high and then discounting them to create a good value effect...Let's see how it plays out now that they are getting discounted to attractive prices.

Posted via CB10

[BB-04]

Does anyone know why BlackBerry is pricing their phones so ridiculously high?
I mean how do they expect people to consider buying a BlackBerry when rivals like Samsung (with the galaxy S4 for example) are cheaper and have way more features?
I might be missing something here, so please let me know if there's a valid reason for these high prices.
Thanks.

Not here the sg4 is more than the BB10 phones.

[Marvin Tang]

I agree. BlackBerry needs to look at how companies like Honda and Hyundai became what they are today. When Honda entered the American market, Japanese import vehicles had much the same reputation as BlackBerry phones do now. So Honda flooded the market with cheap, utilitarian vehicles that were overall quite reliable. Get the brand into as many hands as possible, then slowly add features to change brand sentiment. Once that positive sentiment is banked, then increase prices and add premium features.

More recently, look at how far Hyundai has come using a similar model. Remember the Elantra from the 90s? Dirt cheap, and because of that, you saw quite a few of them even though no one you knew would ever consider it a good brand. Look at them now - a friend of mine just replaced his BMW with a 2013 Elantra and loves it.

BlackBerry has fallen so far out of the US market that they are basically a brand new player - with the added hurdle that their product has largely been dismissed by the population. Flood the market with cheap yet reliable devices and get the brand back into households.

EDIT: Here's an idea - since phones are largely subsidised now that you can't go much lower-priced than $0 for 2-3 years, partner with some carriers to offer yearly upgrades to the customer on that contract. So the customer is signed on for three years, and gets three subsidised phones during that contract. Make it a cheap, almost disposable phone - Curve-level, small screen, no HDMI or LTE - focus entirely on processing and RAM to allow BB10 to run smoothly. Make it the Nokia 5110 of the smartphone world.

I would definitely agree with you, Blackberry as a brand has been tarnished with poor reputation (outdated OS, thin phone but battery life sucks) if they want to get to the hands of the people using a blackberry 10 they really need to lower the price. by releasing the Q5, I think CEO thor doesn't want to compromise the function and experience of the Blackberry 10 thus prices gets higher. I would definitely agree.

If we look at it at the automobile industry:
Hyundai
Q5 will be the Accent
Z10 will be the Elantra
Q10 will be the Genesis
A10 will be the Santa Fe

I think they did a great job but sadly, who wants to shell out $600 for a new software and a New phone that is not tried and tested. while others BMW (iOS) and Toyota (android) are in neck to neck competition.

they really need something revolutionary

[antiextra]

I have the same choice 2 month ago between buying S4 or Q10. and s4 in my country is way cheaper than Q10 and I know well all the good stuffs about the hardware advantages and Android 2.2 (I ve been using all the top Android devices since ICS) but I bought the Q10. And up to today, I still think I made the right choice and loving my Q10. I can't explain why but it's the same feeling of joy when driving a BMW compared to a Honda.

Posted via CB10

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

They are living in the past and believe that anything with a BlackBerry on it is a premium device. Most all BBOS devices are also way overpriced - but gov and business will pay more for a product at times, when it offers them something that other products don't offer. So for a long time BlackBerry could ask for premium prices.

But today what does a BlackBerry offer that is "premium".... maybe their devices are easier to manage and secure when using BES10. But if the gov is allowing Android and iPhone devices, is BlackBerry worth a premium - maybe for those market... it remains to be seen.

But for an average consumer the answer is really, no, the pricing at the beginning was out of line. Either they still don't understand the market, or the had hoped that there were at least a good number of the existing 70 milllion users out there they would pay the extra in the biginning and they wanted to take "advantage" of those loyal customers.

That said - BlackBerry is a very small company in comparison. Their cost are going to be higher - R&D, Production, Marketing.... they really aren't in a position to compete head to head on hardware. They aren't in a position to compete head to head on an ecosystem. So they really needed to WOW everyone with their OS. But they basically just have a new and different UI, and they removed the one feature that did make them different, BIS.

I want BBRY to succeed.... even I had a hard time choosing a Z10 over the S4 or the HTC ONE. Most people would have chosen differently from me.

[Hilman76]

Don't worry, wait a little while and the prices will drop considerably ala the Z10.

Funny thing is the S4 just went UP in price, its now $229 on a 3 year.

[Chicago777Guy]

I have the same choice 2 month ago between buying S4 or Q10. and s4 in my country is way cheaper than Q10 and I know well all the good stuffs about the hardware advantages and Android 2.2 (I ve been using all the top Android devices since ICS) but I bought the Q10. And up to today, I still think I made the right choice and loving my Q10. I can't explain why but it's the same feeling of joy when driving a BMW compared to a Honda.

Posted via CB10

Awesome !!!! I feel the same about Z10

Posted via CB10

[Dave Bourque]

I personally don't think its too high. Considering a S4 somehow still lags with quadcores....

[1magine]

I have the same choice 2 month ago between buying S4 or Q10. and s4 in my country is way cheaper than Q10 and I know well all the good stuffs about the hardware advantages and Android 2.2 (I ve been using all the top Android devices since ICS) but I bought the Q10. And up to today, I still think I made the right choice and loving my Q10. I can't explain why but it's the same feeling of joy when driving a BMW compared to a Honda.

Posted via CB10

ICS is a much later revision than 2.2, so I really don't know what you are talking about. Or you don't.

Either way - people like you seem to miss the point, I've made, it seems like a million times since 2009. It doesn't matter what a minority ( a small minority) of users think or want. Even if they are correct.

CRT monitors are by far superior to flat screens. Truer blacks, no lag, etc... Does it matter? No. Why? Because the great majority of people decided they like the way flat screen monitors look. Eventually, even hardcore gamers gave in as they became cheaper and cheaper for alot more space. So, if I was a manufacturer of CRT monitors I had some choices to make. I could keep making them and keep talking about frame rates and true color depth...and I would be in the same position that BB finds itself today.

Let me just say one more thing. I bought a used 1993 Sonata in 1996. It was cheap, but it had all the bells and whistles of my neighbor's Camry, and very similar performance.

A smartphone just can't be inexpensive, it has to be able to perform. A Z-10 retailing without contract at $350 would have sold millions and quickly. The narrative would have been BB is back, and developers would have rushed in chasing after the next big thing. BB does not and has not understood the market since 2008, and it shows. Anyone can disagree with me, but the stock has gone from $120+ down to $9 in that time and since I first made the comparison to CRTs on these forums 4 years ago.

[antiextra]

for me personally, 'premium' means paying for something more to avoid having the same phone as the three of my mom's sisters, my grandfather, my two 5 years nieces, the fishball noodle sellers downstairs my condo, that kopitiam uncles opposite my office and that same group of school kids everyday at the bus stop after work. 'premium' to me also means I don't have to wait half to full one year (if I m lucky) for a jelly bean point release and using a close to stock launcher to avoid the fugly unremovable unoptimized laggy custom UI from Samsung, HTC or Sony plus unremovable bloatwares unless you root or unlock your device, voiding warranty and bricking your phone. 'premium' to me also means having my phone manufacturer owning and control their hardware, software and future of their smartphones and not at the mercy of company like Microsoft. and finally, premium' to me also means the satisfying feeling of pressing the exctinct but best in the world, beautifully sculpted smartphone keyboard that no other companies produce anymore today.

anyway, that just my definition. for others, maybe it's just all about specs and hardware features.

Posted via CB10

[ghostface147]

Well how much would you charge? Remember this is a company that, while not operating in the red, can't afford to take losses right now. They also have shareholders to answer to, not you.

[antiextra]

I don't consider anything before ICS as smart because they are crap before Matias joined the team. again, that's just my opinion.

Posted via CB10

[njblackberry]

'premium' to me also means having my phone manufacturer owning and control their hardware, software and future of their smartphones and not at the mercy of company like Microsoft.

Ahh - you have defined the very successful Apple model.

[Bla1ze]

[Jahmal A]

I don't think the prices are ridiculously high. Yes they should be $50-100 (no contract) cheaper in my opinion. We are not in the board meeting when they decided pricing so we can't say for certain what everything costs to make. Economies of scale plays a factor. If both Apple and BlackBerry phones had the same part, it would be cheaper for Apple since the volume would several times more.

There is also the cost of developing a new OS. You have to expect that the cost would be transferred to the customer. Android phone manufacturers most certainly have a lower software cost for their phones due to Android's open source nature. Samsung designs and develops many components of mobile devices (and other electronics) so they probably have a reduced cost there.

Not to mention that all new electronics have higher prices initially due to capital investment, higher components cost, quality assurance, etc.

Pricing is not decided arbitrarily. The pricing also depends on the direction that the board of directors want to go (i.e., cheap to get attention but suffer a loss, costly but have a smaller consumer base while focusing on that small market share and producing a little profit. )