[ranzabar]

The Z10 can't compete against the Apple-droids. But the Q10 and Q5 can.

Think about it.

The niche is keypads. Really good one like the Qs with high-quality apps formatted to the square screens. People will pay $$$ for them. Really.

And market the heck out of them

There is no other way for Blackberry

[Skatophilia]

Debatable. I think OP is right in a way.....

BlackBerry is indeed the keyboard king, and should continue to make great keyboards HOWEVER....

Since Apple released the iPhone, and since it has become so popular with users, it seems that touch screen phones are what users want, good ones too. I remember when the Storm 2 came out, my boss had it and I remember wanting one SO bad! To me it looked like the coolest thing ever, and I was incredibly jealous.

BlackBerry created the Z10 because they specifically needed an iPhone/Galaxy S2/3 whatever competitor, and they weren't seeing it with they're keyboard phones.
To me the Z10 is amazing, looks and all. However there will always be people looking for a physical keyboard, and that is why BlackBerry hasn't stopped producing great phones with physical keys.

[GadgetTravel]

The Z10 can't compete against the Apple-droids. But the Q10 and Q5 can.

Think about it.

The niche is keypads. Really good one like the Qs with high-quality apps formatted to the square screens. People will pay $$$ for them. Really.

And market the heck out of them

There is no other way for Blackberry

I tend to agree. It is a small part of the market but there is no competition to speak of. I think they need no or low competition niches to do well.

[IgotsThis]

I love this arm chair ceo! Lolol can't get enough of this new section

Z10? Why yes it is.

[Johnny Crack]

I have to agree.. I'm glad BlackBerry still makes a phone with a keyboard. Its the main reason I own a Q10

Q10

[BerryPirate]

Imagine that you need to fire off an urgent reply to your boss. But you are late for a meeting with a client. You are in the street. Jackhammers are going off, pedestrians are running into you, and the noisy traffic is making you feel dizzy. Wouldn't you rather be typing on a physical keyboard ? There are moments like this when there is no substitute for a Q10.

[clickitykeys]

I don't know. I absolutely love my Q10, but I have to admit that none of my friends show any enthusiasm for anything remotely connected with BlackBerry.

So far, I haven't seen a single Q10 in the wild, other than my own. I would love to see some Q10 love on the subway, for example.

BBQ10

[Calvin Haynes]

There was no reason for BB not to have hit it out of the park on hardware....no reason....think about the Q10...all metal....with aluminum accents....a bit taller and a bit wider...say a 4" screen...same frets but with the keys alittle larger....now that's a sexy beast!!!! and running 10.2...child please (in my Chad Johnson voice).....

[bobauckland]

Having owned the Z at launch, and the Q soon after launch, I can say with confidence that I'd only ever consider a physical keyboard BlackBerry again.

That said, with the loss of things like the trackpad on the current Q, if Google or Apple makes progress with offline voice to text, that will probably negate the advantages of a physical keyboard for me.

[Solachica]

I prefer a physical keyboard too.

Posted via CB10

[CrackedBarry]

Imagine that you need to fire off an urgent reply to your boss. But you are late for a meeting with a client. You are in the street. Jackhammers are going off, pedestrians are running into you, and the noisy traffic is making you feel dizzy. Wouldn't you rather be typing on a physical keyboard ?

Not really. And neither would the remaining 90% of smartphone users who have gotten used to a touchscreen keyboard. It kinda sounds like you've never really tried one?

For most people the downsides to a physical keyboard phone (mainly the small screen) outweigh any benefits.

[kylef5993]

Yeah I haven't seen a single Q10 in the wild either. I got mine about 2 months ago and when people see me using it they just give me a weird look.. it sucks because people don't realize how amazing of a phone it is!


...except for the apps

Posted via CB10

[bobauckland]

Not really. And neither would the remaining 90% of smartphone users who have gotten used to a touchscreen keyboard. It kinda sounds like you've never really tried one?

For most people the downsides to a physical keyboard phone (mainly the small screen) outweigh any benefits.

When driving, when you have other things to concentrate on or where you can't look at the screen, nothing like a physical keyboard.
That's why the Q is as popular as it is, and would be even more popular with a decent ecosystem to support it.

[GadgetTravel]

When driving, when you have other things to concentrate on or where you can't look at the screen, nothing like a physical keyboard.
That's why the Q is as popular as it is, and would be even more popular with a decent ecosystem to support it.

Oh gawd help me. Seriously?

Maybe they could feature Q10s in the don't text and drive ads.


In reality, Apple and Android voice commands are probably vastly better for use in the car. In fact about the only reason I use the keyboard is in public places. In private I just talk to my iPhone and it writes the stuff out.

[GadgetTravel]

Imagine that you need to fire off an urgent reply to your boss. But you are late for a meeting with a client. You are in the street. Jackhammers are going off, pedestrians are running into you, and the noisy traffic is making you feel dizzy. Wouldn't you rather be typing on a physical keyboard ? There are moments like this when there is no substitute for a Q10.

No, most people are fine with a virtual keyboard. I like the physical keyboard, but it is a mild preference, not much more. And for most people I suspect they have no preference for a physical keyboard at all.

[njblackberry]

No, most people are fine with a virtual keyboard. I like the physical keyboard, but it is a mild preference, not much more. And for most people I suspect they have no preference for a physical keyboard at all.

If this was 2008 the Q10 would sell like hotcakes. But the world of smartphones and how people use them has changed.
People now somehow can be productive and get stuff done and keep moving with virtual keyboard. This isn't 2008.

[IgotsThis]

Oh gawd help me. Seriously?

Maybe they could feature Q10s in the don't text and drive ads.


In reality, Apple and Android voice commands are probably vastly better for use in the car. In fact about the only reason I use the keyboard is in public places. In private I just talk to my iPhone and it writes the stuff out.

Lmaoooooooo

Z10? Why yes it is.

[danprown]

Tell that to TH. He based the whole strategy on the thought Z will outsell Q 3:1!

[phuoc]

The only reason I stuck with BB was because of the Q. Another member here Photoshop the Q and enlarged the screen to 3.5, I would buy that phone in a heartbeat.

[bobauckland]

Oh gawd help me. Seriously?

Maybe they could feature Q10s in the don't text and drive ads.


In reality, Apple and Android voice commands are probably vastly better for use in the car. In fact about the only reason I use the keyboard is in public places. In private I just talk to my iPhone and it writes the stuff out.

Yup seriously.
I've tried voice to text on Android and iOS.
Found it unreliable. And you have to look at the screen at the end, check it, then correct, which is more hassle than hammering it out on a tactile physical keyboard.
There's a reason the Q was more in demand than the Z, and it's the keyboard, for that keyboard there are a lot of trade offs, screen size etc, yet people will still pick it up for the keyboard.

Virtual keyboards are great if you don't mind compromising as you get a bigger screen, but for ease of entry nothing like a physical keyboard.
Otherwise the Q wouldn't sell at all, the Z would be the only one moving.

[GadgetTravel]

Yup seriously.
I've tried voice to text on Android and iOS.
Found it unreliable. And you have to look at the screen at the end, check it, then correct, which is more hassle than hammering it out on a tactile physical keyboard.
There's a reason the Q was more in demand than the Z, and it's the keyboard, for that keyboard there are a lot of trade offs, screen size etc, yet people will still pick it up for the keyboard.

Virtual keyboards are great if you don't mind compromising as you get a bigger screen, but for ease of entry nothing like a physical keyboard.
Otherwise the Q wouldn't sell at all, the Z would be the only one moving.

The seriously part was a comment that what you pointed out as an advantage is illegal to do in much, if not most of the US. They have even gotten Werner Herzog to make public service films about the dangers of texting and driving.

I too, prefer a physical keyboard. Most people don't seem to care. It is a purely personal preference issue, and those of us that care about it are seemingly in a distinct minority.

[danprown]

Are there any official/unofficial news on whether the Q is really more in demand than the Z?

Yup seriously.
I've tried voice to text on Android and iOS.
Found it unreliable. And you have to look at the screen at the end, check it, then correct, which is more hassle than hammering it out on a tactile physical keyboard.
There's a reason the Q was more in demand than the Z, and it's the keyboard, for that keyboard there are a lot of trade offs, screen size etc, yet people will still pick it up for the keyboard.

Virtual keyboards are great if you don't mind compromising as you get a bigger screen, but for ease of entry nothing like a physical keyboard.
Otherwise the Q wouldn't sell at all, the Z would be the only one moving.

[john6504]

For me the Z series is the future for BlackBerry.
I wonder how many realy want a physical QWERTY keyboard on a smartphone 2013? I see at my workplace that even the older guys (non tech guys) over 50 have gone to the touch displays now. It was a different for about 3 years ago.

So I guess that a aspect for Blackberry to consider.
I would like to see more Z models.

[FFR]

Are there any official/unofficial news on whether the Q is really more in demand than the Z?

The rumors are blackberry wants to get out off the hardware business.
But we should know more next month.

[jtfolden]

Yup seriously.
I've tried voice to text on Android and iOS.
Found it unreliable. And you have to look at the screen at the end, check it, then correct, which is more hassle than hammering it out on a tactile physical keyboard.

I've had to do this maybe ONCE on my iPhone 5 since purchase last year. I don't like talking to my phone much but it's not really any more trouble speaking a mistake than typing one - it happens.

There's a reason the Q was more in demand than the Z, and it's the keyboard, for that keyboard there are a lot of trade offs, screen size etc, yet people will still pick it up for the keyboard.

IF the Q is really selling more than the Z (and I'd love to see some hard facts on that myth) then I really think it's because older Blackberry users in general tend to have had BB's with keyboards in the past and so gravitate to that now. Anyone I've ever seen with a Blackberry has had a keyboard.

This does NOT translate to the larger smartphone population in general. If it did, the keyboard equipped Android phones would have a much larger presence - yet you really have to hunt for them.

Virtual keyboards are great if you don't mind compromising as you get a bigger screen, but for ease of entry nothing like a physical keyboard.

Millions of people the world over are great at using a virtual keyboard and kids are being RAISED knowing only how to use that very thing. Much like everything else, it's a matter of what you become used to using, partly.

Otherwise the Q wouldn't sell at all, the Z would be the only one moving.

Again, I'd love to see sales figures.

I'm very interested in BB10 and don't think a physical keyboard is necessarily bad if done right but I'm not really willing to give up screen space for it. What I *really* want is a slider like the Palm Pre or BB Torch...