[Bugmapper]

Random thought about the future of smartphones: in a few years, will handset RAM, CPU, storage, and battery specs be so good that there is no need to buy new phones every 1 to 2 years? If so, will companies like BlackBerry simply release new versions of their operating systems for, say, $100 every few years? Will phones become like PCs, where few people have a need to upgrade their computers as often as years ago?

Some people will always want a new handset just for the sake of something new (much like some car owners), but I could see people holding on to the same handset for 3 to 5 years, as long as it was durable. In that case, BlackBerry could say, ok we're at BB10.5 right now, we're not going to upgrade it any longer, so the next OS will be BB11, and the upgrade will not come for free. You can stay where you are, or you can upgrade.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but with Droids, users might get minor version upgrades, depending on the manufacturer of their handsets and their carriers, but they won't get an entirely new flavor on their same handsets.

We've talked about BlackBerry ceasing to make handsets. This scenario would go further - the company would no longer need to have a physical phone sold to sell its software. Who knows, it could even move to a subscription fee for its operating system, rather then a one-time fee.

On the surface that sounds plausible; however, I have been using PC's since the 8086 and 8088 chips and I have not seen that happen effectively. Although the OS and the hardware are effectively disconnected goods, once you upgrade the OS on older hardware the experience is always degraded, leaving you with the "need" to upgrade the hardware anyway. We thought the playbook was amazing when it was released... and it was really good. But it was killed off because the OS needed new specs. Same problem with phones. 2 or 3 years from now the Z10 will be obsolete.

[Reed Richards]

On the surface that sounds plausible; however, I have been using PC's since the 8086 and 8088 chips and I have not seen that happen effectively.

I see what you are saying. In that case, I wonder if handsets will become a chassis of sorts, where people can just take it in to a shop and get more RAM installed, or upgrade the CPU. Except on an iPhone, which will remain sealed forever.

The thought came up because I had Windows Vista on a laptop, and the Windows 7 upgrade worked seamlessly. That won't be the case all of the time, obviously, as new OS's will generally want better specs.

[dusdal]

I imagine this would be over BB's SEM ?

RBC to launch NFC payments in the cloud • NFC World

[Triplell]

Random thought about the future of smartphones: in a few years, will handset RAM, CPU, storage, and battery specs be so good that there is no need to buy new phones every 1 to 2 years? If so, will companies like BlackBerry simply release new versions of their operating systems for, say, $100 every few years? Will phones become like PCs, where few people have a need to upgrade their computers as often as years ago?

Some people will always want a new handset just for the sake of something new (much like some car owners), but I could see people holding on to the same handset for 3 to 5 years, as long as it was durable. In that case, BlackBerry could say, ok we're at BB10.5 right now, we're not going to upgrade it any longer, so the next OS will be BB11, and the upgrade will not come for free. You can stay where you are, or you can upgrade.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but with Droids, users might get minor version upgrades, depending on the manufacturer of their handsets and their carriers, but they won't get an entirely new flavor on their same handsets.

We've talked about BlackBerry ceasing to make handsets. This scenario would go further - the company would no longer need to have a physical phone sold to sell its software. Who knows, it could even move to a subscription fee for its operating system, rather then a one-time fee.

Phones are already at that point now in terms of hardware specs. The problem is usually actual wear to the phone, which happens more than laptops and PC's because phones travel with people everywhere, as opposed to PC's which sit in a room, and laptops that travel within a protective bag.

People don't upgrade phones because they have to. People upgrade their phone because they can. Every two years you are given an incentive because you are able to purchase $600 hardware for $200

In terms of your operating system model, this already happens on android devices that are made by Google. Android is an open source operating system, meaning that google releases the major updates to run on their reference device (ie, the Nexus), and then manufacturers create their own codebase to get the OS running on their devices (Droids, Samsungs, etc.) Because of this, if you own a Google device, you can get the update immediately, and if you own anything else, you need to wait for the manufacture to publish the update (if they decide to...most don't)...

Traditionally, iOS has always been backwards compatible, however this has changed with the most recent release, which is only available on the iPhone 5.

[BBNation]

Not sure if this is a big deal. I don't think so.

SSTL to wind up BlackBerry services, says it's a cost-cutting exercise - Business Today

It is big deal as India is 2nd largest cell phone market.

[w4rrior]

A10, Z10, Q10, Q5, 9720..... we are missing at least one, if not two devices, so I don't see it as a last attempt. I see it as them providing a complete lineup for consumers to choose from.

A lot of times when management talks about devices they count the variations (like 3G or 4G) as a separate device. I'm putting my money on the A10 having a CDMA and GSM version aka the missing link. This has been the case in the past with Z10.

[Shanerredflag]

I imagine this would be over BB's SEM ?

RBC to launch NFC payments in the cloud � NFC World

Refreshing to read the bank is taking all responsibility for security concerning personal information...does that mean their frigging third party sales calls selling identity theft insurance will no long come at 9PM?

This is just the bank making a move to own the service revenue side of the transaction.

Posted via CB10

[cjcampbell]

It is big deal as India is 2nd largest cell phone market.

Did you read the article or just skim through? This is one small carrier with relatively few BB's on it's network and the cost to profit didn't make sense to them.

[greyw0lf01]

I see what you are saying. In that case, I wonder if handsets will become a chassis of sorts, where people can just take it in to a shop and get more RAM installed, or upgrade the CPU. Except on an iPhone, which will remain sealed forever

I hate to point out the obvious here, but iOS does a pretty good job with backwards compatibility. The iPhone 4 is still fully supported.

Also, if you’re taking anything into a shop, then the presumption is you can open it. The same is true for the iPhone as well. Any shoppe you take it to will be able to open it like any other phone.

I understand that Apple isn’t loved around these parts but people seem to live a world in which BB10 devices can do things like sprout golden wings and circumnavigate the globe while the iPhone is stuck in the coal mines.... come on!

[kfh227]

Refreshing to read the bank is taking all responsibility for security concerning personal information...does that mean their frigging third party sales calls selling identity theft insurance will no long come at 9PM?

This is just the bank making a move to own the service revenue side of the transaction.

Posted via CB10

See the black hat conference news?

Posted via CB10

[Shanerredflag]

See the black hat conference news?

Posted via CB10

No...what's up?

Posted via CB10

[Komoto]

A Gaping Hole in BlackBerry�s Turnaround | The Motley Fool

1. "As recently as fiscal 2011, hardware contributed over two-thirds of all gross profit, with services accounting for the rest. In fiscal 2013, hardware has fallen into negative gross margin territory, which means that services are paying the bills right now."

Attachment 185660

2. "Since BlackBerry 10 devices use generic data plans offered by mobile operators instead of BlackBerry Internet Service, or BIS, plans, and the goal is to transition entirely to the new platform, the consumer side of services revenue will eventually decline to zero over time."

3. BBRY is pinning hopes for future revenue on MDM etc, but these are very competitive areas. Even with optimistic assumptions for BES, the numbers just don't add up.
"Without a thriving services business, there is no turnaround for BlackBerry."

Troubled times.

1. BlackBerry 10 hardware hadn?t been released yet. It is now and gross margins on hardware are significantly up.

2. BIS will decrease, but BES will still be there. Additionally blackberry is developing it's new model for generating fees from users. BBM cross platform, channels, app world, m2m etc.
They will replace BIS with other revenues.

Don't forget they are still selling BlackBerry 7 and a new model will be released so BIS will be around for some time.

3. Agreed MDM is a competitive space. BlackBerry will compete here. They offer a good product. This will expand in the future, for example the automotive industry.

The article is basically saying BlackBerry old business model was flawed. We all know this that is why they are transitioning to a new one. The real question is whether the new business model will produce the results!

Posted via CB10

[Nathan Bael]

On the surface that sounds plausible; however, I have been using PC's since the 8086 and 8088 chips and I have not seen that happen effectively. Although the OS and the hardware are effectively disconnected goods, once you upgrade the OS on older hardware the experience is always degraded, leaving you with the "need" to upgrade the hardware anyway. We thought the playbook was amazing when it was released... and it was really good. But it was killed off because the OS needed new specs. Same problem with phones. 2 or 3 years from now the Z10 will be obsolete.

What happens is bloat. I too remember 8088 computers and what we accomplished with them. Look at how much space XP uses vs win 7 or 8.

One thing though, computers are lasting longer. At one time a 2 year old computer was outdated, not so today. I could build a computer today that would still be effective 4 years from now.

[kfh227]

No...what's up?

Posted via CB10

NFC can be read from 3 feet away. See Slashdot for more.

I think it's a half truth though. CC data will be encrypted over NFC

Posted via CB10

[take99]

I own said Iphone4 and it is quite a terrible unit. Still have never owned a bb but when i've tried out the z I have been impressed.

I hate to point out the obvious here, but iOS does a pretty good job with backwards compatibility. The iPhone 4 is still fully supported.

Also, if you’re taking anything into a shop, then the presumption is you can open it. The same is true for the iPhone as well. Any shoppe you take it to will be able to open it like any other phone.

I understand that Apple isn’t loved around these parts but people seem to live a world in which BB10 devices can do things like sprout golden wings and circumnavigate the globe while the iPhone is stuck in the coal mines.... come on!

[BlackistheBerry]

It is big deal as India is 2nd largest cell phone market.

I don't think so, as they didn't have much market share there.

[leafs123]

I own said Iphone4 and it is quite a terrible unit. Still have never owned a bb but when i've tried out the z I have been impressed.

With iOS6 updates, it's gotten worse and slowed up considerably. Maybe the aging hardware is showing its side.

[Compaqee]

Seems to be holding strong today. Found our bottom?

[tiziano27]

How so? The OS has DLNA built in. Chromecast is an accessory, just like the Nexus Q. Was that a nail in BB's coffin?

It's different. With DLNA the smartphone or tablet send the content to the TV. With Chromecast the smartphone/tablet/pc send the order to Chromecast to download the content. Chromcast using wifi download the content directly from google play, netflix, etc.

BB and WP aren't supported.

[Reed Richards]

Also, if you’re taking anything into a shop, then the presumption is you can open it. The same is true for the iPhone as well. Any shoppe you take it to will be able to open it like any other phone.

Your point is well taken, and it was a just a joke on my part about the iPhone's non-removable battery and non-expandable storage.

[greyw0lf01]

I own said Iphone4 and it is quite a terrible unit.

Terrible unit also isn’t very descriptive, that’s like saying water is wet.

Terrible unit; why didn’t you return it for the countless points of purchase or an Apple Store for a new device?

[cjcampbell]

New Short interest....

7/15/2013 160,837,750
6/28/2013 184,415,558
6/14/2013 182,600,339
5/31/2013 171,313,332
5/15/2013 170,632,578
4/30/2013 164,664,363
4/15/2013 164,340,145
3/28/2013 155,699,090
3/15/2013 155,005,574
2/28/2013 147,214,984
2/15/2013 136,511,698
1/31/2013 129,491,496
1/15/2013 135,121,295

[Reed Richards]

New short interest numbers are out. Any guesses?

Nasdaq says 160,837,750 shares were short as of 7/15.

[psy fi]

Substantial drop in short interest, from 184 million to 160 million shares.

BlackBerry Limited (BBRY) Short Interest - NASDAQ.com

[greyw0lf01]

160m shares short on BBRY