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BlackBerry Annual Meeting: Time To Quit F&ing Around in [Market-Ticker]
BlackBerry has a superior device and technology that nobody knows about and that is being intentionally crippled by two of the largest US cell companies who are not releasing software updates that resolve the known issues and add critical features.
They either kick those firms in the balls, right here and now and in public or they may as well close their offices and go home.
Full article. It really is a must read and mirrors one of our (CrackBerry members) biggest complaints.
BlackBerry Annual Meeting: Time To Quit F&ing Around
BlackBerry's stock has been hammered post-earnings, and with reasonable cause.
Thorsten has a habit of sandbagging that I have repeatedly noted, and which caused me to stop looking for something bad to come when he did it in the last two quarters. But this time he did it and the news was genuinely worse than expected, missing the lower end of shipment guidance on the BB10 devices by 300,000 units.
The stock got pounded as people entirely ignored or worse, factually misreported, where the cash build came from.
Specifically I can't count the number of research "reports" that have claimed the firm got a "one time" tax benefit from R&D credit. But this presumes the company was under US tax law, and it's not -- it's a Canadian company.
That credit is recurring, provided the firm continues to invest in R&D, and it always has at a rate double or more that of Samsung or Apple as a percentage of sales.
So no, it's not a "one time" benefit, it's an every quarter benefit, provided I'm reading the law right (and I'm reasonably sure I am.)
But this doesn't change the market's perception. And it's not helping that the carriers in the United States are now actively obstructing user perception of the devices, particularly the Z10.
I speak specifically of Verizon, although AT&T is responsible for this as well.
BlackBerry restricts software updates to carrier-endorsed things. Contrast this with Apple, which refuses to allow carriers to "approve" their IOS updates (and thus everyone gets them at once) or Samsung, which has the carriers push OTA updates but makes manual updates available over KIES on a PC if you want them.
This, incidentally, is how I have official Samsung 4.2 Android firmware on a SGS-II. I loaded it from my PC.
But Verizon, in particular, still (as of this morning) shows 10.0.9.xx firmware as "official" for the BlackBerry Z10. This is an outrage -- 10.0.9 was outdated on the day of the launch, with T-Mobile and AT&T both shipping 10.0.10. AT&T for its part has refused to release a 10.1.x firmware version -- of the major US carriers only T-Mobile has done so.
Why does this matter? Because 10.0.9 was very nearly an engineering prototype version and was (and is) full of bugs. 10.0.10 had problems too, but less-severe ones.
10.1 is stable and contains a number of additional features, including remote file access and HDR mode for the camera, but 90% of the US market has no official support or availability for it. It is also faster and has materially-lower power consumption.
The entirety of Canada has it as does nearly all of Europe!
How do you sell into your largest market when the carriers are actively obstructing a rapidly-improving and evolving operating environment?
Now this will be cited, I'm sure, as a reason to dump BlackBerry shares even more than they are now.
It doesn't have to be.
But BlackBerry, unless it intends to abandon the US market, in which case you may as well write them off as a public company in the US market, can and must, right now, hit below the belt.
It can do so in 30 seconds.
All they have to do is change BlackBerry Link so as to permit one to choose a firmware load of either the official carrier version or the latest BlackBerry-approved version at the user's option.
That's it.
A 30 second change they could push right now.
They also need to start diverting attention to the carrier (T-Mobile US) that is supporting them and away from those who are intentionally trashing their reputation (Verizon, specifically, and AT&T as well.)
I know the excuses -- "the carrier wants to make sure the firmware is of high quality."
Ok, I give you that. But then get it done and put the resources behind it.
Or shut the hell up.
It's not hard for a user to update their device themselves. But most people won't and nobody should have to. Especially in a world of subsidized phones where you, as a contract customer, are paying $1,000 or more over 2 years for the device.
The firm is out of time here. Wall Street has given up and this isn't Wall Street's fault. It's BlackBerry's. They have refused to get out in front of the market with their strengths, they're running advertising that is "feel good" instead of showcasing the very real and powerful differences that makes the product better than any of their competitors and they're allowing carriers to ship four-plus month old firmware that has been twice superseded with both new features and significant bug fixes.
I said before the earnings "no thanks" on taking a position into earnings as the IV was ridiculous. That has now collapsed but the skew remains in the options market and it is heavily-weighted on the bearish side.
BlackBerry can be ridiculously successful as the third phone makers serving a "niche" market of ~10% of the marketplace. They will print money in that position with 10% penetration.
But they're going to wind up with 0% penetration if they don't get in front of the intentional destruction of their brand now taking place in the US carrier marketplace.
Yes, the company has a large cash hoard and is building it even into their rollout of BB10 but it cannot take 25% stock declines followed by 3, 4 or 5% daily drops for long before developer and end user support disappears.
IF MANAGEMENT DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY, AS IN RIGHT NOW -- TODAY, CUT THE CRAP THEN THE BOARD MUST STEP IN AND DO SO.
The board, given its history, won't. It sat back while the dual-CEO cluster**** went on for years.
Note that Sprint faced extinction a couple of years ago in exactly the same sort of way. They woke the hell up, allowed high-end phones on their prepaid business, and now are both stable and got bought. They "broke the glass" and got it done and those who bought at the time of the turn were richly rewarded.
BlackBerry has a superior device and technology that nobody knows about and that is being intentionally crippled by two of the largest US cell companies who are not releasing software updates that resolve the known issues and add critical features.
They either kick those firms in the balls, right here and now and in public or they may as well close their offices and go home.
I agree ever so wholeheartedly with this.
As much as BlackBerry needs carrier support, I think it is safe to say the current approach is hurting them more than helping.
Using Link precisely as described in the article giving users a choice with radio buttons would be an excellent perhaps optimal way to alleviate this problem without stepping on the carrier's toes like Apple does (but they are in a position to).
Please implement BlackBerry. And everyone else please +1 this post and spread the word. Kevin consider mentioning this to TH?
+1,000,000... the time has come to think outside the box! The current carrier approved approach is low risk but also low yield. That risk/yield paradigm isn't going to work for BlackBerry anymore I'm afraid.
~STV on Z10STL100-3/10.1.0.2025 TMO US
Too late. TH mislead the investors. You really think he is going to listen now?
It's never too late.
~STV on Z10STL100-3/10.1.0.2025 TMO US
I installed several of the leaked versions before T-Mobile released their version. I was pleased when TMO did release it but they were slow to do so. I agree with the BB Link method being an option. It is simple and puts the update off on the user as a choice versus, the carrier or BB being responsible. I bought a Blackberry device that I use on T-Mobiles Network. I did not buy a T-Mobile phone built by Blackberry. I should be able to get whatever I need directly from my manufacturer, BlackBerry.
There is utterly NO reason for BlackBerry not to do this. Give the user the choice on the Link screen and if they want, notate that choosing to run other than the carrier version may result in the carrier refusing technical support.
This, along with getting aggressive in their marketing, is utterly necessary.
This would have absolutely no impact on sales at all, none.
Maybe not...
But it undoubtedly would greatly reduce if not eliminate returns due to carrier failing to push out a much needed fix.
~STV on Z10STL100-3/10.1.0.2025 TMO US
Oh YES it is!!
Absolutely agree with this. My phone just rebooted, apparently for at least the 2nd time today that I know of. I'm scouring eBay right now for an iPhone or android! Ridiculous nonsense from Verizon!!!!