[BBThemes]

Very Very true. But, as a bit of a counterpoint, at least the talk wasnt muddled and talking in circles. They admitted they got hurt, they admitted they are going to keep getting hit for the next few quarters. Being straightforward is not something that BB has done well in the past.

but as a counter counterpoint (err, is that a thing? lol) they also said they kept all their commitments, sadly I think they didn't and many playbook owners would agree, so yes they are moving in the right direction, but i'll be honest and say im not sold on it yet.

Also, and I know people will take this negatively but its gotta be said, there seemed an awful lot of clapping and praise, which is no bad thing, but it did feel a little cheerleader-ish with no hard questions on marketing, device rollout etc, it seemed like a very very positive room while possibly being a little too much so to pose the hard questions. I mean frank didn't even have to answer anything about marketing. and the only person to mention a tablet was Thorsten when he said about their demo iPad. like I say, a little too cheerleaderish and not enough realism for me, but thats just my take on it.

Also, just to add, nobody mentioned those pesky Chinese hackers like last year I was disappointed. lmfao

[currentodysseys]

I see this being like BIS but as a subscription service with additional layers of encryption. The problem is, not sure many world governments would like this.

Very true but at least it is giving the direction they are taking upon. Will it have hurdles? sure I bet, but at the same time, if they launch this kind of service, I can see it being a big success, as it will target specific audiences giving them what they want. Plus imo they must be looking at it as a cross platform feature, in which case we are in for a great product and at the same time without competition in the individual user services currently available... this could also potentially work positively for BB10 phones adoption in the long run and provide point of differentiation for the fight with android.

Maybe i am too quick to go that far but if this is where it may go, to that product alone I would put my money.

[currentodysseys]

but as a counter counterpoint (err, is that a thing? lol) they also said they kept all their commitments, sadly I think they didn't and many playbook owners would agree, so yes they are moving in the right direction, but i'll be honest and say im not sold on it yet.

Also, and I know people will take this negatively but its gotta be said, there seemed an awful lot of clapping and praise, which is no bad thing, but it did feel a little cheerleader-ish with no hard questions on marketing, device rollout etc, it seemed like a very very positive room while possibly being a little too much so to pose the hard questions. I mean frank didn't even have to answer anything about marketing. and the only person to mention a tablet was Thorsten when he said about their demo iPad. like I say, a little too cheerleaderish and not enough realism for me, but thats just my take on it.

Also, just to add, nobody mentioned those pesky Chinese hackers like last year I was disappointed. lmfao

I can get where you come from on the emotional part. I also did have a playbook but let us be real, this meeting is treating core strategic targets and their execution. The playbook is a drop in the ocean and any investor is not really interested in this when talking what was talked today.

I think that what happened today is to set the record straight and open up the strategic guidelines more to the investors/public. This alone gives perspective of objectives. Also many answers were satisfactory for me in terms of recognition of errors (look at carriers positioning etc for instance) and the general position BB is in.

This does not mean they will be able to pull it through, Heins said that himself, there is no guaranty, but they are aiming really high. If mid 2014 things are not going according to plan, I will seriously worry but if they are going according to plan it will be a big moment to remember and I am sure that people invested in the company will be more than happy to have done so.

BB is moving out of the hardware race basically and into services. That alone to be so blatantly stated (as blatant as it can get in such an event) is the huge news and a really big step to the right direction. Hardware IS important as a delivery medium and not as a core product anymore. This is the message I stick to. (and I believe that hardware will come back to be really good investment for BB once they consolidate the position they are fighting for).

Just my take on what I heard, and I say it again, it does not mean they will deliver but I do like the way they are focusing and I do believe they have the means to put on a fair fight with high rate of success possibilities.

[bigbbrybeliever]

listened the entire AGSM. I felt it was all positive. In particular, the following things please me lot.

1. I was worried that the term "Strategic Review" might surface during the meeting. The fact is that it was not mentioned at all (except for the question from one shareholder). It ensures me that the board and company management is confident that the company can survive itself with current business structure and new platform.

2. All voting items have been passed with majority without any fighting. Very smooth process.

3. Hein's presentation, IMHO, is excellent (once you are used to his accent). He clearly laid out the three turn around phases required to bring back the company to sustainable profitability and success. It seems that he is very convinced the his vision of mobile computing "thing" and has a plan on hand to carry it out. As many articles stated, the strength of the BB10 OS is its QNX core, which has much less coding lines and more efficient than that of other mobile OS, such as iSO and Android. Once the company can fully leverage this advantage and develop the products which lead the future "internet things", then it may become a mighty tech company again. Furthermore, he addressed the strategy on stabilizing and then increasing the service revenue through the BES10 cross-platform solution to the enterprise.

4. I also like the consensus reached that we shall not break up company or sale the hardware division before high value has been created. In other words, until someone willing to pay the price we want, the company is not for sale.

5. With the three turn-around phases, we shall understand that our investment time would not be one mouth or one year. The realistic time shall be 3 to 4 years. This message will reduce the volatility of the SP and stabilize the SP.

In short, as a shareholder, I am willing to give this management a chance to carry out its vision and turn the company around.

[Xano]

Let's hope he don't bring the crapy conversation "Tablets are dead" and so on ...
My company order today 6.000 new tablets and 6.000 new iOS devices.

[FSeverino]

Thor just said earlier when addressing his "approaching breakeven" comments in q4, something along the lines of "I don't know what it means to you, but to me it means a small loss". My issue isn't the loss, its the CEO's shady commentary.

because 'APPROACHING breakeven' does mean a small loss. BREAKEVEN means even, APPROACHING it means you did not get there exactly. which is why I said PLUS/MINUS 5c

[sidhuk]

He keeps switching between Zee10 and Zed10. That has to be on purpose.

I think it happens when English is your 2nd, 3rd or 4th language. LoL

[texazzpete]

Absolutely Agree. Thor did touch on all of the emerging markets though. Indonesia, Nigeria. Vietnam. I was very impressed. Those are all countries that could really benefit BlackBerry.

Not any more. Perhaps Indonesia and Vietnam, but you guys were paying absolutely no attention when some of us were warning of the pitfalls of making BBM cross platform.

Cheap Android phones from Tecno and Gionee are grabbing HUGE chunks of marketshare. At the premium end, iPhones and Galaxy S4/Note II are grabbing the attention of the elite. Blackberry use was sacrosanct before because BBM has been the popular fad for a while.
Basically, as soon as BBM comes out for Android, the desertion from the BlackBerry fold will be very significant.

[Superfly_FR]

Not any more. Perhaps Indonesia and Vietnam, but you guys were paying absolutely no attention when some of us were warning of the pitfalls of making BBM cross platform.

Cheap Android phones from Tecno and Gionee are grabbing HUGE chunks of marketshare. At the premium end, iPhones and Galaxy S4/Note II are grabbing the attention of the elite. Blackberry use was sacrosanct before because BBM has been the popular fad for a while.
Basically, as soon as BBM comes out for Android, the desertion from the BlackBerry fold will be very significant.

I don't believe they will release it for this (these) area(s) you're talking about ... before they've launched the low end BB10.

And then ... if ever I'm wrong ... they have the "B plan" ready.

[sunsetblow]

I don't believe they will release it for this (these) area(s) you're talking about ... before they've launched the low end BB10.

If so, I feel like this might be a mistake. One of the major draws of BBM was diaspora communities being able to keep in contact with family members back home without resorting to SMS or calling cards.

[ssbtech]

Is a rebroadcast of the AGM available anywhere?

[Jerale Hoard]

Very very short paraphrase:

Q. Can you give us any info about possible results from the strategic review?

A. No.

Posted via CB10

More like "Shut up and let us handle our business"

Posted via CB10

[Jerale Hoard]

listened the entire AGSM. I felt it was all positive. In particular, the following things please me lot.

1. I was worried that the term "Strategic Review" might surface during the meeting. The fact is that it was not mentioned at all (except for the question from one shareholder). It ensures me that the board and company management is confident that the company can survive itself with current business structure and new platform.

2. All voting items have been passed with majority without any fighting. Very smooth process.

3. Hein's presentation, IMHO, is excellent (once you are used to his accent). He clearly laid out the three turn around phases required to bring back the company to sustainable profitability and success. It seems that he is very convinced the his vision of mobile computing "thing" and has a plan on hand to carry it out. As many articles stated, the strength of the BB10 OS is its QNX core, which has much less coding lines and more efficient than that of other mobile OS, such as iSO and Android. Once the company can fully leverage this advantage and develop the products which lead the future "internet things", then it may become a mighty tech company again. Furthermore, he addressed the strategy on stabilizing and then increasing the service revenue through the BES10 cross-platform solution to the enterprise.

4. I also like the consensus reached that we shall not break up company or sale the hardware division before high value has been created. In other words, until someone willing to pay the price we want, the company is not for sale.

5. With the three turn-around phases, we shall understand that our investment time would not be one mouth or one year. The realistic time shall be 3 to 4 years. This message will reduce the volatility of the SP and stabilize the SP.

In short, as a shareholder, I am willing to give this management a chance to carry out its vision and turn the company around.

I'm going to copy your comment for future reference cuz this was exactly how I felt about the meeting. So far it was a good day.


Posted via CB10

[sonbuster]

did anyone ask Heins about the BB10 breakdown from last quarter? Q10 vs Z10? I'm sure a lot of sidelined investors want to know this, because it does matter

[Zarpan]

because 'APPROACHING breakeven' does mean a small loss. BREAKEVEN means even, APPROACHING it means you did not get there exactly. which is why I said PLUS/MINUS 5c

Yes, that's absolutely correct. They said approaching breakeven, not we're going to break even. There's a difference between the two, and they did hit what they suggested (aside from the Venezuelan issue).

To assume that they would actually breakeven or make a profit based on their comments is really our mistake for hoping too much. My expectations were higher since I thought they were sandbagging, but I guess they reached their basic guidance.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Absolutely Agree. Thor did touch on all of the emerging markets though. Indonesia, Nigeria. Vietnam. I was very impressed. Those are all countries that could really benefit BlackBerry.

But not with BB10.

Current BB10 devices - even the Q5 are priced well above the average selling price of smartphones in these area. No BIS Service means no special data BB data plans to off set the higher initial cost.

[Superfly_FR]

If so, I feel like this might be a mistake. One of the major draws of BBM was diaspora communities being able to keep in contact with family members back home without resorting to SMS or calling cards.

I meant release it on Ios/Android ... but nothing but pure speculation of my own ... In fact, re-reading this ... well, I don't know anymore !

[nabil114]

I think they can fix more.

[RubberChicken76]

Still no sell through numbers reported..

Next time, send a proxy and ask. :-D

[currentodysseys]

Been around my mind this past hour and I would like to share the question to self on the fly, see what people think about it:

I think BB are really saying to us:

"when hearing BlackBerry stop thinking of the 'bold', the 'curve' the 'blinking light'" Those are still there but primarily you should be thinking "SERVICES": "BES", "BBM", "QNX-integration" with added values: "Communication", "security", "integration", "corporate", "global", "BB10"...

I think maybe the time came where we, as consumers, need to come to terms with the big change and shift that BB is being going under. They are not handset only company anymore; BB is services with unique qualities and functions. We need to start envisioning what TH presented and embrace the new direction of the company if we are to understand what BB is doing and where it is meant to go. When we manage to do that, I think that things will become pretty much clearer.

some pics of Kevin's tweets during the AGM, transmitting TH's presentation:

[Jerale Hoard]

Here's the full transcipt

http://seekingalpha.com/article/1540...pt?part=single

Posted via CB10

[howarmat]

I honestly see them going services only within a year. Find someone else to do the hardware on the phones, tablets and whatever else they feel like putting BB10 on. It takes everything that they cant compete at right now off their plate. They dont have to worry about devices sold or when the next phone is coming etc. They become a software and services company and let others deal with those issues

[Tre Lawrence]

I honestly see them going services only within a year. Find someone else to do the hardware on the phones, tablets and whatever else they feel like putting BB10 on. It takes everything that they cant compete at right now off their plate. They dont have to worry about devices sold or when the next phone is coming etc. They become a software and services company and let others deal with those issues

I am thinking this as well.

I dearly want to be wrong, but I think it is the most viable option for BBRY right now.

[njblackberry]

It would seem that the broader stock market was not impressed. After a run up at the start "ON FIRE" it closed up .09.
See what tomorrow brings. It is going to be a very, very long haul.

[LazyEvul]

I honestly see them going services only within a year. Find someone else to do the hardware on the phones, tablets and whatever else they feel like putting BB10 on. It takes everything that they cant compete at right now off their plate. They dont have to worry about devices sold or when the next phone is coming etc. They become a software and services company and let others deal with those issues

I think that this is quite possibly what they want to do in the long-term. Which is a bit of a shame, because I love BlackBerry hardware. But as a shareholder, I think it could work out very well financially. The AGM has definitely helped boost my confidence in the company, and I'll be considering purchasing some more shares before the price goes up again.