[anon(679606)]

You're so right; I am stuck with a $700 white elephant...!

As for myself, the sooner the better. I am so done with BlackBerry !!

Posted via CB10

[LuxuryTouringZone]

If BlackBerry World were to shut down, even though it likely won't, then I may just have to light my Q10 on fire! [kidding]

[Bluenoser63]

I never believed that BB10 (or the Playbook) would gain developers, but then I am an old cynic at heart.

I could never see any up-side to the reward vs effort equation for Devs. Even BB making it easy to port the APK still meant the Dev spending a little time and effort... and for what? A very small potential financial benefit (given the tiny BB market share) on the positive side against the risk that your App wouldn't work as well under the Android RT as it did under "real" Android, might need tweaking for the funny BB screen sizes (more time/effort), and the likelihood that your reputation would be damaged when BB10 users started to complain about your "rubbish App" and leave bad reviews (which they did).

Even BB offering the bigger Devs upfront money to bring their Apps to BB10 didn't work. The upfront money from BB either wasn't enough, or (more likely IMO) the Devs decided the on-going costs of support weren't worth the very few million (at a maximum) new BB users they'd gain against the many millions (billions?) of Android users they already had.

There is no evidence that BlackBerry offered any money to the bigger apps. They said that they had the big names on board when in fact, they lied.

[JeepBB]

There is no evidence that BlackBerry offered any money to the bigger apps. They said that they had the big names on board when in fact, they lied.

I believe they did make offers to several of the bigger devs, but I can't prove it, and I won't try. I recall BB offered to provide their own people to Netflix (IIRC) to get their app onto BB10 - and those employee's time equals money, so I guess that's equivalent to paying Netflix. But I don't disagree with your main point. I too recall that BB10 launch presentation with the huge backdrop containing the logos of many big Apps that never made it to the platform. So, yes, they surely lied!

For all the drama of the past 3 years, you could have written the demise of BB10 from Thor's words at that same BB10 launch - "This has to work!" is what he said. It was clear within six months that it hadn't worked, clear that BB10 had in fact failed in such a spectacular fashion and cost so much that the company was put up for sale!

I posted a couple of years ago that BB10 was like watching a slow-motion train-wreck of epic proportions. You knew it was only ever going to end one way (badly!), that the inevitable end was going to be horrible to watch, but... it was impossible to tear your eyes away. It's pretty much played out as I thought it would - the surprise to me has been Chen. He's not popular here on CB (yes, understatement is a gift!), but I genuinely believe he might actually salvage a viable company from the disaster that was the result of BB going all-in with BB10.

Sadly, the BB that Chen saves is unlikely to be of much interest to the average CB'er being as it will become an Enterprise-focused software and services company, but I'm sure the shareholders will be delighted.

[Bluenoser63]

I believe they did make offers to several of the bigger devs, but I can't prove it, and I won't try. I recall BB offered to provide their own people to Netflix (IIRC) to get their app onto BB10 - and those employee's time equals money, so I guess that's equivalent to paying Netflix. But I don't disagree with your main point. I too recall that BB10 launch presentation with the huge backdrop containing the logos of many big Apps that never made it to the platform. So, yes, they surely lied!

For all the drama of the past 3 years, you could have written the demise of BB10 from Thor's words at that same BB10 launch - "This has to work!" is what he said. It was clear within six months that it hadn't worked, clear that BB10 had in fact failed in such a spectacular fashion and cost so much that the company was put up for sale!

I posted a couple of years ago that BB10 was like watching a slow-motion train-wreck of epic proportions. You knew it was only ever going to end one way (badly!), that the inevitable end was going to be horrible to watch, but... it was impossible to tear your eyes away. It's pretty much played out as I thought it would - the surprise to me has been Chen. He's not popular here on CB (yes, understatement is a gift!), but I genuinely believe he might actually salvage a viable company from the disaster that was the result of BB going all-in with BB10.

Sadly, the BB that Chen saves is unlikely to be of much interest to the average CB'er being as it will become an Enterprise-focused software and services company, but I'm sure the shareholders will be delighted.

Paying your own employees isn't the same as actually paying a company money. As I suspected, BlackBerry offered zero cash to big names to get the apps. They mismanaged the roll out badly. They don't understand software. I was a shareholder but sold as they don't have a clue how to transition the company to a software service company. They don't know a good product when they see it.

[JeepBB]

Paying your own employees isn't the same as actually paying a company money. As I suspected, BlackBerry offered zero cash to big names to get the apps. They mismanaged the roll out badly. They don't understand software. I was a shareholder but sold as they don't have a clue how to transition the company to a software service company. They don't know a good product when they see it.

Neither of us know for sure whether BB did, or didn't, offer major Devs money to bring Apps to BB10 because neither of us was at the meetings where it was discussed. We can both speculate, which is fun but ultimately futile, but we'll only know for sure when the sequel to "Losing the Signal" is published.

As to BB10 being a "good product", I'm going to have to disagree.

In my world, good products are commercially successful and appeal to a wider base than just the fan-community. Products that directly lead to the company making a 4.7 BILLION dollar write-down, or to that company becoming a hollowed-out shell of its former self, are not "good products". BB10 almost killed BlackBerry, and might still do so.

BB10 is not a good product by my understanding of the term.

[Bluenoser63]

Neither of us know for sure whether BB did, or didn't, offer major Devs money to bring Apps to BB10 because neither of us was at the meetings where it was discussed. We can both speculate, which is fun but ultimately futile, but we'll only know for sure when the sequel to "Losing the Signal" is published.

As to BB10 being a "good product", I'm going to have to disagree.

In my world, good products are commercially successful and appeal to a wider base than just the fan-community. Products that directly lead to the company making a 4.7 BILLION dollar write-down, or to that company becoming a hollowed-out shell of its former self, are not "good products". BB10 almost killed BlackBerry, and might still do so.

BB10 is not a good product by my understanding of the term.

I think we do know that they didn't offer enough to get the job done. If decisions made in the past and ongoing, we know that management didn't do the right things.

I think you are confusing a good product vs commercially successful product. There are a lot of good products that don't make it to high volumes. It wasn't the product that made the write-downs, it was poor management decisions for a part of the project. Mostly over production of Z10s and other hardware.

[JeepBB]

I think we do know that they didn't offer enough to get the job done. If decisions made in the past and ongoing, we know that management didn't do the right things.

I think you are confusing a good product vs commercially successful product. There are a lot of good products that don't make it to high volumes.

Yes, there are many good products that sell in low volume. You make BB10 sound like it was always intended as a low-volume, niche boutique product - a phone for the discerning buyer to whom money was no object if you like - like some beautiful hand-stitched leather saddle that sells for thousands of dollars and sells a few hundred each year. The saddle is an example of a low-volume, good-product. It makes money for the company so that they are still around next year to make more saddles and more money.

BB10 is a mass-market product that didn't sell in any significant volume over a number of years, and made substantial losses for the company that made it. BB10 has almost broken BlackBerry.

At the risk of repeating myself, BB10 is not a good product for BlackBerry. Good products make money for their companies. Companies that make product at a loss might as well burn money in the streets!

[anon(679606)]

Doesn't Canada have a single qualified Canadian CEO candidate who would see this as a Canadian flagship part of Canadian pride rather than cash to plunder?

[anon(6038817)]

Doesn't Canada have a single qualified Canadian CEO candidate who would see this as a Canadian flagship part of Canadian pride rather than cash to plunder?

They didn't have "cash to plunder" before Chen came aboard.

Posted from my  Q10 via CB10

[thurask]

As for myself, the sooner the better. I am so done with BlackBerry !!

Posted via CB10

Bye Felicia.

[anon(679606)]

...doesn't that mean you want to borrow a joint? I have the reference for that...

Bye Felicia.

[Bluenoser63]

Yes, there are many good products that sell in low volume. You make BB10 sound like it was always intended as a low-volume, niche boutique product - a phone for the discerning buyer to whom money was no object if you like - like some beautiful hand-stitched leather saddle that sells for thousands of dollars and sells a few hundred each year. The saddle is an example of a low-volume, good-product. It makes money for the company so that they are still around next year to make more saddles and more money.

BB10 is a mass-market product that didn't sell in any significant volume over a number of years, and made substantial losses for the company that made it. BB10 has almost broken BlackBerry.

At the risk of repeating myself, BB10 is not a good product for BlackBerry. Good products make money for their companies. Companies that make product at a loss might as well burn money in the streets!

All they had to do was manufacture it in the correct volumes at the price they did and spend the money to get big names and then start picking up in sales. They didn't do any of the required things. You cannot blame the product for managements mistakes.

[huungryshark]

They killed thorsten heins' baby.

Good i grabed a Red z10 limited edition.
Antique

Posted via CB10

[Superdupont 2_0]

That won't happen. The Amazon appstore can't house native apps.

Don't worry. Even BBW for BBOS still exists after all these years.

Even BBW for PlayBook still exists!