[Mounika Balusani]

I am just checking the app to load the images

[eshropshire]

It failed because of Chen.

TMO  PP SE,SQW100-4/10.3.3.1435

Chen was not even around when BB10 launched. He was not brought in to fix Blackberry's hardware problem. The BOD hired Chen to transform BlackBerry into an enterprise software company. Chen has been open about this from day one. If the Board want to fix the hardware problem they would have hired a CEO with hardware experience. Chen' background is all enterprise software. The Board choose this path for BlackBerry and hired a CEO to transform the company.

[markmall]

Chen was not even around when BB10 launched. He was not brought in to fix Blackberry's hardware problem. The BOD hired Chen to transform BlackBerry into an enterprise software company. Chen has been open about this from day one. If the Board want to fix the hardware problem they would have hired a CEO with hardware experience. Chen' background is all enterprise software. The Board choose this path for BlackBerry and hired a CEO to transform the company.

This was Chen's out if he failed.

[tre10]

This was Chen's out if he failed.

I actually agree with him though. Why didn't they find someone with hardware experience if they wanted to continue in that direction? You don't hire a waitress to work at an auto garage.

I believe that the BoD thought they were "defeated" by the Samsung and Apple and after they couldn't sell the company they didn't know what to do with themselves. They went with Watsa and Chen's plan because they didn't have any better ideas.

[Chuck Finley69]

I actually agree with him though. Why didn't they find someone with hardware experience if they wanted to continue in that direction? You don't hire a waitress to work at an auto garage.

I believe that the BoD thought they were "defeated" by the Samsung and Apple and after they couldn't sell the company they didn't know what to do with themselves. They went with Watsa and Chen's plan because they didn't have any better ideas.

They did Prem and Chen's plan because it's Prem that has the checkbook. BlackBerry had run out all the cash basically at time company went up for sale with no takers. Fairfax ( and other companies) saw no reasonable value in BlackBerry hardware or BB10 worth putting in additional capital. Prem (Fairfax) only put in capital with understanding that BlackBerry would hire Chen and pursue the software implementation strategy.

[Chuck Finley69]

This was Chen's out if he failed.

If he fails at software, he fails. There is no out regarding software company failure. That's why there was never attempt to salvage hardware after he was hired. That's why all capital infusion was spent on software acquisitions. From beginning, it's been understood that hardware business must stand independently on its own. BB10 was so capital intensive, that was never possible, since BB10 also killed monthly BBOS revenue from carriers.

[markmall]

They did Prem and Chen's plan because it's Prem that has the checkbook. BlackBerry had run out all the cash basically at time company went up for sale with no takers. Fairfax ( and other companies) saw no reasonable value in BlackBerry hardware or BB10 worth putting in additional capital. Prem (Fairfax) only put in capital with understanding that BlackBerry would hire Chen and pursue the software implementation strategy.

I don't think it was this cut and dried. I really don't and I was following all this really closely because I was trading shares.

I do think the BoD overreacted time and again. Who publicly announces they are for sale like they did? Insane. They deserve Chen and Watsa.

Posted via CB10

[conite]

Who publicly announces they are for sale like they did?

Posted via CB10

A company that has less than a year to survive. Desperate times.

[markmall]

A company that has less than a year to survive. Desperate times.

They overreacted. Their cash situation was never that dire. I think you are presuming that without Chen there would have been no cuts and asset sales. Or convertible debt for that matter.

They needed an exceptional CEO more than anything else. They didn't find him. Firing and selling assets is easy -- as I always say.

Posted via CB10

[early2bed]

They overreacted. Their cash situation was never thatThey needed an exceptional CEO more than anything else. They didn't find him. Firing and selling assets is easy -- as I always say.

You know what's easy? Green-lighting new BB10 handsets, ordering them by the millions, renewing advertising deals, etc. - essentially continuing what the previous CEO was doing. There are plenty of new ideas that are on the table to choose from. He had a whole company of people that wanted to make new smartphones. That doesn't take an exceptional CEO. What's difficult is cutting costs so that the company doesn't financially implode if they aren't selling.

It's also easy to tell them to spend whatever cash they have left if it isn't yours. However, if you're Prem Watsa, 10% of that is yours and you aren't going let them blow hundreds of millions of it on a hardware turnaround pipe dream. CrackBerrians like to say that they are committed to BlackBerry because they bought 8 phones over the past 10 years. How would you feel if your 10% of your net worth or your job was invested in this company?

[Ray III]

For me it wasn't the apps so much as the core experience. No trackpad and navigation buttons, many features missing from OS7, weird interface where you have to swipe on the screen.

I said No Thanks and stayed with a 9930 until they would come out with a remotely comparable device, which they did with the Classic. I like BB10 now, but there is no one left using it to justify further development.

[MrScotian]

Oh, I don't know about that. Just last week I pulled out my Passport at Best Buy to redeem a coupon. Both Blue Shirts gushed at it, saying they didn't know that BlackBerry was still making phones, and one who said she wished she'd known, because she might have bought one. So it's not a rejection of the brand. It is, however, dismal if not non-existent marketing.

Posted via CB10, on a BlackBerry Passport

I have had this exact experience with many strangers, co-workers and friends for the last 3 years

[conite]

I have had this exact experience with many strangers, co-workers and friends for the last 3 years

How many of those people went out and bought one?

[MrScotian]

You know what's easy? Green-lighting new BB10 handsets, ordering them by the millions, renewing advertising deals, etc.

"renewing advertising deals". That one slayed me. Deals with whom? Where? When? I know, I know, some people saw massive ad campaigns and people like myself and others saw none. Zip. Zero. Nada. Advertising deals... you must mean with their preferred real estate agent to sell off BlackBerry properties. Your other points were spot on though. Nicely said.

[MrScotian]

How many of those people went out and bought one?

I do not know but certainly very few. The point isn't that they didn't buy one, it's that they had no way of knowing that the company still existed because there was no advertising effort by BlackBerry.

[conite]

I do not know but certainly very few. The point isn't that they didn't buy one, it's that they had no way of knowing that the company still existed because there was no advertising effort by BlackBerry.

Yes, but once you had their undivided attention and showed them the device along with your personal, trusted recommendation, how many went out and grabbed one?

[Ronindan]

I do not know but certainly very few. The point isn't that they didn't buy one, it's that they had no way of knowing that the company still existed because there was no advertising effort by BlackBerry.

But you just showed them that BB is still alive and kicking. Now that you have showed those people that they can still buy BB's - what stopping them from buying one. It is not because of their misconception that BB had ceased to exists. Or realistically - they (like the general public) are not attracted to what is BB is offering.

Also even in Canada, BB market share is at 0.3% (https://www.statista.com/statistics/...m-smartphones/) and yet all the major carriers carry blackberries. In fact even major newspapers still have articles about them (https://www.thestar.com/business/tec...ry-dtek50.html)

[Ronindan]

Yes, but once you had their undivided attention and showed them the device along with your personal, trusted recommendation, how many went out and grabbed one?

I will hazard a guess - zilch.

[MrScotian]

Yes, but once you had their undivided attention and showed them the device along with your personal, trusted recommendation, how many went out and grabbed one?

OK. I'll play this game and I thank you for your confidence in my sales abilities. Again, I simply do not know, but I suspect that very few did. At the same time, how many COULD have? I had to convince my Bell representative to sell me one and that came close to becoming an argument - yes, this is actually true.. and then a year later when it died and needed replacing, I had to wait 2 weeks for a replacement to arrive and both when I brought the dead one in and when I picked up the replacement, I was being implored to switch to Android or iPhone by the store. It's hard for any friend's advice to compete with that!

[markmall]

You know what's easy? Green-lighting new BB10 handsets, ordering them by the millions, renewing advertising deals, etc. - essentially continuing what the previous CEO was doing. There are plenty of new ideas that are on the table to choose from. He had a whole company of people that wanted to make new smartphones. That doesn't take an exceptional CEO. What's difficult is cutting costs so that the company doesn't financially implode if they aren't selling.

It's also easy to tell them to spend whatever cash they have left if it isn't yours. However, if you're Prem Watsa, 10% of that is yours and you aren't going let them blow hundreds of millions of it on a hardware turnaround pipe dream. CrackBerrians like to say that they are committed to BlackBerry because they bought 8 phones over the past 10 years. How would you feel if your 10% of your net worth or your job was invested in this company?

No, the easy thing was to go with the grain and say, "We are going to transition to software.". That is what Wall Street wanted. What WS wants is not always best long term. I'm not speaking as a fanboy user either. I sold my shares a long time ago when I realized their was no big software revenue generator and Chen undermined hardware with his cuts and lack of marketing.

Everything is not absolutes. You write as though it's either spend like during Heins era or fire everyone associated with BB10. That's not how things work.

Posted via CB10

[markmall]

OK. I'll play this game and I thank you for your confidence in my sales abilities. Again, I simply do not know, but I suspect that very few did. At the same time, how many COULD have? I had to convince my Bell representative to sell me one and that came close to becoming an argument - yes, this is actually true.. and then a year later when it died and needed replacing, I had to wait 2 weeks for a replacement to arrive and both when I brought the dead one in and when I picked up the replacement, I was being implored to switch to Android or iPhone by the store. It's hard for any friend's advice to compete with that!

I was discouraged also and even waited one BBOS phone before upgrading. Then I checked out my Verizon store to see what was going on before quarterly earnings. BlackBerry had some floosy chick stationed in Verizon doing nothing. She wanted a photo showing me the phones because her boss liked proof she was doing something. This was the sort of marketing brilliance they tried before Heins ran away.

Posted via CB10

[conite]

Everything is not absolutes. You write as though it's either spend like during Heins era or fire everyone associated with BB10. That's not how things work.

Posted via CB10

But in this case it is.

In the fall of 2013 they could have decided to go all in on hardware, or switch gears and move away.

Continuing developing and maintaining a full OS, including device design and manufacture, distribution, support, and marketing would have left nothing for anything else. I would argue they had overwhelmingly insufficient resources for such a course of action anyway, and they would have been out of business in a matter of months.

Had they even waited another quarter to cut bait, I don't believe they would be alive today.

[markmall]

No, the easy thing was to go with the grain and say, "We are going to transition to software.". That is what Wall Street wanted. What WS wants is not always best long term. I'm not speaking as a fanboy user either. I sold my shares a long time ago when I realized their was no big software revenue generator and Chen undermined hardware with his cuts and lack of marketing.

Everything is not absolutes. You write as though it's either spend like during Heins era or fire everyone associated with BB10. That's not how things work.

Posted via CB10

It was also easy to take huge write offs right away and ultimately pi__ away all the great things that your predecessors built. Wonder why he finds it so hard to bite the bullet on his Android odyssey.

Posted via CB10

[conite]

It was also easy to take huge write offs right away and ultimately pi__ away all the great things that your predecessors built. Wonder why he finds it so hard to bite the bullet on his Android odyssey.

Posted via CB10

Thorsten was still there when they did the billion dollar write down.

[markmall]

But in this case it is.

In the fall of 2013 they could have decided to go all in on hardware, or switch gears and move away.

Continuing developing and maintaining a full OS, including device design and manufacture, distribution, support, and marketing would have left nothing for anything else. I would argue they had overwhelmingly insufficient resources for such a course of action anyway, and they would have been out of business in a matter of months.

Had they even waited another quarter to cut bait, I don't believe they would be alive today.

How much more would they need to spend compared to now? The OS still works wonderfully. The companion apps need touch up work for Windows 10. They were over the hump with having a mature OS that worked the way it should. The only feature people say they want is "dark hub," and that is an inside joke.

Clearly, whatever they were spending on marketing was inefficient. The reporting at the time reflects a big ad buy when they launched. They didn't need to keep anything near that pace of advertising.

Another quarter and they would be underwater? That is easily checkable. I think they were at least a year from running out of capital and that would be without cutting back -- which they would have done no matter what.

One more all-touch device to succeed the Z30? One follow-up to the Classic? Updates so the companion apps would work on Windows 10? These steps would not have brought down the company in any respect. They might even be the same or less than what BB has spent on Android.