[notfanboy]

This is an transcript of what Heins said when we first heard about this phone on June 28:

While eventually all products will move to BlackBerry 10, our existing BlackBerry 7 customer base remains an important market to us. Many emerging markets continue to purchase BlackBerry 7 smartphones based on its effective cost point and features such as BBM.

Enterprise customers continue to leverage the security and cost-effectiveness of the platform with products such as the Bold 9900, which continues to be the most productivity focused and secure smartphone in the world today.

Our customer base is just starting its transition from the BlackBerry 7 operating system to BlackBerry 10, but we still intend to launch one additional product this year to support the BlackBerry 7 segment as well.

In it he mentions both emerging markets and enterprise customers. Many were puzzled at the time how a single device was supposed to serve both markets.

[notfanboy]

Does this phone have a secret feature to justify thus price? I guess if it was a secret nobody should know yet.

Curious you mention that, I just found this leak:

The 9270 will be a Collector's Edition phone with a limited numbered run.

It will be called the BlackBerry Legacy and you will be able to order it in three styles. The back panel will come with stylish gold trimmed engraved signatures and you can choose from one of 1) Mike Lazaridis, 2) Jim Balsillie, or 3) belfastdispatcher

[birdman_38]

Why waste RnD to add a product to a failing line if you couldn't even make it attractive price wise.

Are we still talking about legacy OS?

[koolrosh]

Nobody said the 9720 would be an entry level device and priced as such. It has better specs than the Curve 9320 which can be had for $150 on prepaid in Canada.

Keep in mind the only reason for the 9720 is to accommodate the Bold 9900's update cycle. The target market is enterprise. The pricing is fine.

STOP comparing it to older BlackBerries, they are not selling. Look at the competition. Look at how Nokia is pricing their newer phones, with better specs, modern OS. Half the price of this joke of a phone..

Posted via CB10

[koolrosh]

Annoying how many armchair ceos this site has. I had no idea everybody in this forum went to school for business and at one point in their life has run a tech company.

I am waiting for Blackberry to prove all these armchair CEOs wrong! But they haven't. They keep making mistake after mistake.

Posted via CB10

[Sir Melon]

Lol

.

[Unbiased Tech]

Annoying how many armchair ceos this site has. I had no idea everybody in this forum went to school for business and at one point in their life has run a tech company.

You don't have to be an armchair ceo to realize that the phone is greatly overpriced. In fact just being a consumer is a more powerful position because no one is going to spend hard earned money on this if they're looking for a "budget" phone. The fact of the matter is this is an outdated phone selling well over most budget handsets on the market. Thats like Sony trying to sell you a PS3 with only 4 Gb of storage for $300. Everyone has their opinions and that's the point of a forum but I'm going to ask you not as a ceo, but a consumer. Would you pay $280 for that phone?

Posted via CB10

[RubberChicken76]

Hopefully they will slash the price faster than usual.

I wonder if it's a deliberate move to get the early adopters and then drop the price for the masses. Seems to be happening all over the place with phones in general lately. iPhone being the one exception

[RubberChicken76]

I am waiting for Blackberry to prove all these armchair CEOs wrong! But they haven't. They keep making mistake after mistake.

I actually wish the armchair CEOs would put their money where their mouths are and apply to be CEO, CMO, COO, Sales leads, CTOs etc.

Tell the board of your legendary business skills, your vast track record and your plans to lead the company to greatness, including how you will grow them from 10 billion to 12 billion in 3 months, 12 billion to 15 billion in 6 months, 15 billion to 20 billion within 12 month.

[Jerky223]

One thing I didn't see mentioned is the source.
Tero Kuittinen at Forbes is the same Tero Kuittinen at BGR.

Where do most negative slanted BB news articles come from...BGR.

[notfanboy]

I actually wish the armchair CEOs would put their money where their mouths are and apply to be CEO, CMO, COO, Sales leads, CTOs etc.

Tell the board of your legendary business skills, your vast track record and your plans to lead the company to greatness, including how you will grow them from 10 billion to 12 billion in 3 months, 12 billion to 15 billion in 6 months, 15 billion to 20 billion within 12 month.

Looks like you're an armchair career counselor. Put your money where your mouth is and apply for that job.

[ajst222]

I actually wish the armchair CEOs would put their money where their mouths are and apply to be CEO, CMO, COO, Sales leads, CTOs etc.

Tell the board of your legendary business skills, your vast track record and your plans to lead the company to greatness, including how you will grow them from 10 billion to 12 billion in 3 months, 12 billion to 15 billion in 6 months, 15 billion to 20 billion within 12 month.

*Walks into BlackBerry building* "Hi, yes I would like to apply to be the CEO"

In all honesty, you don't have any concerns on how the executive team and the board is running the company? We should just be quiet? Cmon...this is what forums are for. And that's why there is a dedicated section for it. If you don't want to be part of it, then leave. Simple as that. You see the title of the thread. For those who want to air their concerns about BlackBerry, they can do it.

Posted via CB10

[Morty2264]

I don't get it. I bought my Nokia C3, an entry level smartphone, for around $200 three years ago. Why would BlackBerry mark this smartphone product at $280? Make it $200, $180, or even $150. People who want a smartphone but can't afford one - and who want a decent keyboard - would probably love to spend within the price range of $100-150 for a phone that does as much as the BlackBerry does. I don't get why they're coming out with a 9720 device. My Bold 9780 was a stellar phone, but I don't get why BlackBerry would focus on a 900-series device when they are currently trying to push BB10. Either slash BB10 prices or just stick with BB10, but why make a lower-end (not bad, I don't mean it in that sense!) device and hike up that price? I just don't get it. Yes, it's a cool phone, but I don't see it really working unless they slash the price by at least $150.

[amazinglygraceless]

One thing I didn't see mentioned is the source.
Tero Kuittinen at Forbes is the same Tero Kuittinen at BGR.

Where do most negative BB news articles come from...BGR.

For heavens' sake, more of this BGR is the devil nonsense. BGR was not mentioned as the article posted did NOT use one single quote from the BGR article. It simply provided a redirect to that article for those interested. But having read the BGR article (did you?) I can not find anywhere in it this negativity you mention. A simple statement of facts (whether you like those facts or not) is not negativity.

But I'll let everyone else decide that on their own. This is the BGR article on the same:

BlackBerry has made many product pricing missteps in recent years. The tablet was priced far too ambitiously. The first two models featuring the new OS10 were both priced above $600, which was a mistake. This summer’s value model , Q5, was priced well above $400, which is too much for the mid-range buyers to bear. But the oddest decision BlackBerry has ever made was pricing the new 9720 at $280, where the model is now debuting in America and Europe. The 9720 is a budget model saddled with an ancient operating system and a display that is only 2.7 inches. This is not necessarily a bad idea – the new Nokia Asha 501 is currently selling at least tolerably well, even though it has a 3 inch display and an even older OS.

Maybe worth $149 if we assume a 50% BlackBerry premium?

But the Asha 501 is priced currently below $100. It can actually be bought right now under $80 in some key markets. And even with this level of price aggression, Nokia’s Asha unit volumes have missed consensus for two quarters running. That’s how tough the budget phone market right now. You need a 3 inch display, a decent camera, new UI software on top of your creaking old OS - and you still have to price these types of models below $100. And you still end up with declining volumes, as devices equipped with newer Android OS continue gaining budget share.

Pricing the BlackBerry 9720 at $280 seems like an epic folly by BlackBerry. The price will look even more ludicrous if Apple launches the new value iPhone around $350. The scary thing here is that if the company cannot sell a BlackBerry phone using the old OS under $250 this summer, it can hardly expected to sell an OS10 device under $200 anytime soon. And it’s quite possible that the low-end BlackBerries need to move to under $150, not just under $200.

The low-end Android competition has reshaped the budget phone market radically over the past two years. It seems that BlackBerry remains entirely incapable of responding to the pace of change

[Unbiased Tech]

I actually wish the armchair CEOs would put their money where their mouths are and apply to be CEO, CMO, COO, Sales leads, CTOs etc.

Tell the board of your legendary business skills, your vast track record and your plans to lead the company to greatness, including how you will grow them from 10 billion to 12 billion in 3 months, 12 billion to 15 billion in 6 months, 15 billion to 20 billion within 12 month.

Or maybe some of these "armchair ceos" are actually just consumers that are worried about a company that they support with their hard earned dollar.
Maybe they want to buy some of these phones for family members as a gift or want to suggest a blackberry phone to friends and or colleagues that don't spend much on phones. Maybe they want to buy an entry level phone for their children, nieces and nephews, but it's way out of their price range. Maybe they might still like OS 7, but would rather stick to their bolds and torches that had better specs in 2011 and a more premium feel. Maybe they are just worried about a company they love who is at this moment possibly up for sale. Maybe they were early PB adopters that were lied to. Maybe they were tired of Jim and Mike and they can see bad management. Maybe they don't think the management is bad and just want to offer some ideas. Maybe they don't want android, ios, or Windows Phone. Maybe they want BlackBerry to keep making phones well into the future. Maybe they have made deep investments with BlackBerry over the years with phones, accessories and apps and don't want to have to switch. But maybe they are just armchair ceos that think they can do a better job than the management with deep experience and get paid millions to do their exact jobs. But maybe these armchair ceos are just BlackBerry addicts that come to a forum to voice their opinions on the company they love, products they are passionate about, services they revolve their lives around, security they can rely on, messaging that is quick and efficient. Maybe,they shouldn't be bashed for an opinion or an idea they don't expect to get read by management. Maybe they realize feedback from loyal customers is important in business. Maybe, just maybe these "armchair ceos" are actually just people don't agree with every decision their favorite company makes (they agree with some of course or they wouldn't be using BlackBerry products) and just want to see them thrive in a very competitive market so that same company can keep making the products these "armchair ceos" love. And if that makes me or any people you refer to an "armchair ceo" then so be it.

Posted via CB10

[amazinglygraceless]

People, this conversation is about the phone and it's pricing not about armchair CEOs, ottoman Ombudsmen, footrest Finance Directors, coffee table CTOs or any other "furniture executive"

FOCUS!!

[notfanboy]

People, this conversation is about the phone and it's pricing not about armchair CEOs, ottoman Ombudsmen, footrest Finance Directors, coffee table CTOs or any other "furniture executive"

FOCUS!!

Hmmmpf, another armchair forum moderator.

[amazinglygraceless]

Hmmmpf, another armchair forum moderator.

Touch� Old habits die hard

[danprown]

You are joking but the irony is the the board will not listen. As we saw recently, some people with actual legendary business skills already pitched the board and were dismissed.

I actually wish the armchair CEOs would put their money where their mouths are and apply to be CEO, CMO, COO, Sales leads, CTOs etc.

Tell the board of your legendary business skills, your vast track record and your plans to lead the company to greatness, including how you will grow them from 10 billion to 12 billion in 3 months, 12 billion to 15 billion in 6 months, 15 billion to 20 billion within 12 month.

[danprown]

We're talkin' about bbos, not bb10, not bb10, not bb10, we talkin' about bbos. Not bb10. Not the bb10 we go out there and die for, but we're talking about bb10...

Are we still talking about legacy OS?

[needforbbx]

They need to get out of the hardware business. Handover the hardware to LENOVO, ASUS or SONY.

[Saiga]

wow i dont know what to say. I picked up my Lumia 521 for $119 with a case and some earbuds tax and shipping included. SMDH

Hey Mat, how are you liking the 521? I remember you mentioning that you were planning on picking one up a while ago.

[amazinglygraceless]

I wonder if it's a deliberate move to get the early adopters and then drop the price for the masses. Seems to be happening all over the place with phones in general lately. iPhone being the one exception

I always wondered about this as a practice. It seems to me that while it would make the late-comers happy the early adopters would feel shafted. Then again I guess if there is enough time between the release and price drop it would not really matter.

[Witmen]

They are really taking a beating over the price of the 9720. The last thing they need is more bad press. Even though, the bad press is pretty much warranted. Why in the world would anyone buy the 9720 at that price when there are so many better and cheaper alternatives. This article's title sums it up pretty well in my opinion:

BlackBerry�s latest smartphone proves that the company is completely clueless when it comes to pricing - GadgetNerdly

[bobshine]

What? why is everyone complaining...what would you guys had said if its priced low? That it will compete with the current line of BB10 phones? I think its good that they price it this high, so that they can sell more BB10 phone.