[tex3523]

This is a bad move long term. Short term good to help revenue.


Posted from my awesome Q10

[Dave Bourque]

This is a bad move long term. Short term good to help revenue.


Posted from my awesome Q10

This makes sense if they stop production once Q20 is ready to go.

Z10STL100-3/10.2.1.2141

[anon2100101]

The OS 10 IS undoubtly the better OS.But all the OS7-creatures of habit ruin BlackBerry future... Its like to avoid travelling by plane cause the company doesnt offer propeller driven planes....

[cgk]

This makes sense if they stop production once Q20 is ready to go.

Z10STL100-3/10.2.1.2141

Well it would if you think that people will magically leap to the classic except the sales of the last year show that the vast majority simply leave. Now you are going to say 'the classic is different' but we have heard this tune at least twice before and consumers didn't like it.

sent from my bright red Nexus 5

[AdventSign]

I don't know about others, but all I wanted was a Blackberry Curve or Bold a few months back...and nobody was carrying them anymore. Blackberry restarting it makes me a bit happy...honestly I think BB7 is for corporate people and BB10 is for "regular" consumers.

I think both can co-exist...BB7 is all you really need if you run a business. I would be going back to the Bold line up if I wasn't able to get the Q5 for lower than $200 and almost went with a Samsung phone because of the stupidly high prices.

Marketing and costs are the biggest barriers. People don't see the Z and Q line ups as money being well spent. Negative press hurts BADLY as well...4 of my friends went to Android simply because of the negative news of Blackberry.

[barbarianthemadserb]

wow, this has been a very interesting thread. I like it. I thank all who have contributed!

[afl777]

I do not understand Chen or his strategy. How many consumers thought that the 9900 was out of production ? Why even make an announcement ? The 9900 is an OK phone but only if you just use the phone to email ,text and make calls. My thoughts are if they want to continue to sell this phone then they should give the consumer some value. A bigger battery, better camera and a browser that is not lagging.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using CB Forums mobile app

The legacy devices started off as communication devices, email, secure messaging, calls, documents. They were used by everyone from goverment through professionals to small business owners.

Then gradually came the obsession with apps. People no longer content to use the search feature...but had to have an app. The google app store started to explode with hundreds of each app. Then youngsters found BBM. It all went downhill from there.

The low memory legacy phones were never designed for the app revolution....and although BBM became the cult the devices couldn't handle all the apps....so lowered memory and the famous little black clock. Now most can only remember the lag, the spinning clock.

Many people want a phone for email, phone, messaging. That's it. The outright leader in this field is Blackberry.

For those who literally want 'mobile computing' BB10 is awesome for that. For those who need a communicator the legacy can't be beaten.

My curve 9320 was well over a year old when Blackberry gave me my Z10. ....and it was still perfect. I never saw the spinning clock. I maintained it weekly, used it for communication.....occasionally jumping onto FB or Twitter when away from home. But as my communication debice it couldn't be beaten.

And the end of this ramble is that.....not everyone wants or needs a phone that will replace their PC. Some just need a legacy device.

[stevobbm]

That is all. They called me crazy!

#believeinfilm

You are crazy

I can only think this is a stop gap solution, they have to support bb7 until it becomes unpopular and sales drop. In the long term they can't support to OS's, so bb7 will give way at some stage.

Composed with my bb7+ device, aka the Q10.

Posted on CB10 with the Q10

[anon(5061193)]

I am so blown away by the fact that they are still selling more legacy devices than BB10.... That is crazy.......I am not sure how they should react to that.... Does that say that the legacy phones are amazing or that BB10 sucks???? I do miss my bold but am still happy with my Z30

[belfastdispatcher]

You are crazy

I can only think this is a stop gap solution, they have to support bb7 until it becomes unpopular and sales drop. In the long term they can't support to OS's, so bb7 will give way at some stage.

Composed with my bb7+ device, aka the Q10.

Posted on CB10 with the Q10

It's no longer me that's crazy, take it up with Chen now

I'm sure the initial plan thought BB7 will become unpopular and it sort of did, problem is the BB10 is even more unpopular.


#believeinfilm

[riss89]

one thing about consumerism that smart companies know- you can't please every market. but by continuing production of the Bold, as planned and per agreement that BB had w/ the manufacturing company, they not only supply a demand but they also honor a business agreement. there is nothing wrong w/ having two OS platforms, and while there will still be unhappy confused people who complain and question it (as if they're being forced to use both) this strategy has a better chance at pleasing more of the markets that BB services than NOT doing it. Let Chen do his job. Even if the return of the bold doesn't mean new updates for OS7 legacy devices, as Chen has already officially stated, it adds to the encouragement that OS 7 WILL continue to be supported indefinitely. So you don't like the return of the bold ? okay, then don't get one.. problem solved.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9350

[TgeekB]

This makes sense if they stop production once Q20 is ready to go.

Z10STL100-3/10.2.1.2141

Why would they do that when they are outselling BB10?

Posted via my Nexus 10.

[qbnkelt]

Thanks for the entertaining thread as I have my Saturday morning coffee, BD. Of course, you've now made me late for my mani/pedi appointment....

[kbz1960]

I am so blown away by the fact that they are still selling more legacy devices than BB10.... That is crazy.......I am not sure how they should react to that.... Does that say that the legacy phones are amazing or that BB10 sucks???? I do miss my bold but am still happy with my Z30

The thing is the legacy devices may be selling better but they still are not being bought by new customers. They are upgrades from existing customers that don't want to move to BB10. Seems BB10 isn't bringing many new customers either. Not good either way but I would think BB10 has more time to gain traction than an old OS that has been stagnant for years already.

[CHIP72]

Have you ever wondered maybe that's what BlackBerry customers want from BlackBerry?

Nobody seems to want BB10 after all, ok not nobody but very very few.


#believeinfilm

If customers really wanted BB7 devices, Blackberry's market share wouldn't have dropped dramatically relative to Apple, Google, and Microsoft between 2010 and 2012. Additionally, Blackberry's absolute sales numbers for BB7 devices wouldn't still be in decline either.

The issue with BB10 IMO is that 1) most general consumers gave up on Blackberry in 2011 and 2012 and no longer pay attention to Blackberry and 2) most people aren't aware BB10 exists, in large part because of #1.

[belfastdispatcher]

The thing is the legacy devices may be selling better but they still are not being bought by new customers. They are upgrades from existing customers that don't want to move to BB10. Seems BB10 isn't bringing many new customers either. Not good either way but I would think BB10 has more time to gain traction than an old OS that has been stagnant for years already.

And you know that how? Does it matter anyway as long as they are being bought?


#believeinfilm

[CHIP72]

one thing about consumerism that smart companies know- you can't please every market. but by continuing production of the Bold, as planned and per agreement that BB had w/ the manufacturing company, they not only supply a demand but they also honor a business agreement. there is nothing wrong w/ having two OS platforms, and while there will still be unhappy confused people who complain and question it (as if they're being forced to use both) this strategy has a better chance at pleasing more of the markets that BB services than NOT doing it. Let Chen do his job. Even if the return of the bold doesn't mean new updates for OS7 legacy devices, as Chen has already officially stated, it adds to the encouragement that OS 7 WILL continue to be supported indefinitely. So you don't like the return of the bold ? okay, then don't get one.. problem solved.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9350

Even though I think it is dumb for Blackberry to continue supporting BB7, the above comment is a reasonable point.

Having said that, Blackberry's approach reminds me of what Atari did back in the 1980s in the video game industry. During the latter half of that decade, they supported both the new 7800 system and the legacy 2600 system (and even made the 7800 backwards compatible with the 2600). However, it ultimately didn't matter because Nintendo overwhelmed them with the NES because that system had most of the games (apps) people wanted. (In some European and South American markets, it was Sega, with its Sega Master System, that "won" the Nintendo vs Sega vs Atari battle in the late 1980s.) During the period when Atari "led" the market (i.e. the very late 1970s and early 1980s), it didn't do enough to advance the market. As a result, many consumers were turned off and looked elsewhere when attractive alternatives presented themselves.

[afl777]

One question for everyone to think about.

When android released Kitkat, did users go onto the android forum to state that all devices below Kitkat should be binned?

Well?

[RubberChicken76]

Even though I think it is dumb for Blackberry to continue supporting BB7, the above comment is a reasonable point.

Having said that, Blackberry's approach reminds me of what Atari did back in the 1980s in the video game industry. During the latter half of that decade, they supported both the new 7800 system and the legacy 2600 system (and even made the 7800 backwards compatible with the 2600). However, it ultimately didn't matter because Nintendo overwhelmed them with the NES because that system had most of the games (apps) people wanted. (In some European and South American markets, it was Sega, with its Sega Master System, that "won" the Nintendo vs Sega vs Atari battle in the late 1980s.)

Maybe BlackBerry devices will have the cool afterlife that the 7800 has had though :-)

[coldRooster]

And you know that how? Does it matter anyway as long as they are being bought?


#believeinfilm

He has a point. How many people on crackberry start a new thread?- "OMG I JUST GOT A FIVE YEAR OLD BBOS7 PHONE AND ITS BETTER THAN ANYTHING OUT THERE!" No one. The only people would be those that have already had them. Current, not new customers. And no, I'm not going solely off of crackberry. Just look around. How many people go around sprouting new os7 devices? Not a single person I know. And I bet not you.

Posted via 10.3 on Verizon

[belfastdispatcher]

I do not understand Chen or his strategy. How many consumers thought that the 9900 was out of production ? Why even make an announcement ? The 9900 is an OK phone but only if you just use the phone to email ,text and make calls. My thoughts are if they want to continue to sell this phone then they should give the consumer some value. A bigger battery, better camera and a browser that is not lagging.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using CB Forums mobile app

He made the announcement for the same reason Thor announced "one more BB7 device", to let investors know they have a backup plan to fall on.

If I was BB shareholder I would demand the same from Chen, why are you not making the devices a segment of the market still want? You just cant refuse to sell a product some people still want.

[coldRooster]

Why would they do that when they are outselling BB10?

Posted via my Nexus 10.

Because the whole purpose of the Q20 is to get the crippled over to BB10. One or the other has to go. It's a money waste.

Posted via 10.3 on Verizon

[Jerale]

Hopefully John Chen finds a way to sell more Q20s than Bolds and only then will the BBOS go unsold.

Powered by my BlackBerry (Z10). Join my #BBM Channels C001227CF, C00476C37, C003829C9, C002454C9,C002190AC, C00120CE3

[coldRooster]

He made the announcement for the same reason Thor announced "one more BB7 device", to let investors know they have a backup plan to fall on.

If I was BB shareholder I would demand the same from Chen, why are you not making the devices a segment of the market still want? You just cant refuse to sell a product some people still want.

Because that segment of the market is miniscule compared to the others.

Posted via 10.3 on Verizon

[CHIP72]

Blackberry's approach reminds me of what Atari did back in the 1980s in the video game industry. During the latter half of that decade, they supported both the new 7800 system and the legacy 2600 system (and even made the 7800 backwards compatible with the 2600). However, it ultimately didn't matter because Nintendo overwhelmed them with the NES because that system had most of the games (apps) people wanted. (In some European and South American markets, it was Sega, with its Sega Master System, that "won" the Nintendo vs Sega vs Atari battle in the late 1980s.) During the period when Atari "led" the market (i.e. the very late 1970s and early 1980s), it didn't do enough to advance the market. As a result, many consumers were turned off and looked elsewhere when attractive alternatives presented themselves.

Maybe BlackBerry devices will have the cool afterlife that the 7800 has had though :-)

I'm confident Blackberry devices actually will! Many people have a soft spot for consumer technology that appeals to them or appealed to them at some point in their life. Those devices are nostalgia to people. Heck, even though I pretty much don't play console video games anymore (and that has almost nothing to do with smartphones; I don't play games very much on smartphones either), I still have all of my old video game systems...including my Atari 2600 and Atari 7800 (and NES and SMS)!

I should note people will or already have nostalgia for Palm OS, Symbian, Windows Mobile, iOS, Android, and WP7/8 smartphones, so the "cool afterlife" won't be unique to Blackberry devices.