[Ethereo]

Somehow I suspect the average disposable income in India is not quite the same as it is in Canada.

You got to compare the price with other new flagships phones, and for my understanding the Iphone 6 is more expensive, so it is in the price segment that should be, I know in Colombia (where the minimum monthly wage is U$350) I will have to pay at least U$750 but the Iphone is going to be like U$1000, and I can afford any of them, which one is my preference? The Passport

[nbaliga]

I too am surprised at the price, but I think I understand it....somewhat.

India is price conscious but also a class based society. Those that are affluent like to show off quite a bit.
Appearances matter a lot in India. Just go to a wedding and see the gold on the bride.

I think we need to keep in mind is that this is targeted as a BUSINESS phone.
Business customers in India who would buy this phone are not as price conscious as one might think, because business people in India are usually in the affluent category that like showing off.

I'm of Indian origin with family all over the country, and when I go to India or talk to my parents, I keep hearing bragging about how much so and so paid for their house, or how much they paid for a wedding, or that so and so bought a mercedes imported, blah blah blah

[Acuratl]

You can't be serious that they would give this away? This is not meant for consumers, it's meant for business professionals and they can afford them. You can buy a Classic when it comes out with lower specs in around the price you might be expecting.

[Dave Bourque]

Since you paid 44.5k for a Z10 that was an outdated device the moment it launched, I'm sure the extra 10% for the passport wouldn't be a problem, since the passport is a up to date phone.

In Europe passport costs well over 800$, and they all sold out.

Passport is the first BB10 device to be priced correctly based on the specs.

Z10STL100-3/10.2.1.3247

[scrannel]

Noting to do with India ("sorry"). But when I first saw pictures of the Passport I was stunned: a freakin' phone that looks like the front door to a 60's era toaster oven? For sure I thought Chen had absolutely sunk the company. 40% gain in stock. Sold out. Then I began finding out how many people actually miss a hard keyboard. Amazing really. Can Apple and Samsung be far behind?

[Joao Oliveira]

Passport is the first BB10 device to be priced correctly based on the specs.

Z10STL100-3/10.2.1.3247

Agree

[ophjacks45]

I just love the pricing that BlackBerry did for the Passport in India.
Why? = the steeper the initial price + loyalists not buying or most of them (due to no good resale value later) + pent up stocks = higher reductions in price "soooooon"!
Waited so long for the Passport, some more days or months wouldn't kill me, and keep my Bank balance happy too :P lmao

Posted via CB10

To those who think that BlackBerry will do a Z10 with Passport pricing after 6 months or a year, forget about it. Wake-up to the reality of BlackBerry under John Chen. Some points to remember:

1. The Z10 inventory fiasco brought BlackBerry to the brink of becoming extinct. The previous management grossly overestimated the demand for BB10 devices.
2. The unsold inventory of these devices was written down massively to less than cost. That is the reason that those devices were available at ridiculously discounted prices within 6 months to a year of their launch. It is also the reason why BlackBerry tethered on the verge of bankruptcy last November.
3. The BlackBerry of today under John Chen would prefer to err on the side of caution, even if it means that they could lose out on potential sales due to non-availability of inventory.
4. John Chen, ever since he took over, has kept a tight leash on margins. In fact, on the recent earnings call, one of the reasons provided for the revenue decline in Q2 2015 was that they had to turn down some low margin deals. He further stated that the Passport is priced to make money for BlackBerry. i.e. It is not going to be a loss leader like the Z10.
5. The Passport is targeted at a niche audience. It is and most likely will never be a device that appeals across the spectrum of users. In other words, it is a low-volume but relatively better margin product. BlackBerry priced this product based on its modest expectations of a comparatively lower sales number.
6. BB never expected this device to set the sales charts on fire given that it was targeted at this niche audience. If people don't see the value in the Passport for their mobility needs, they are free to move on and buy the device that best suits their requirement. BB wouldn't mind one bit.
7. This is not the BB of early and mid 2013, its driven by a new management which has ruthless focus on its margins. Get used to it.

[bungaboy]

Insulting?

I don't think you quite understand the discussion here. A lot of Z10s were sold in India at a very high price tag more expensive than the US. Poor, is your comment.

BTW, Passport is a premium phone targeted at a niche crowd. I think the price may eventually come down.

Who was it that forced the Indian consumers to buy them?

[b121]

Just curious, how does the passport compare to the iPhone 6 in India?

Posted via CB10

[bungaboy]

Just curious, how does the passport compare to the iPhone 6 in India?

Posted via CB10

Passport doesn't bend in India either. LoL

[Sonu Chawla]

Passport is a unique phone but blackberry has not learnt it lesson from its mistake. I was planning to buy this phone but at this price I will buy some other flagship . BlackBerry must revise its pricing strategy.

[b121]

Lol. Of course I meant price

Posted via CB10

[qmendiv]

Lol. Of course I meant price

Posted via CB10

iPhone 6 is overpriced considering the materials used to build it. It bends. Passport doesn't.

Z10STL100-3/10.3.0.1154

[bhrgvr]

You guys sure it's 50? My dealer went to the company kickoff last week. They were told 45, negotiable down to 40 last.

Posted via CB10

Which dealer and city please?

Posted via CB10

[RH1Pearl]

It's human nature to hate and ridicule anything that is different or out of the norm. You see it all throughout history.

The BlackBerry Passport although received much better then expected, will always be subject to those who can't handle change or difference. These are usually people who are followers and not leaders in there everyday lives. You watch, price will go down eventually in India and the next thing you know some person there will post on how it's the best thing since slice bread and worth every penny!



Look! It's Zedzilla10! ?

Wow, I didn't realize BlackBerry users are the cream of the crop. The 99% Android and IPhone users are just followers in the industry. I guess you're in that top 1% of the income and business leaders. Can I apply for your company? You must have at least 200,000 employees.

[aTrueBbLover]

Mere baap ka naam bambani hai bambaani..ambaani nahi..yet I will buy this at any cost..but after 6 month

Posted via CB10

[Krishna Ram]

Which dealer and city please?

Posted via CB10

I'm going over to his shop to play with the phone a bit more. Want to confirm one time whether the 40 to 45 price is for the general public or just for me as a valued customer.

As soon as I have that I'll post the details here. It's in bombay, big dealer, very tied in to BlackBerry for more than a decade.

Posted via CB10

[anon(5828343)]

It seems as though BBRY is taking the same approach to India as it is to other markets and pricing the Passport just below the iPhone 6. The Indian media have speculated that the iPhone 6 will retail starting at INR60,000 (Apple iPhone 6 specifications: iPhone 6 tentative price in India revealed | Latest News & Gossip on Popular Trends at India.com) so at INR50,000, it would appear that BBRY is taking the same approach.

The reaction by the OP and other Indian consumers is no different than the reaction some (not all) US consumers have to Passport. By undercutting the iPhone 6 and other flagship devices by small amount, many, me included, feel that BBRY has misstepped and rather than using price to create momentum and excitement, has once again failed to learn from past mistakes by setting to high a retail price for their devices.

Who knows what the future holds? BBRY has already set a very low bar by repeatedly saying that they are not targeting consumers but rather enterprise customers. Is 200,000 good? For Blackberry, it certainly is especially when you only sell about 2.5 million devices a quarter, 200,000 over 1 or 2 days is truly amazing.

Here's hoping that Passport sells.

[Abhay2903]

calculating price is simple. Someone game me a formula to calculate any device release price for Indian
IE : price in $*80
600$*80= 48k

Z 3 Price

199*80 ie 16K

[tushargkwd]

I posted on this thread that it should have been available at around 700$ = roughly 42k rupees...

All I want this time is that they price it right the first time so that they get early adopters as well and those who can be influenced by the early buyers...

Also, BlackBerry has become infamous here due to the ridiculous price reductions after a couple of months of introducing any phone (z10, q10, q5).... that's called Customer Dissonance in Marketing terms... and its bad for the brand image!

All I wanted is to price it right and continue with that price... so that it will continue to command premium pricing and need not lessen the price soon to increase sales.

Please don't make fun of people... we don't want Passport for free... I too bought my Z10 at the launch date here... but was expecting a better pricing....anyways I'll be still a BlackBerry fan forever and looking forward to buy a Passport!

Posted via CB10... and my awesome Z10

[BBFanIndia]

BB always seems to get ridiculed for dropping prices but the fact is that all companies do the same thing. The smart thing to do is to drop it 10 - 20 % every few months and then discontinue the product after 2 - 3 price drops.

For example -

Launch in January at Rs. 50 K
Drop price to Rs. 42 K after 3 months
Drop price to Rs. 36 K after 6 months
Drop price to Rs. 30 K after 9 months
Discontinue phone in 12 months or take another price drop.

Where BB erred was holding on to the price for too long and dropping it suddenly which made it seem like a liquidation sale.

Here is an example of the Samsung S5 price movement in India

April ~ Rs. 51 K
June ~ Rs. 40 K
September ~ Rs. 38 K
November - My guess is ~ Rs. 33 K - 35 K.

[bhrgvr]

I'm going over to his shop to play with the phone a bit more. Want to confirm one time whether the 40 to 45 price is for the general public or just for me as a valued customer.

As soon as I have that I'll post the details here. It's in bombay, big dealer, very tied in to BlackBerry for more than a decade.

Posted via CB10

Oh... thanks... all the best on the phone... hope you like it enough to buy it

Posted via CB10

[tushargkwd]

BB always seems to get ridiculed for dropping prices but the fact is that all companies do the same thing. The smart thing to do is to drop it 10 - 20 % every few months and then discontinue the product after 2 - 3 price drops.

For example -

Launch in January at Rs. 50 K
Drop price to Rs. 42 K after 3 months
Drop price to Rs. 36 K after 6 months
Drop price to Rs. 30 K after 9 months
Discontinue phone in 12 months or take another price drop.

Where BB erred was holding on to the price for too long and dropping it suddenly which made it seem like a liquidation sale.

Here is an example of the Samsung S5 price movement in India

April ~ Rs. 51 K
June ~ Rs. 40 K
September ~ Rs. 38 K
November - My guess is ~ Rs. 33 K - 35 K.

Hey BbFan,
I understand that the prices for all smartphones reduce in time.... but they fall taken by BlackBerry's flagships (Z10 and Q10).

I just hope that they don't continue to have the same pattern again.... and here we have Dusshera and Diwali festival coming soon (when people shop a lot).... they don't drastically reduce prices which will cause dissonance among early adopters....

I'm pretty excited to get my hands on Passport.. but the fact that if I can get the same device at a reduced price after a couple of months or so, then I'd better wait rather than paying a high premium of around 50k.... And I think people paying 65k for iP+ are crazy... they can rather invest their money better somewhere else.

Posted via CB10... and my awesome Z10

[Joao Oliveira]

Passport is a unique phone but blackberry has not learnt it lesson from its mistake. I was planning to buy this phone but at this price I will buy some other flagship . BlackBerry must revise its pricing strategy.

Passport has the specs of Galaxy S5's, HTC One M8, LG G3, and has about the same price aswell. Z10's and Q10's were overpriced when they came out, but Passport is right for the specs it has... In a way, Passport is cheaper than the Androids with same specs, because it has a Screen and a touch keyboard, where others just have the screen.

[eyesopen1111]

I don't see why India should pay more for Passport phones than we do here in the USA, so I understand why some feel the pricing is unfair. Talk to Chen about that.

But even in the US, inventories at launch were low and the Passport sold out quickly. Since then, looking at USA Amazon.com, the price of the Passport has gone up due to short supplies. It is clear that the phone is not selling nearly as well at the higher price points, since Passport has already dropped from 1st place top seller after launch day to 4th place now.

It remains to be seen how much pent-up demand is left in either India or the US, but if demand at higher prices isn't strong enough to maintain sales momentum in the US, it seems unlikely to maintain strong sales in India.

Z-30 / STA100-5 / 10.3.0.1154 / T-Mobile USA

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