[UKAsh]

Yes and No!! I want to know about the story behind the story,HAHA!!! What was Chen doing in Singapore???

He is probably in Asia for the launch of Passport in South East Asia markets, such as Malaysia & Indonesia.

[luv2xlr8#CB]

This is a fantastic price point and if it has the specs with the 32gb built in and supports up to 128gb sd card... this is bargain. This will sell well in the begin but the question is will it attract new users? and how will they market this to the world?

[UKAsh]

I'm not sure that I agree with you on $399. I do feel that they could have gone more competitive than this, but it does appear that some pricing analysis took place in the back rooms so I'm hoping they got it right. I would have liked to see it closer to the $500 mark personally ti really differentiate the price from the competition. I do agree that $599 does not go far enough probably in separating it from a $649 iPhone.

Posted via CB10

I probably think they are competing the Passport against the iPhone 6 plus rather than the standard version.

[dejanh]

I probably think they are competing the Passport against the iPhone 6 plus rather than the standard version.

Most likely, yes. Both come with the same ecosystem though, whereas BlackBerry has barely any. As I said earlier though, I trust they did some analysis before deciding to price it at $599 so let's see how things go.

Posted via CB10

[drano]

A great price as long as its available everywhere off contract day one. If not the price doesn't matter.

Can't wait!!!!!

[anon(3993749)]

It's a right price for BlackBerry users and loyalists. For people who was buying BlackBerry phones for years for insanely prices. It's not a right price if you consider BlackBerry market position and its struggle to gain some substantial market share. With $599 they are to close to competition top of the line models. Heck, if I have $599 ready to spent on the phone, I'll go with iPhone 6, and I've tried BB10 and I even like it. I like it a lot.
I honestly cannot imagine anyone with cash in their hands going into store and saying: "look this new strange looking BlackBerry, how affordable it is for a price of $600. Lets give it a chance and even save whole $50". IMO, if they can't launch phone for $399, its better not to try at all.

There is no comparison between the Passport and the iPhone 6 when it comes to specs. The Passport should be at least 30% more expensive based on components alone.

iPhone 6:
16GB memory
1GB RAM
1000500 pixels IPS display
1,810mAh battery
1.4GHz dual core SoC
Finger print sensor
8Mpx camera (no OIS)

Passport
32GB memory (plus microSD card slot)
3GB RAM
2073600 pixels IPS display
3,450mAh battery
2.15GHz quad core SoC
Touch physical keyboard
13Mpx camera (with OIS)

Posted via CB10

[chalx]

So you are comparing the price for an iphone6 with much lower specifications with the Passport price. And even thought the iphone is still 50$ more expensive you still think the inferior iphone6 model is a better buy than the Passport? Interesting, but I think that is the fundament of Apple's success: people buying inferior stuff for superior prices without even considering other options since it is a product from Apple. Every Guru looks like a dumb fool next to Apple.

Competitive device isn't just sum of its components. Spec war is invented by Android manufacturers to be able to gain competitive edge over competition in same ecosystem. If you compare device performance between different ecosystems, pure specifications are not so important.

[deltact]

I'm not sure that I agree with you on $399. I do feel that they could have gone more competitive than this, but it does appear that some pricing analysis took place in the back rooms so I'm hoping they got it right. I would have liked to see it closer to the $500 mark personally ti really differentiate the price from the competition. I do agree that $599 does not go far enough probably in separating it from a $649 iPhone.

Posted via CB10

I'm not sure they need to distinguish it from the iPhone 6 based on pricing. The price just needs to be reasonable so that it is presented as a viable alternative that may entice users of other platforms. Putting it in a lower price bracket may remove it from being "competition".

Now I need to beg my wife for $600, or whatever the Canadian pricing is, which always seems to be higher than the US!

Posted via CB10 on Z10

[GoJaysGo]

So you are comparing the price for an iphone6 with much lower specifications with the Passport price. And even thought the iphone is still 50$ more expensive you still think the inferior iphone6 model is a better buy than the Passport? Interesting, but I think that is the fundament of Apple's success: people buying inferior stuff for superior prices without even considering other options since it is a product from Apple. Every Guru looks like a dumb fool next to Apple.

For a phone that is so inferior, it seems to be beating pretty much everything in bench marks... Oh, I know, benchmarks don't mean anything unless your phone brand is leading them, I get it...

AnandTech | iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus: Preliminary Results

[spikesolie]

For a phone that is so inferior, it seems to be beating pretty much everything in bench marks... Oh, I know, benchmarks don't mean anything unless your phone brand is leading them, I get it...

AnandTech | iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus: Preliminary Results

Benchmark compared to what? Passport isn't even released yet to compare? Comparison was between passport and ip6. Common sense

Posted from zee flicking coolest smartphone evah!

[insandouts]

So you are comparing the price for an iphone6 with much lower specifications with the Passport price. And even thought the iphone is still 50$ more expensive you still think the inferior iphone6 model is a better buy than the Passport? Interesting, but I think that is the fundament of Apple's success: people buying inferior stuff for superior prices without even considering other options since it is a product from Apple. Every Guru looks like a dumb fool next to Apple.

Please stop the inferior lies cuz other than more ram the Passport does not have anything better than the 6. When you buy a smartphone you not only buy the hardware but the services and apps that come with it(ecosystem) as well, and Blackberry does not have any. Yes $599 is too much for just the hardware.

[muhlan]

Please stop the inferior lies cuz other than more ram the Passport does not have anything better than the 6. When you buy a smartphone you not only buy the hardware but the services and apps that come with it(ecosystem) as well, and Blackberry does not have any. Yes $599 is too much for just the hardware.

Please stop the "Blackberry does not have any (services and apps)" lies.

[muhlan]

Please stop the inferior lies cuz other than more ram the Passport does not have anything better than the 6. When you buy a smartphone you not only buy the hardware but the services and apps that come with it(ecosystem) as well, and Blackberry does not have any. Yes $599 is too much for just the hardware.

Just curious: every one of your 214 posts is Anti Blackberry and Pro Apple. Do you not think there are better forums for you? I mean I am not interested in Apple products and therefore do not troll Apple forums claiming how overpriced and useless the Apple products are.

[insandouts]

Just curious: every one of your 214 posts is Anti Blackberry and Pro Apple. Do you not think there are better forums for you? I mean I am not interested in Apple products and therefore do not troll Apple forums claiming how overpriced and useless the Apple products are.

I guess you only have to hear how BB are great..and honest opinion don't matter. Please report first weekend sales next weekend but if less than 10 millions why bother.

[flyersfan76]

is that $599 with or without tax?

As a person in North American I can say for sure that it does not include tax. Retail prices in the states are rarely if ever quoted including taxes.

A lot of states, counties, cities, etc are different. Some states are 0 while other will have different taxes above the normal state sales tax per county.

[Ghyss8888]

As reported by The Wall Street Journal

Abstract: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1139...999775288.html

BlackBerry Chief Executive John Chen said in an interview Monday that its Passport smartphone, which will go on sale starting Wednesday, will cost $599 in the U.S. without subsidies. The phone will be priced differently in some other countries based on taxes and tariffs, he noted.

Mr. Chen said that compared with similar smartphones produced by competitors, the Passport should cost in the $700 range. "But I figure that to try to get the market interested, we're going to start a little lower than that."

They also have a video up talking about BlackBerry , thought they didn't mention the launch price

BlackBerry's Move to Mobile Security Shows Results
BlackBerry's Move to Mobile Security Shows Results

[ldudiaz]

(Re-post)

The Crackberry article says "Chen said today the phone will be available "immediately" on that date in some stores and in one to two weeks, he said, "a lot of places will have it"

Does that mean carrier stores or stores like bestbuy, radio shack, etc.,?

[insandouts]

There is no comparison between the Passport and the iPhone 6 when it comes to specs. The Passport should be at least 30% more expensive based on components alone.

iPhone 6:
16GB memory
1GB RAM
1000500 pixels IPS display
1,810mAh battery
1.4GHz dual core SoC
Finger print sensor
8Mpx camera (no OIS)

Passport
32GB memory (plus microSD card slot)
3GB RAM
2073600 pixels IPS display
3,450mAh battery
2.15GHz quad core SoC
Touch physical keyboard
13Mpx camera (with OIS)

Posted via CB10

so you purposely left out the CPU because the BB one is notably inferior(64 bit vs 32 bit) Specs don't tell the whole story like the MP in the camera. If you think there is any camera out there better than the 8mp on the 6 good luck finding it

[dejanh]

I guess you only have to hear how BB are great..and honest opinion don't matter. Please report first weekend sales next weekend but if less than 10 millions why bother.

I agree with your sentiment on the price, more or less anyway. I'm hoping BlackBerry analyzed the market and determined that at $599 some consumers will be swayed. However, I do not agree with your statement above. BlackBerry needs 10 million devices, give or take, to be sold in a fiscal year. If they sell half a million Passports at launch, I think the phone stands a fighting chance of being a success. A million at launch would be astonishing for a brand that holds ~1% of global smartphone market share. Comparing sales to Apple is completely irrelevant to BlackBerry.

Posted via CB10

[wardy87]

I guess you only have to hear how BB are great..and honest opinion don't matter. Please report first weekend sales next weekend but if less than 10 millions why bother.

Hmm I hope the fancy new iPhone improves the English and grammar for you...

Posted with my Q10

[muhlan]

I guess you only have to hear how BB are great..and honest opinion don't matter. Please report first weekend sales next weekend but if less than 10 millions why bother.

I am still waiting for an answer why you are posting so much in a Blackberry forum when you doe not like Blackberry. Just one good reason.

[wardy87]

so you purposely left out the CPU because the BB one is notably inferior(64 bit vs 32 bit) Specs don't tell the whole story like the MP in the camera. If you think there is any camera out there better than the 8mp on the 6 good luck finding it

I really don't see the point in comparing specs in the first place as it is redundant when the ecosystems are quite different. Apple has made great strides in avoiding fragmentation of the OS and has such control over components etc that it can produce a powerful product. By comparison Android phones need (on paper) beefier specs so that they can keep up.

I'd argue the regular Joe Blow has no idea what the difference between 32bit and 64bit is and therefore will never use any software that would take advantage of it. On the camera front I'd argue that the camera in that monster Lumia is damn impressive and probably a better camera.

Posted with my Q10

[insandouts]

I am still waiting for an answer why you are posting so much in a Blackberry forum when you doe not like Blackberry. Just one good reason.

I am not against BB, I own the Q10 it is a great featured phone. I am not one sided like most here.

[insandouts]

I really don't see the point in comparing specs in the first place as it is redundant when the ecosystems are quite different. Apple has made great strides in avoiding fragmentation of the OS and has such control over components etc that it can produce a powerful product. By comparison Android phones need (on paper) beefier specs so that they can keep up.

I'd argue the regular Joe Blow has no idea what the difference between 32bit and 64bit is and therefore will never use any software that would take advantage of it. On the camera front I'd argue that the camera in that monster Lumia is damn impressive and probably a better camera.

Posted with my Q10

Of course, the average Joe does not know the difference but the guy who mentioned those stats does and left it out because Blackberry does not have it.

[wardy87]

Of course, the average Joe does not know the difference but the guy who mentioned those stats does and left it out because Blackberry does not have it.

Good point, should also add to the Passport that it will be shooting 4k video and has OIS unlike the iPhone 6

Posted with my Q10