1. victorshikhman's Avatar
    When I purchased my Playbook a little over a year ago, I chose not to do it through various distribution channels, but directly from Blackberry. I specifically asked the sales guy, an employee of (then) RIM, is BB10 coming to Playbook? He answered, "absolutely".

    I had a chance to sell my Playbook half a year ago, but I didn't, because the CEO of the company made a public promise that BB10 would be coming to Playbook, and, being a supporter of Blackberry products for nearly a decade, I didn't want to miss out on the user experience and added functionality. I trusted Heins' word, and it wasn't him alone - many Blackberry execs made public promises, even recently(!) that Playbook would get BB10.

    I get a lot of use out of the Playbook now. I use it for lecture notes, for watching videos, web-surfing, gaming, powerpoints, pdf's, etc. When my laptop died on me suddenly I connected a bluetooth keyboard and mouse and used my Playbook for work-critical purposes for over two weeks as my primary computing device until my laptop was fixed.

    But I and we were promised more. BB10 gives us the ability to run Skype, Whatsapp and the thousands of great new apps being developed for BB10 (and which we were PROMISED AGES AGO). The upgraded Android runtime would have given us access to a whole new universe of apps, while the vastly improved browser over this laggy, fidgety, unstable checkered-screen dinosaur would have carried us for years to come.

    To rip the rug out from under Blackberry's most devoted supporters like this is a stupid move. We are an installed base of nearly 2.5 million! To have pushed this update would have solidified us as future customers. Thousands who now use their Playbooks as doorstops would have picked up their Playbooks again and would have been introduced to the new, updated user and performance experience. Why spend MILLIONS on inane superbowl commercials when simply delivering on your PROMISES would have sent hundreds of thousands of your loyal customers back into extolling your virtues to all their friends?!

    To show the finger to the thousands of Playbook developers who made the platform USABLE at a time it was completely useless is a complete betrayal. I feel terrible for KalemSoft, Pdf Reader, Book reader, Battery Watch and the many other small developers I've been happy to support; developers that made products I use daily, and that catered product development to the needs of the community here on the CB Forums.

    I truly feel I have lost confidence in the ability of this company to deliver on ANY promise it makes. I was planning on upgrading to a Q10, or the A10. I have been recommending to my friends to look at those devices, and have been forwarding them stories about Blackberry's successes in the UK and France. Several android fanboys were just nearly swayed by my efforts. I'm ashamed to say, ashamed(!) for fruit's sake, that one of my friends now owns a Q10 because of MY lobbying.

    I will no longer promote BB and intend to abandon the platform and the company. Why bother, when iOS and Android keep their promises, when Firefox and Ubuntu and Tizen mobile platforms are on the horizon? I'm willing to bet THEIR CEOs won't treat truth as an afterthought, won't lie to our face, without any shame. After reading through crackberry forums, I know I am not alone. This company has disappointed many of us for the last time.

    I am a nobody, and I realize this. We tens and hundreds of thousands who stood by blackberry through its darkest days, who supported its developers and bought its products on the hope of a turnaround, on the promise of ever better technology, superior hardware and groundbreaking software - we are nobodies, and we realize this. What makes it sad is that we still believe in the potential of the technology. (I can't believe it... Thorsten Heins has turned me into a rambling WebOS fan.)

    But Kevin is a somebody. Kevin runs the biggest Blackberry fan site in the world, speaking to hundreds of thousands of Blackberry users and abusers. Kevin has invested half a decade of his life, and a substantial portion of his worth (and future earnings potential) into the fate of Blackberry. (The poor guy was drinking on the post-earnings CB conference call, and I don't blame him.) And Kevin is going to be there at the shareholder meeting July 9th, when Thorsten Heins and his pack of liars have no choice but to sit there and take it.

    So, what should Kevin say at the shareholder meeting July 9th?

    Kevin, you have always been an optimist. I remember last summer, how you pulled the community through to what we all thought would be the BB10 unveiling in the fall. It wasn't pretty, remember? BGR and many others were predicting Blackberry's death and dismemberment. When BB10 was not delivered you kept it together and sold us on Thornsten Heins keeping his word for a January launch. The only thing this company still had was that man's word, you told us, and we just lost it. End of the day, the Playbook is just a gadget for me. This is your job, your life.

    Kevin, if you're reading this, IT'S TIME TO TAKE THE GLOVES OFF. Tell them straight to their face that they've alienated their best, most loyal customers. Tell them they're a bunch of liars who covered their *** for a few months to liquidate some old inventory instead of being honest with their customers. (I hate myself for being gullible enough to think this would work, but) Tell them they only way they can regain our trust is by DOING WHAT THEY SAID THEY WOULD! That means a substantial Playbook update - including BB10 in whatever crippled version they can make work, including the Android runtime, including the browser update, etc.

    If Microsoft can be hammered by users to bring back the Start button, or bludgeoned by negative feedback to rework its entire Xbox DRM/used games/always online strategy, there is no reason that Blackberry, with $3 Billion in CASH, cannot make this BB10 to Playbook upgrade work.

    It is possible, and only YOU can make it happen, Kevin. It's time for OUR community to fight back. Name and shame them into submission. Hold them to their own promises. Help keep me and tens if not hundreds of thousands of others in the Crackberry family. That's what I think you should do on this conference call.

    -------------------

    P.S. Scanning the forums today, I see there are not a few delusional souls still defending Blackberry for killing the Playbook upgrade, or those who think that some kind of update is still in store. Let me spell it out for you sorry, pathetic fools: 1) you're doormats, 2) unless Kevin waterboards Heins at the shareholder meeting, aside from meaningless security patches, THERE WILL BE NO PB UPDATE EVER AGAIN. No Android runtime update, no opening of the platform for us to tinker with (why should they do ANY of this when they just ripped the bandage off once and for all?!) I was once just like you, thinking that Blackberry cared about its products, about its customers, or that the NEW Blackberry cared, or that at the very least, BB's CEO would not go back on his own RECENT word. Hahaha.

    UPDATE:

    I realize most people who are coming to this thread are not going to have the time or desire to read through the growing number of pages (nearly 9 now) of comments. Here are links to four comments I've made since my original post that I think elaborate well on my original points and respond to criticism of the action I am suggesting. If you're interested, check em out:

    http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...1/#post8738671

    http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...ml#post8745708

    http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...ml#post8747648

    http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...ml#post8748737
    Last edited by victorshikhman; 07-02-13 at 12:43 PM. Reason: guilt, pity, love
    06-30-13 05:27 PM
  2. Bdot-1's Avatar
    Thats deep...
    +1 ^^...

    First my boxxee this year and now my playbook all given up on by their creators... Add that to the Blackberry storm, and torch series and my last 6 years have been a guinea pig to manufacturers
    victorshikhman and KOOLWATER like this.
    06-30-13 05:35 PM
  3. Toodeurep's Avatar
    I make promises all day long to my customers most I keep some I don't (usually because of things out of my control). Since I understand things change in such a dynamic market and I am currently happy with my Playbook I give them a pass. Yet, I understand if others have had it with them.

    I would sincerely be interested in hearing BB elaborate on their current plans but doubt I would actually believe it.

    As for "What should Kevin tell Thorsten...?"

    "Thanks for the sight hits."
    BallRockReaper likes this.
    06-30-13 05:38 PM
  4. MartyMcfly's Avatar
    I don't see how Kevin's word would make the pb capable of running os10. BlackBerry didn't **** off a majority of their user base, considering a majority of their user base avoided the pb. The pb is fail, why would you want the company you love to keep wasting resources on something that doesn't make them money?

    Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk
    06-30-13 05:44 PM
  5. DariusG1996's Avatar
    ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

    Couldn't put it better myself! ;'D

    It is true tho, they need to give us something in return for the **** we've put up with, supporting their sorry arses thru the rough times! The amount of times I have been humiliated about saying how BBRY is about to get better - to my iP & Droid friends. all for NOTHING... P*** OFF BBRY!

    & I now have just realised how much of a major role Kevin has actually played these past few years! *GO KEVIN*

    P.S. Kev, please say something about this.... don't hold back... you're a shareholder, and you know how many people have been pissed off by this! It's not good for BBRY! -____-
    Last edited by BergerKing; 07-01-13 at 07:09 PM. Reason: Edited in lieu of infraction.
    06-30-13 05:50 PM
  6. potatoguy's Avatar
    how do you buy directly from BB? I want to buy 2 phones from them.
    maddie1128 likes this.
    06-30-13 05:53 PM
  7. CairnsRock's Avatar
    I agree wrt the poor developers who bought into this line of bs. I wonder how Alex Saunders feels about being made a liar to all the devs.

    His credibility in the business has been destroyed. What's devs will ever trust him again?
    06-30-13 05:54 PM
  8. victorshikhman's Avatar
    how do you buy directly from BB? I want to buy 2 phones from them.
    I purchased my Playbook direct from RIM about 15 months ago. I don't know if they still sell the Playbook or any of their other products directly from their website.

    @MartyMcfly
    Who knows what Playbook is capable of? Who knows for what fickle reason Heins dropped upgrade plans? BB can keep their memory-hogging, always-on Hub and just give us the rest of BB10. Many users much more technically savvy than I have commented that the Playbook is perfectly capable of running much more than it is now. The Dev devices also ran with 1GB RAM, and while it lagged, BB10 was running on that 1GB with its most memory hungry features. No one would expect anything more of Blackberry beyond that update, but to give us nothing after making a public promise, and months of silence, is a slap in the face.
    FF22, raykutro and kraschute like this.
    06-30-13 06:17 PM
  9. Barracuda7772's Avatar
    I bought my playbook 4 months ago because of the promise that bb10 was coming.
    victorshikhman and zackoff96 like this.
    06-30-13 06:21 PM
  10. njblackberry's Avatar
    I think Kevin should meet with the Board of Directors and not just Thor to make your case.
    06-30-13 06:28 PM
  11. Matt J's Avatar
    Dudes. Give it up. Heins has bigger problems than the PlayBook and delivering OS 10 on it. The company is collapsing and it will become a penny stock in months.

    Posted via CB10
    06-30-13 06:31 PM
  12. Barracuda7772's Avatar
    Dudes. Give it up. Heins has bigger problems than the PlayBook and delivering OS 10 on it. The company is collapsing and it will become a penny stock in months.

    Posted via CB10
    you really don't understand principle don't you ?
    victorshikhman and zackoff96 like this.
    06-30-13 06:39 PM
  13. victorshikhman's Avatar
    I think Kevin should meet with the Board of Directors and not just Thor to make your case.
    I think calling out Heins as a liar who abused the trust and loyalty of Blackberry best customers to liquidate some inventory in front of thousands of shareholders and the media... that should do the trick. I understand that Kevin is a nice guy who doesn't want to be aggressive with the CEO of the brand which sustains Crackberry, but if not NOW, then WHEN, Kevin? If you as the head of Crackberry, a community of hundreds of thousands, ever had leverage, NOW is the time to use it. The time to massage the CEO's ego is over, and if I hear another Heins "super exciting platform of the future" speech I will vomit. Thorsten needs to know he's lost us. He needs to "get it" that he's lost the trust of Blackberry's fanbase. And if he doesn't get the message, the resultant shareholder and media storm from such a public dressing down will hammer that point home.

    Now is the time, Kevin. Use it.
    06-30-13 06:40 PM
  14. Javid Gozalov's Avatar
    I agree, and fully support this!

    Posted via CB10
    zackoff96 and victorshikhman like this.
    06-30-13 06:44 PM
  15. smoothrunnings's Avatar
    Well for starters TH has bigger problems to worry about. Right now the BBRY ship is on fire and on the verge of sinking. Already 600,000 blackberry 10 users have jumped shipped now TH has to figure out what to do with there remaining users.

    It's SAD because I just bought corporate CALs for my BES 10 server, so BBRY hopefully will separate the BES from BBRY and keep is going otherwise the call companies could have a mutiny on their hands with all the blackberry clients they still have.
    06-30-13 06:45 PM
  16. anon(3249139)'s Avatar
    I think calling out Heins as a liar who abused the trust and loyalty of Blackberry best customers to liquidate some inventory in front of thousands of shareholders and the media... that should do the trick. I understand that Kevin is a nice guy who doesn't want to be aggressive with the CEO of the brand which sustains Crackberry, but if not NOW, then WHEN, Kevin? If you as the head of Crackberry, a community of hundreds of thousands, ever had leverage, NOW is the time to use it. The time to massage the CEO's ego is over, and if I hear another Heins "super exciting platform of the future" speech I will vomit. Thorsten needs to know he's lost us. He needs to "get it" that he's lost the trust of Blackberry's fanbase. And if he doesn't get the message, the resultant shareholder and media storm from such a public dressing down will hammer that point home.

    Now is the time, Kevin. Use it.
    But the logic of the OP is that until it is here it is a lie, Everything points to the fact that BB10 was being developed for the Playbook - The BB employees, Rumours, Comments from the Officials etc, Yes we get it they have scrapped it now but was it a lie?

    Apple announces the iPhone 7 - to be released in 3 months time - All of Apple's HQs/Offices etc blow up - Every Apple employe dies - The World forgets about Apple and its future products - 3 months go by no iPhone 7...

    IT WAS A LIE!
    Eskibo likes this.
    06-30-13 06:46 PM
  17. victorshikhman's Avatar
    Dudes. Give it up. Heins has bigger problems than the PlayBook and delivering OS 10 on it. The company is collapsing and it will become a penny stock in months.
    Perfect time to **** off half a mil of your most loyal customers... OR, an opportunity to showcase BB10 to 2.5 million Playbook owners who can then become not just potential customers of BB10 phones, but walking sales reps for your product line.

    Not to belabor the point, but I am due for an upgrade in 2 months. Most of my family (of 5) is up for upgrade renewals before the end of the year. One friend I already convinced to purchase a Q10, and three others (the Android fanboys) I have been spamming with BB propaganda. But again, I understand that BB couldn't give three rips about me, and the ten measly phone purchases that little old me was on track to line up for them. They've told us, time and time again, through their actions, that they don't care about their customers. So why should we care if BB is crashing and burning all around Heins' head? This is how companies fail.

    Restoring customer trust and loyalty is the ONLY way BB stays afloat.
    06-30-13 06:49 PM
  18. grover5's Avatar
    Well for starters TH has bigger problems to worry about. Right now the BBRY ship is on fire and on the verge of sinking. Already 600,000 blackberry 10 users have jumped shipped now TH has to figure out what to do with there remaining users.

    It's SAD because I just bought corporate CALs for my BES 10 server, so BBRY hopefully will separate the BES from BBRY and keep is going otherwise the call companies could have a mutiny on their hands with all the blackberry clients they still have.
    Do you have a source or link for the "600,000 BlackBerry 10 users jumped ship" statement?

    Posted via CB10
    06-30-13 06:52 PM
  19. Barracuda7772's Avatar
    But the logic of the OP is that until it is here it is a lie, Everything points to the fact that BB10 was being developed for the Playbook - The BB employees, Rumours, Comments from the Officials etc, Yes we get it they have scrapped it now but was it a lie?

    Apple announces the iPhone 7 - to be released in 3 months time - All of Apple's HQs/Offices etc blow up - Every Apple employe dies - The World forgets about Apple and its future products - 3 months go by no iPhone 7...

    IT WAS A LIE!
    actually, Thor said it was coming and now its not hence he lied. what's not to get ?

    now if it was your birthday and you were promised cake and it was baked and everything and then thrown off a roof and you never had a bite of said cake were you not lied to?was the cake not * lie ?
    06-30-13 06:54 PM
  20. victorshikhman's Avatar
    These Blackberry apologists are plain silly. You see, there was never a cake to begin with, or it was never promised, or it's not really your birthday according to the lunar calendar, or you don't deserve a cake, or or or... anything but the REALITY, which is that Thorsten betrayed the trust of the Blackberry community, and then hushed it up for who knows how many months just to unload their excess inventory.

    Guys, for all we know the Playbook was dead six months ago, there was no serious effort to bring BB10 to it, and Heins just didn't want to ruin the "BB10 platform of the future momentum". BARF

    BAAAAAARF
    CaptrfsBB and WeAreNotAlone like this.
    06-30-13 07:06 PM
  21. grover5's Avatar
    These Blackberry apologists are plain silly. You see, there was never a cake to begin with, or it was never promised, or it's not really your birthday according to the lunar calendar, or you don't deserve a cake, or or or... anything but the REALITY, which is that Thorsten betrayed the trust of the Blackberry community, and then hushed it up for who knows how many months just to unload their excess inventory.

    Guys, for all we know the Playbook was dead six months ago, there was no serious effort to bring BB10 to it, and Heins just didn't want to ruin the "BB10 platform of the future momentum". BARF

    BAAAAAARF
    My PlayBook isn't dead. Take a deep breath.

    Posted via CB10
    southlander and maddie1128 like this.
    06-30-13 07:20 PM
  22. victorshikhman's Avatar
    Maybe you misunderstood? I'm agreeing with you and extending your cake analogy.

    BTW, billbsb has made a list of the features BB could bring to PB with little to no effort:
    http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...aybook-824019/
    ultra07 and Grumblegrumble like this.
    06-30-13 07:20 PM
  23. rupam95's Avatar
    Kevin: What proof do you have of working on BB10 for PlayBook?

    Thor: Well, uh...ummmm, we continue to evaluate our tablet strategy, but buu buttt soon.

    06-30-13 07:21 PM
  24. njblackberry's Avatar
    who pissed in your corn flakes ?
    Disappointing that you don't have any excuses or explanations available. Just this.
    Sad.
    06-30-13 07:24 PM
  25. ghaliidrissi's Avatar
    Dudes. Give it up. Heins has bigger problems than the PlayBook and delivering OS 10 on it. The company is collapsing and it will become a penny stock in months.

    Posted via CB10
    True ...
    06-30-13 07:40 PM
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