[KermEd]

The majority of cell phone consumers purchase their devices through carriers that subsidize or finance the high cost of whatever device you want, and all the price haters out there fail to take this into consideration moan about it. If this was not the case then Apple wouldn't be able to sell the volume of $1100.00 IPhones that they do each year.

Maybe you are right, the general group complaining the price is too high are wrong, and that the major sales losses reported on higher end android devices are incorrect . We will know soon I suppose. BlackBerry obviously feels the price is correct and that the risk is an affordable one for them to take.

Posted to CB via my Passport | Lloyd Summers | FileArchiveHaven

[skibnik]

I think the issue is that Blackberry hasn't earned the right to charge a premium, which at $700 the phone clearly is. Apple customers will gladly pay a premium for a device which is pretty cutting edge, has magnificent customer service and even has stores you can go to for help. Samsung too has earned that right with the S6 and Note.

So Samsung earned the right to charge higher prices by eliminating the removable battery and SD card?

[cbvinh]

Maybe you are right, the general group complaining the price is too high are wrong, and that the major sales losses reported on higher end android devices are incorrect . We will know soon I suppose. BlackBerry obviously feels the price is correct and that the risk is an affordable one for them to take.

It's not that sales of high-end Android devices have dropped, it's that there are too many competitors to split the pie. This may be a problem for BlackBerry as well, but they only want 5 million in sales, which is not much at all compared to what their competitors want.

[ChainPunch]

The majority of cell phone consumers purchase their devices through carriers that subsidize or finance the high cost of whatever device you want, and all the price haters out there fail to take this into consideration moan about it. If this was not the case then Apple wouldn't be able to sell the volume of $1100.00 IPhones that they do each year.

Agree with what they said. Also, blackberry is not looking to be back on top of the cell phones business but looking to make a profit for their hardware division. Blackberry is looking to be the bmw of the cell phone world.

[MO3iusONE]

I'd like to see the verge's review on it....

Knowing them they'd probably review a blackberry leap thinking it's a Priv

[islandp]

I notice majority who complain for the price own low end model. I guess these are not Priv's target. There are still people who can afford to blow a Priv or two in the dinner table a night, and these are the people BBRY should target with a correct marketing.

Marketing high price item need a special balance of exclusivity with certain ease of use so the product doesn't alienate the user who can afford but lack of knowledge to use its potential. I hope BBRY has talents to do that and the priv stimulation is in the right direction

[cbvinh]

I notice majority who complain for the price own low end model. I guess these are not Priv's target. There are still people who can afford to blow a Priv or two in the dinner table a night, and these are the people BBRY should target with a correct marketing.

Marketing high price item need a special balance of exclusivity with certain ease of use so the product doesn't alienate the user who can afford but lack of knowledge to use its potential. I hope BBRY has talents to do that and the priv stimulation is in the right direction

For those who want a more affordable PRIV, they just need to wait for the price to come down. The specs are high-end, which gives current high-end users an avenue to upgrade to. When PRIV 2 comes out, PRIV can serve as the lower-end model.

[Prem WatsApp]

... to me the Priv kinda looks like an aspirational device, with that sort of price tag. Price brag. You bought it. And you don't want anyone else out there to buy or get it cheaper.... :-)

I'm just throwing this out here....

[islandp]

Price brag, like that idea . Unfortunately Priv isn't in that category yet. Priv price is just average. Yes there are lower price but these are not the target of Priv.

Porche Design and Vertu are more for price brag, but with electronic cycle which gone obsolete in a matter of months make a purchase of such look silly rather than smart.

What BBRY can do is to make more stimulations and and paste it everywhere to show how easy girls to send pictures of their selfie or new branded bags etc and end it with feel good note like, if you can click this button then you are ready for Priv. Likewise for business users, students and such.

[Smokeaire]

Here is a good article comparing features vs pricing: https://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=230826

[Phenylalanin]

Hmm, but 799� (880 USD or 1160 CAD) seems pretty pricy to me... would have bought it if it had been 699�, but this is just way over the top.

Posted via CB10

[Zeratul57]

It's better and cheaper than the iphone. What's not to get. I don't understand because it is clearly worth the cost.

Posted from a Passport or Z30. Get one!

[Carmels]

my point is, you dont need to pay 800 eur for the priv. get a 400 dollar oneplus two and get the experience suite for another few dollars from gplay

This is exactly what I was thinking. Eventually BlackBerry's going to find more profit in dishing out the software suite that includes BB10 elements like the HUB on all platforms. So why am I forking over $1000 CDN after taxes for the Priv, when I could potentially get the BlackBerry Suite of services in the very near future with a cheaper yet spec equivalent like the LG G4?

I was lucky enough to try the PRIV out before all the craziness started and it is a sweet phone no doubt about it. But as I've said in other threads, I'm a fiscally responsible person and I can't in good consensus purchase the PRIV at its Canadian price tag when something like the LG G4 is sitting right beside it for almost half the cost.

Look! It's Zedzilla30!

[Carmels]

It's better and cheaper than the iphone. What's not to get. I don't understand because it is clearly worth the cost.

Posted from a Passport or Z30. Get one!

But it's not better then some of its Android equivalents. And that's really what you need to compare the PRIV too. The iPhone is garbage in my personal opinion, what isn't garbage is the marketing and culture that Apple has built to sustain the iPhone's longevity.

Look! It's Zedzilla30!

[conite]

But it's not better then some of its Android equivalents. And that's really what you need to compare the PRIV too. The iPhone is garbage in my personal opinion, what isn't garbage is the marketing and culture that Apple has built to sustain the iPhone's longevity.

Look! It's Zedzilla30!

Yet the Blackphone 2, with far less specs, can sell for $100 more than the Priv (original Blackphone sold in the hundreds of thousands according to the company).

You don't exactly see their adds on TV and in magazines a whole lot either.

PassportSQW100-4/10.3.2.2789

[dvarnai]

Yet the Blackphone 2, with far less specs, can sell for $100 more than the Priv (original Blackphone sold in the hundreds of thousands according to the company).

You don't exactly see their adds on TV and in magazines a whole lot either.

PassportSQW100-4/10.3.2.2789

so? blackberry wants to sell 5 million devices, not just hundred of thousands...

[ToniCipriani]

This is exactly what I was thinking. Eventually BlackBerry's going to find more profit in dishing out the software suite that includes BB10 elements like the HUB on all platforms. So why am I forking over $1000 CDN after taxes for the Priv, when I could potentially get the BlackBerry Suite of services in the very near future with a cheaper yet spec equivalent like the LG G4?

It's just the dollar. LG G4 $599 USD, $699 CAD. Priv, $699 USD, $899 CAD. We're getting ripped off solely based on that.

[conite]

so? blackberry wants to sell 5 million devices, not just hundred of thousands...

Yes. That's why they are a $100 less and provide a lot more.

PassportSQW100-4/10.3.2.2789

[gipper69]

The determining factor is customer perceived value for the money. For me, the device has concerns around the form factor in regards to how sturdy and durable it is. Slider design is inherently more difficult to get life-resistant. A device you have to worry about every time there Is a bit of water or grit is just too much of a bother.

BlackBerry could do well going after road warriors with enterprise services, but the devices have to be lifeproof. Having devices that fail after a drop or a bit of grit is not a way to a comeback, regardless of the rest of the value proposition.


Posted on my Passport to the future

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Yet the Blackphone 2, with far less specs, can sell for $100 more than the Priv (original Blackphone sold in the hundreds of thousands according to the company).

You don't exactly see their adds on TV and in magazines a whole lot either.

PassportSQW100-4/10.3.2.2789

While I think the BlackPhone should have the been the PRIV's real competition and that BlackBerry should have stayed out of the consumer market.... online orders only. The simple reality of business is that BlackBerry as a company isn't doing well, and that this is there third smartphone OS in less than 3 years... and now BlackBerry has just told them that the Platform they sold them on just in the last two years, is not the future. I just don't "think" enterprise is going to be interested in what BlackBerry is selling. At least not until the company is stable.

But they have gone consumer... and they have gone Android consumer. Today the PRIV is a little high in comparison to other flagships, two months from now when new flagship start hitting the market... what is BlackBerry going to do then. The Android game is very tough, low margins, short update cycles, specs sell, and you either market a bunch, or you sell really, really cheap.

[jallister]

The majority of cell phone consumers purchase their devices through carriers that subsidize or finance the high cost of whatever device you want, and all the price haters out there fail to take this into consideration moan about it. If this was not the case then Apple wouldn't be able to sell the volume of $1100.00 IPhones that they do each year.

What iPhone sell for $1100? (Factory Unlocked) iPhone prices direct from Apple, in USD are as followed:

iPhone 5S -16GB- $449.00 | $15.00/mo.
iPhone 5S -32GB- $499.00 | $16.64/mo.

iPhone 6 -16Gb- $549.00 | $27.45/mo.
iPhone 6 -64GB- $649.00 | $32.45/mo.

iPhone 6 Plus -16GB- $649.00 | $32.45/mo.
iPhone 6 Plus -64GB- $749.00 | $37.45/mo.

iPhone 6S -16GB- $649.00 | $32.45/mo.
iPhone 6S -64GB- $749.00 | $37.45/mo.
iPhone 6S -128GB- $849.00 | $42.45/mo.

iPhone 6S Plus -16GB- $749.00 | $37.45/mo.
iPhone 6S Plus -64GB- $849.00 | $42.45/mo.
iPhone 6S Plus -128GB- $949.00 | $47.45/mo.

Only ONE iPhone model sell for anything close to $1000 (iPhone 6S Plus 128GB, $1009.26 after tax) and it isn't even the most popular iPhone model. Apple has lots of price points available, and this is one of the many reasons why hundreds of millions of iPhone are sold each year. A majority of smartphones sold worldwide are not carrier subsidized, only in the United States do carriers subsidizes phones, and Apple sells a whole lot of iPhones outside of US, the bulk of those sales being unsubsidized. Yet despite this fact, Apple smartphone business continues to smash through sales records year after year.

[HabsSuck]

Look at the facts. All major Android manufacturers are seeing a mass decline in phone sales for any phones +350USD. To the point where Sony is looking to throw in the towel.

Last year, the majority of all Android phone sales were low end devices and sales. It's what saved Samsung and gave a bunch of the little droid companies a boost.

Things you should be asking
- Are you willing to pay top dollar for an untested Android device? Remember the playbook? Welcome to doing their R+D for them.
- If BlackBerry fails to hit goals, closes handset division, how does that impact upgrades on Priv, unique os apps for Priv and stability?

As far as I'm concerned, they priced themselves out of the survivable sales bracket on Android *based* on Android phone sales from every major phone manufacturer in the last 12 months. If that is true, the forked OS has seen its only release. If you wanna pay 1K CAD to beta test that for them, have at it. But the average BBRY fan knows better. And the average Droid fan isn't going to buy the 650 USD unknown Priv with horror movie ads on a shelf next to an S6, while some phone salesmen tells you they've never sold a BlackBerry in the last year.

BlackBerry Priv needs to earn it's pricetag and it hasn't done that for the majority of people. They can mark it at 10,000 USD if they want to. That doesn't mean it's a good idea.

Posted to CB via my Passport | Lloyd Summers | FileArchiveHaven

What you and everyone here complaining about the price are missing is that unfortunately BlackBerry is not after your business, Chen recently was quoted saying they're focusing on the high end market they cannot compete in the mid to low range market. Priv will sell to those who can afford the device but mostly to those in the enterprise market

Posted via CB10

[Hendri Hendri]

So blackberry is not in "for business and serious people" mode now ? Now they "want to sell for consumer market" and they "needs toys' app" in their handset ? Hm .......

[JeepBB]

As I noted elsewhere, everyone just needs to consider when BlackBerry made their first foray into the tablet market with their exciting, new QNX OS rocking the solidly-spec'ed PlayBook, which they marketed as the first "professional tablet!" I only paid $179.99 for my 32 Gb PlayBook at the fire sale.

Now they are making a foray into a new market (slider) with their exciting, new (for them) Android OS rocking the solidly-spec'ed Priv, which they are marketing as "the world�s first BlackBerry secure smartphone powered by Android."

Be patient and hold on to your cash for a while because it seems like "d�j� vu all over again!"

I agree, and the Playbook comparison goes deeper. The PB hardware was actually quite good for the time. What stopped it living on, with Android, was its unlockable bootloader. When BB pulled the plug, the poor old PB was scuppered as only BB could provide a loadable OS.

Fast forward to now. The Priv apparently has an unlockable boot loader. Only BB, you know the company that is widely reported as near-dead or with an uncertain future, can provide OS updates for the Priv.

If I'd been "Playbooked" once, I'd be less than keen to pay a premium price to risk repeating the experience with the Priv.

I paid full price for my PB, stupid, stupid, stupid me for believing the CEO's "60 day" promises, I guess. I wouldn't do it twice though - I do learn!

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

I agree, and the Playbook comparison goes deeper. The PB hardware was actually quite good for the time. What stopped it living on, with Android, was its unlockable bootloader. When BB pulled the plug, the poor old PB was scuppered as only BB could provide a loadable OS.

Fast forward to now. The Priv apparently has an unlockable boot loader. Only BB, you know the company that is widely reported as near-dead or with an uncertain future, can provide OS updates for the Priv.

If I'd been "Playbooked" once, I'd be less than keen to pay a premium price to risk repeating the experience with the Priv.

I paid full price for my PB, stupid, stupid, stupid me for believing the CEO's "60 day" promises, I guess. I wouldn't do it twice though - I do learn!

So you didn't buy a BB10 device......?

I bought a STORM... few months later they release the STORM2 that fixed the memory DEFECT in the STORM1
I bought a PlayBook.... the apps would eventually come as it would soon be running BB10 - remember back then BB10 was suppose to come that following Fall.
I bought a Z10 to go with my PlayBook as they would both have the same OS, all the Apps that were coming and eventually Bridge would work even better.

So no some of us haven't just been caught once in the BlackBerry web.....

I will say the PRIV looks to be a very nice device... I just don't have confidence in BLACKBERRY to do the things that would be needed to make it a success.... and thus give it a long useful and fully supported life.