[anon(8080272)]

It really is as we Blackberry die-hards suspected, emigrants of the BB platform do miss it! At least that's what my conversation with a few random folks at a dinner theatre revealed.

I was seated with a group of strangers, all of them fitting the 40-something demographic. Everyone was quiet at first. So ...

I made a few ice-breaker jokes, and the table started to chat while dinner was served. I had my BB on the table, face down, when one guy said, "is that an iPhone?" I flipped it over and revealed its true identity, and exclaimed "from my cold, dead, hands" referring to the QWERTY sexy goodness (telling them how I loved the "new" Blackberry).

That guy, now an iPhone user, said openly that he missed his BB keyboard. Then, amazingly, so did another person at the table, also now an iPhone user. We were bonding.

I listened as a third person at the table chimed in about how much she missed her Blackberry. I was stunned to hear these ex-users extol the QWERTY goodness of their old BBs, and then proceed to talk about how they dislike "texting and emailing" on the iPhone.

Conversation turned to embarrassing texts, and the need for severe proofreading before hitting "send" on virtual keyboards.

What a surprising conversation, totally unexpected! I was super pleased to hear these people missed their BBs. But, the sad bit ... these people had no idea Blackberry had new phones out, let alone QWERTY models!

So, come on BB ... step up the marketing! There clearly are folks who might give you another chance, if they only knew what you had on offer!

[Taigatrommel]

You hear that very often, especially from the US it seems. Obviously the general public is still not aware that BlackBerry has evolved from their OS5 and OS6 Curves and Bolds and are actually offering modern, competetive devices. This really shows how much BlackBerry marketing has failed over there (well not only there) and how they failed to steer the wheel in the right direction. It is almost emberassing how this company hoped and worked for a fresh reboot and a new image and failed on such a large scale doing so.
There are people who just left BlackBerry due to more modern system and phones, touchscreens and apps. Right now BB10 offers all this stuff but people don't notice and don't care. A BlackBerry is still the old sandclocking OS5 Curve they got handed over by their company and are forced to work with.
It's a shame we BlackBerry users have to actually do the work that BBRY marketing department should've done right since earlier this year: Getting the word to the people BlackBerry has changed.

People would still buy it, but they need to know things evolved and got more modern.

Posted via the awesome Blackberry Q10

[Supa_Fly1]

I'm thinking the OP could've digged earlier on:

Reasons for initially switching?
Are they compelled to stick with ios & y?
Are they married into the osx or ios?



Posted via CB10

[kevinnugent]

The problem is there's no compelling reason for them to come back.

[carrollmikej]

The problem is there's no compelling reason for them to come back.

I think there is a compelling reason especially if, like many older smartphone owners who really don't use the smartphone as a web device, but for communications. I can't tell you how many people I run into with iPhone or Android devices that don't use them (especially the android OS). While I think both iPhone and BlackBerry are easy to use in their current iterations, if you aren't going to use it as a media consumption device, BlackBerry has given those people a reason to come home. And unlike the old days, the new BlackBerry really is a more than adequate browsing and media device.

Posted via CB10

[potatoguy]

really shows how badly BlackBerry dropped the ball when it came to letting people know they launched the new BB10 os.

[hlg8888]

I think one of the mistakes they made was to launch the Z10 before the Q10. At that point loads of potential users were still in the market for something different from the traditional touchscreen based smartphones. When the Z10 proved to be too little of a difference-maker, Blackberry's downturn commenced.
Granted, it was a very tough decision to make for management but it's proved to be a costly mistake in my opinion. Why offer something which doesn't differentiate itself from what's already out there. Sony is already finding out. There are few people I know who carry a BB10 device but nobody carries a Sony.

Posted via CB10

[bluetroll]

really shows how badly BlackBerry dropped the ball when it came to letting people know they launched the new BB10 os.

the product wasn't for prime-time...

now with 10.2.1, it's ready to fight.

[knownastron]

Did you (OP) show them the goodies of BB10?

Posted via CB10

[anon(8080272)]

Did you (OP) show them the goodies of BB10?

Posted via CB10

I did! In fact, I take any opportunity to demonstrate peek, and the hub.

Those two things always get a positive response, and pique people's interest.

My quick demo (and it had to be quick, given the venue) made one person comment that he'd probably get a Q10 if it weren't for his current contract.

I think what users missed the most, though, was the error-free typing and peace of mind of a physical keyboard. I'm not sure the touch-only devices hold the same appeal to ex-users. But that could just be my bias talking.

Blackberry is dead; long live Blackberry!

[Pilot Prop]

A Lot of people have asked me if the z10 was the iphone.

Posted via Q10

[carrollmikej]

A Lot of people have asked me if the z10 was the iphone.

Posted via Q10

I have still not seen another BlackBerry 10 device, other than my own, outside a retailer. The OS isn't perfect but is close enough and certainly is a capable alternative to the other manufacturers. Will be interesting to see whether the company can become relevant again.

Posted via CB10

[imcurved]

My phone doesn't have a case so when I place my phone face down people see the BlackBerry logo on the back of my Z10.

Posted via CB10

[hlg8888]

Neither have I, I'm surprised to say the least. The few i've seen are business friends who hated typing on a touchscreen as do I. One of my friends upon seeing I was using a blackberry the profound simplistic words: oh, I see you're on a blackberry well, somebody will have to endure it. Utterly amazing how dumb people can be.

Posted via CB10

[FabianB]

I do not know anyone with a BB10 device.. Also I have never seen any advertising for it in the past year. I live in the Netherlands.

Posted via CB10

[Loc22]

I still love my iPhone Z10. Most people think that my iPhone Z10 is the latest iPhone 5S.

Once they find out that it is a BlackBerry they will immediately say it's lousy, it's bankrupt why do you want to buy it? Someone told me today that Lenovo is buying it. Hahaha

Nevertheless the iPhone Z10 is a great tool & I find that it does all I need to get done.

Posted via CB10

[Lostonline]

...
I think what users missed the most, though, was the error-free typing and peace of mind of a physical keyboard. I'm not sure the touch-only devices hold the same appeal to ex-users. But that could just be my bias talking...

This nails it for me. Impatience and my crappy old broken device made me grab a Z. I have no real complaints, other than typing on glass.. I LOATH it!

Slows me down to a crawl, always driving a cursor around (miss the perfect trackpad) and having to clean up the mess I make while typing has become a painful hunt'n'peck game of watching the kb. Followed by proof reading to make sure the device hasn't inserted some random word/s.

Got a Q ordered, soon I will enjoy the goodness of a real kb again. (slightly used Z10 for sale!)


BB until it is not CDN

[Supa_Fly1]

This nails it for me. Impatience and my crappy old broken device made me grab a Z. I have no real complaints, other than typing on glass.. I LOATH it!

Slows me down to a crawl, always driving a cursor around (miss the perfect trackpad) and having to clean up the mess I make while typing has become a painful hunt'n'peck game of watching the kb. Followed by proof reading to make sure the device hasn't inserted some random word/s.

Got a Q ordered, soon I will enjoy the goodness of a real kb again. (slightly used Z10 for sale!)


BB until it is not CDN

You'll still have no track pad. Keep missing it, give up hope it's NOT coming back nor should it. Touch is and always has been the BEST cursor placement. Like the mouse it'll soon fade away from PCs too. It, the track pad had its fair share of issues not unlike the trackball that preceeded it.

Posted via CB10

[SFCDallas]

This nails it for me. Impatience and my crappy old broken device made me grab a Z. I have no real complaints, other than typing on glass.. I LOATH it!

Slows me down to a crawl, always driving a cursor around (miss the perfect trackpad) and having to clean up the mess I make while typing has become a painful hunt'n'peck game of watching the kb. Followed by proof reading to make sure the device hasn't inserted some random word/s.

Got a Q ordered, soon I will enjoy the goodness of a real kb again. (slightly used Z10 for sale!)


BB until it is not CDN

I also could not understand how people could continue tolerating typing on glass - I LOATHED it also and hated seeing mistakes and then missing the backspace button... could go on forever. Never liked to write long emails on my iPhone nor taking long notes. Would wait until I got to my computer now I am writing a very lengthy post (compared to my usual) on my AWESOME Q10. I also write my journal using this wonderful keyboard using Evernote. Am not as fast as I used to be years ago but getting closer every day.

Posted via CB10

[ajh77]

Marketing would be a good start, but even if you can get people in the stores to look at the phones you still have the issue of the sales people at the major carriers in the US not understanding BB10 and having no interest in selling it. As a current AT&T customer, I had to have them dig the Q10 out of the back room to sell it to me last spring when it came out, sales person had no idea how it worked and tried to talk me into a Galaxy. Being a long time BB fan that didn't bother me, I bought the phone and have been very happy.

Flash forward 6+ months and I'm in the store picking up two new iphones for my kids (it's all about apps for them and BB just doesn't have them). I thought I'd test the sales people and ask about the Z10 and Q10 before revealing I already owned one. No dice - they really had no comprehension of how the HUB worked, swipe controls etc. They said people get confused within 5 seconds and move on. I tried another angle - I had my kids try the iphone - galaxy, and BB to see how they would react. They were into the apps no problem with iphone and galaxy, and got hung up with no home button on the BB's, and got stuck a couple times in the HUB and couldn't get out.

Bottom line - I think that BB10 is one of the best operating systems I've ever used, I've owned a Galaxy and hated it. But if you don't actively pursue how to use BB10 on your own you're screwed if you want any help from the vendor. If BB wants success with NEW buyers they have got to get the carriers and salespeople on board with proper training on how BB10 works. It's not like it's complicated, but with the operating systems consumers are currently used to BB10 can be confusing out of the gate. But once you get it - you'll never want to go back.

[Benjamin_NYC]

I think one of the mistakes they made was to launch the Z10 before the Q10. At that point loads of potential users were still in the market for something different from the traditional touchscreen based smartphones. When the Z10 proved to be too little of a difference-maker, Blackberry's downturn commenced.
Granted, it was a very tough decision to make for management but it's proved to be a costly mistake in my opinion. Why offer something which doesn't differentiate itself from what's already out there. Sony is already finding out. There are few people I know who carry a BB10 device but nobody carries a Sony.

Posted via CB10

Spot on about the Z vs. Q.

Sent from my white hot Z10 Rocking Leaked 10.2

[SK122387]

I think many iPhone users can respect BlackBerrys, but they don't necessarily want them.

People don't associate them with being "fun" or having any of the games or apps that they've come to rely on.

BlackBerry's brand will never be fun. I don't buy them for fun. I'd be curious to know the percentage of people that buy BlackBerrys with solely fun in mind.

Can I have fun on a BlackBerry? Sure. Can you write a long email on an iPhone? Sure.

They're just totally different types of devices (specifically the Q10 and the iPhone). To me, fun is texting or BBMing my friends or reading a bunch of stuff in Reader Mode. To an iPhone user, fun might consist of playing the newest game or watching a movie or sending a Snap Chat to their friends. I could do all the things I personally do on my BlackBerry... on an iPhone. I just don't like iPhones (all it took was owning an iPod touch to fully realize this).

The problem is, there are still some things that many regular consumers do on their iPhones that they can't do on a BlackBerry (even something like depositing a check by taking a picture of it in their banking app... we should have more banking apps seriously). Until then, people just won't want to sacrifice what they have for something they used to have and have kind of moved on from.

[WanShark69]

This nails it for me. Impatience and my crappy old broken device made me grab a Z. I have no real complaints, other than typing on glass.. I LOATH

BB until it is not CDN

You'll need to start getting used to it dear friend. It just technology gets advanced very quickly. I used to hate typing on glass as well. But as the day pass you'll get used to it.

Encrypted by my Z10 on a 1925 os

[[email protected]]

I saw a guy with a Z30. Finally. I stopped him and we had a brief verbal High Five. I am quite used to the bigger keyboard but I am really impressed with the Dictation App. Sometimes I just do not want to type and it had ms nothing to do with a physical Keyboard. I purposely bought a 9860 piece of shirt in order to force myself to use a keyboard free BlackBerry. Thankfully the new Z10 and 30 both have the same type of experience I preferred and was confident was available. The PlayBook warmed me to that.


Christopherburk.ca

[Lostonline]

You'll need to start getting used to it dear friend. It just technology gets advanced very quickly. I used to hate typing on glass as well. But as the day pass you'll get used to it.

No, I won't.

Been on this Z since march, if I were to ever get used to typing in glass, it would have happened by now. A Q will bring back the goodness, and hold me until BB's next lineup.



BB until it is not CDN