[mrsimon]

Take a look at the store. For Key2 and the LE I got this.
2020 is going to be the end of many things.
This looks definitive for TCL / BlackBerry.

[the_boon]

Take a look at the store. For Key2 and the LE I got this.
2020 is going to be the end of many things.
This looks definitive for TCL / BlackBerry.

Ouchh

They already sold all their stock??

[Critical Observer]

It's been like that for the past week at least if not a bit longer.

I believe someone alluded more stock is to come but temporarily stuck at TCL warehouses due to the virus epidemic.

[Chuck Finley69]

It's been like that for the past week at least if not a bit longer.

I believe someone alluded more stock is to come but temporarily stuck at TCL warehouses due to the virus epidemic.

I doubt it. The 404 error is dreaded sign of a business that’s gone from their business....

[Critical Observer]

I doubt it. The 404 error is dreaded sign of a business that’s gone from their business....

Fair point, sir. However, the store has always been wonky, claiming long out of stock wares (like the Key2 soft case) are in stock only to tell you it's not when you open the product page... So the jury is still out, if only to visit the loo, they'll be back in a minute to lay down the verdict (probably the one you refer to).

[RoseBud68]

Uhm

[the_boon]

Fair point, sir. However, the store has always been wonky, claiming long out of stock wares (like the Key2 soft case) are in stock only to tell you it's not when you open the product page... So the jury is still out, if only to visit the loo, they'll be back in a minute to lay down the verdict (probably the one you refer to).

I'm currently using a BBF100-6 KEY2 that has a build/assembly date of Feb 19 2020 so it's possible that there are still leftover parts at TCL which will be turned into complete devices and shipped out to various retailers.

The fact that this is happening kind of leads to believe that they may have overproduced KEY2's and its parts if they're still churning out more and having a hard time selling them off.

Shoulda launched the damn thing at $549, I don't think they would have all this overstock...

[conite]

Shoulda launched the damn thing at $549, I don't think they would have all this overstock...

Why not keep selling at full price, and then discount in August if there are any left?

[Chuck Finley69]

Why not keep selling at full price, and then discount in August if there are any left?

Denial is a strong opponent...

[the_boon]

Why not keep selling at full price, and then discount in August if there are any left?

Sure. But the site is down, so we're just throwing out theories as to why that might be.

It makes sense that they would shut it down if ALL inventory is gone. But then they still need to keep it up until August 2022 for the support side of things?

[conite]

Sure. But the site is down, so we're just throwing out theories as to why that might be.

It makes sense that they would shut it down if ALL inventory is gone. But then they still need to keep it up until August 2022 for the support side of things?

What does that have to do with your launch price suggestion?

[the_boon]

What does that have to do with your launch price suggestion?

Nothing lol.

My position about the launch price remains that it should have been the same as the $549 of the silver KEYone, or maybe $569 at most.

I don't know how they're managing their remaining inventory now. Could be just a random server issue with the website. It wouldn't be the first.

[conite]

Nothing lol.

My position about the launch price remains that it should have been the same as the $549 of the silver KEYone, or maybe $569 at most.

And this is based on what? The fact is, they have so few units left they've had to scrape together stock and re-flash them to fulfill orders in other regions.

Do you not think TCL knows what their inventory levels, sales volumes, and price sensitivity are?

[Chuck Finley69]

Nothing lol.

My position about the launch price remains that it should have been the same as the $549 of the silver KEYone, or maybe $569 at most.

I don't know how they're managing their remaining inventory now. Could be just a random server issue with the website. It wouldn't be the first.

So then selling without any meaningful if any profit?!? The carriers dictate price selling points. BBMo largely set their prices in order to attract North American carriers. That’s since original KEYone and subsequent hardware. The Key line failed because not enough people care about PKB to purchase at profitable level price. Demand has been overstated by all the BB10 sales that were below cost for 3-4 years officially supported.

[the_boon]

The Key line failed because not enough people care about PKB to purchase at profitable level price.

Lol you don't think there were potential buyers who were turned off by the $649 price tag?

[the_boon]

And this is based on what? The fact is, they have so few units left they've had to scrape together stock and re-flash them to fulfill orders in other regions.

So then that makes it seem like things aren't going so bad for the KEY2's sales numbers.

Then why quit as of August instead of giving it one more shot with the KEY3 (which they sunk money into the prototype - confirmed by random blogger)

[Chuck Finley69]

Lol you don't think there were potential buyers who were turned off by the $649 price tag?

If the lower price wouldn’t be profitably sustainable at the expected sales predictions from the previous KEYone data, then who cares? BBMo chose to do batch production and set the price where it had to be set. BBMo knows how to predict which type of production is best choice. It knew it wasn’t producing 2-3 million production type run.

[conite]

So then that makes it seem like things aren't going so bad for the KEY2's sales numbers.

Then why quit as of August instead of giving it one more shot with the KEY3 (which they sunk money into the prototype - confirmed by random blogger)

Again, do you not think they know the numbers? They choose August clearly because they thought that's when they would finally run out of inventory, and they want to cap their future obligations regarding support.

[the_boon]

Again, do you not think they know the numbers? They choose August clearly because they thought that's when they would finally run out of inventory, and they want to cap their future obligations regarding support.

They lost far less money with the KEY phones (maybe even broke even?) than BB ltd did with BB10 and its hardware and yet they're still just calling it quits lol...

[Chuck Finley69]

They lost far less money with the KEY phones (maybe even broke even?) than BB ltd did with BB10 and its hardware and yet they're still just calling it quits lol...

If BlackBerry Limited could have called it quits at this far lower expense limit, they would have. BlackBerry Limited didn’t have a choice like BBMo did 3-4 years later.

[conite]

They lost far less money with the KEY phones (maybe even broke even?) than BB ltd did with BB10 and its hardware and yet they're still just calling it quits lol...

Is that your criteria for a successful business? Break-even or losing less than BB10?

[the_boon]

Is that your criteria for a successful business? Break-even or losing less than BB10?

Lol.

I bet they'll be less successful with the Plex phones than the KEYs.

[conite]

Lol.

I bet they'll be less successful with the Plex phones than the KEYs.

Then they will ultimately can those too. I'm not sure what you're arguing.

[the_boon]

Then they will ultimately can those too. I'm not sure what you're arguing.

Also, it's not that breaking even or losing less money than BB did with BB10 should be the ultimate goal, but rebuilding such a damaged brand would take more time than just two and a half iterations of keyboard phones and one slab, over the course of just two years.

Didn't they say they were in this for the long haul?

I know the tech world moves fast but... was 2017-2019 their definition of "long haul" lol?

[conite]

Also, it's not that breaking even or losing less money than BB did with BB10 should be the ultimate goal, but rebuilding such a damaged brand would take more time than just two and a half iterations of keyboard phones and one slab, over the course of just two years.

Didn't they say they were in this for the long haul?

I know the tech world moves fast but... was 2017-2019 their definition of "long haul" lol?

Except the sales curve over the two years has been a hard nose dive. It doesn't take a genius to extrapolate.

You would need at least a slow build line on the graph to warrant continuing.