[KemKev]

Everyone in this thread is missing the big picture. Read the comments to the story. All of them. More than 3/4 of the comments make fun of the phone and BlackBerry as a company. I have been saying this since the phone was first introduced. The general public will take one look at it and laugh at it. Then when they see it's a BlackBerry they will laugh even harder. The comments are stupid, I agree. But what I have been trying to say all along is the general public is going to make a quick judgement of the phone when they look at it. Doesn't matter how great it works or if it can do your laundry. People judge by first impressions. If you don't think the phone is funny looking then you are in the very small minority.
This phone is going to go down the drain and take BlackBerry with it. My opinion and I hope I am wrong, but the more this phone get's out there, the more it seems to be made fun of.

Your point on this has been consistent and let me say this again. I do not believe the Passport will be targetted at the average consumer, the "general public" as you noted, but rather "prosumers" who are more bent on productivity. Those two groups are not the same and it is expected they will respond differently.

[kevets]

I know there's at least one person that is very excited about the passport!

[Tre Lawrence]

Your point on this has been consistent and let me say this again. I do not believe the Passport will be targetted at the average consumer, the "general public" as you noted, but rather "prosumers" who are more bent on productivity. Those two groups are not the same and it is expected they will respond differently.

I see your point; I'm just not sure the prosumer subset is so pronounced.

[NaijaBerry]

Let's just hope it doesn't come with a$799.00 price tag.

Posted via CB10

Round my neck of the woods, its full price or nothing! Strangely enough operators charge more for phones than dealers do around here too.......I'm making plans for the passport already, why does my beloved Q10 look so tired and worn out these days?

[lift]

I will boldly bet that you will be wrong in your prediction. Please lets compare notes 1 year after the launch of Passport to see who is right.

It won't even take 6 months before we know the results. I will take your bet. After the official launch in September 2014, by the first of April 2015 we will be reading how the Passport sold some units initially, then when all the diehards have bought them, the sales will drop like a rock and the phone will be deemed a failure.

[anon(4044683)]

Dear STL100-3., I am sorry I am not trying to find fault but You are on almost every single Passport thread just spewing criticism and hate. I understand your hate for passport and love for BlackBerry to succeed, but some of your points are repetitive and most of them are just personal opinions and not facts. You argue to the core and wish everyone will agree to your opinion. Please try to understand you cannot force your opinions on others. If you don't like the Passport just leave it, you may choose Classic or a full touch if there will be one in the future. I am not trying to point out on you. Remember, the things we have been seeing are just leaks nothing is final yet. Have fun in CB forums.

It won't even take 6 months before we know the results. I will take your bet. After the official launch in September 2014, by the first of April 2015 we will be reading how the Passport sold some units initially, then when all the diehards have bought them, the sales will drop like a rock and the phone will be deemed a failure.

[Bonnie Bonzai]

unfortunately that is a carrier pricing, carriers buy the device for 400 than try to double profit on anyone to buy contract free devices. I know this because i have bought many through BB employee purchase plan and get them for 400 after taxes and shipping.

EDIT: i plan on using another purchase form my aunts plan to get the passport... assuming i like the feel of the device.

Maybe BlackBerry will sell the passport and classic too.

[crackbrry fan]

It won't even take 6 months before we know the results. I will take your bet. After the official launch in September 2014, by the first of April 2015 we will be reading how the Passport sold some units initially, then when all the diehards have bought them, the sales will drop like a rock and the phone will be deemed a failure.

Dude I'm an all touch supporter too, give it a rest with the Passport, they are trying something new, I'm sure we will get an all touch high end device soon, in the meantime I will be taking the Passport, I have people within my organization, licking their chops waiting to get their hands on the Passport and Classic. The Passport isn't for everyone, it's not intended to sell tens of millions regardless of what BGR says BlackBerry says, however I feel that it's going to pretty well considering the rectangular form factor has been beaten to death. I was not a proponent of all touch before the Z10 and since then I didn't think I would ever go back to keyboards but hey never say never.

Posted via CB10

[Rello]

BlackBerry is a brand with much value. Chen does understand the value to the brand which is why he is working tirelessly to bring it back to profitability. IT would be wise to sit back and accept the BlackBerry Passport as a premium device. If you are unable to afford the price tag, sit back again and watch others enjoy.

My point here is that, BlackBerry devices have always offered more than the competition. BlackBerry devices cover all aspects of mobile communication - security, communication, productivity, multi-tasking; an all round device. Other manufactured devices fail in areas where BlackBerry consistently prove to be the best device. That in itself is PREMIUM.

BlackBerry constantly shows the market that a mobile device does not have to have high specs to be premium; other may beg to differ. In addition, the Z3 or Q5 does the very same that the Z30, BlackBerry Passport and Classic do. That is, give you PREMIUM packaged devices.

Lol I almost don't know how to respond to this but I'm gonna give it a try.

Im gonna say this before I say anything to avoid confusion. I don't want to seem like I'm bashing BlackBerry cause I've owned nothing but BlackBerry products. However, I think you are living in Wonderland if u really believe some of that. "BlackBerry has always offered more than the competition"? If that's the case why did a huge portion of the market move away from their devices? At the time BlackBerry got lazy and IOS and android simply did more. By the time BB10 came, it's was simply too late for many.

I dont understand your argument for Z3 and Q5 do the same as a Z30....is that not true for many android and windows phone devices?

You really think BlackBerry can sell for a premium? U really think consumers, who the brand is already tarnished with, are going to flock to a device with less specs and apps that is prices the same or more as flagships from android manufacturers or Apple. I'm sorry but that's not going to happen. I want BlackBerry to succeed but I highly doubt they are going to get there on high prices.

You put this device out on the sales floor, with a "premium" price tag, and I believe they are setting it up to fail with consumers

Posted via CB10

[crackbrry fan]

Lol I almost don't know how to respond to this but I'm gonna give it a try.

Im gonna say this before I say anything to avoid confusion. I don't want to seem like I'm bashing BlackBerry cause I've owned nothing but BlackBerry products. However, I think I'll are living in Wonderland if u really believe some of that. "BlackBerry has always offered more than the competition"? If that's the case why did a huge portion of the market move away from their devices? At the time BlackBerry got lazy and IOS and android simply did more. By the time BB10 came, it's was simply too late for many.

I dont understand your argument for Z3 and Q5 do the same as a Z10....is that not true for many android and windows phone devices?

You really think BlackBerry can sell for a premium? U really think consumers, who the brand is already tarnished with, are going to flock to a device with less specs and apps that is prices the same or more as flagships from android manufacturers or Apple. I'm sorry but that's not going to happen. I want BlackBerry to succeed but I highly doubt they are going to get there on high prices.

You put this device out on the sales floor, with a "premium" price tag, and I believe they are setting it up to fail with consumers

Posted via CB10

They have lowered the prices of most of their models have they been flying off the shelf? No. There is nothing wrong with the devices however the ECOSYSTEM is lacking for SOME, they cannot continue to throw money at the consumer market right now, they need to return to their core competences and rebuild the image. The Passport isn't going to be cheaper than the Z30 at launch and dare I say may very well be more expensive. However they are focusing on a niche for now. Once word gets out about the device in the corporate world the consumer will follow. The Ecosystem issue has sort of been fixed temporarily with Amazon App store, in time Developers will return to build for BlackBerry Consumer Products, in the meantime they need to focus on the niche. Timing and a little patience is needed. I have full confidence that they (BlackBerry) are on the right track.

Posted via CB10

[DenverRalphy]

SMH. It's only rumored that Apple ordered between 70 - 80 million new iPhone. Don't twist the story.

Not that it really matters though. Apple would have to implode as a business to not sell all of them (maybe not in one quarter, but they'll all sell). Dunno why some sites even bothered to blog about it.

[buwee]

Lol I almost don't know how to respond to this but I'm gonna give it a try.

Im gonna say this before I say anything to avoid confusion. I don't want to seem like I'm bashing BlackBerry cause I've owned nothing but BlackBerry products. However, I think I'll are living in Wonderland if u really believe some of that. "BlackBerry has always offered more than the competition"? If that's the case why did a huge portion of the market move away from their devices? At the time BlackBerry got lazy and IOS and android simply did more. By the time BB10 came, it's was simply too late for many.

I dont understand your argument for Z3 and Q5 do the same as a Z10....is that not true for many android and windows phone devices?

You really think BlackBerry can sell for a premium? U really think consumers, who the brand is already tarnished with, are going to flock to a device with less specs and apps that is prices the same or more as flagships from android manufacturers or Apple. I'm sorry but that's not going to happen. I want BlackBerry to succeed but I highly doubt they are going to get there on high prices.

You put this device out on the sales floor, with a "premium" price tag, and I believe they are setting it up to fail with consumers

Posted via CB10

The device wasn't designed for consumers anyway so what does it matter? I think they would be better off reaching out to corporate & healthcare sectors who can afford the device would be better than targetting consumers with low prices and subsidiesand don't make any money. Most consumer's want high end devices but can't afford to pay outright for them and still complain anyway after receiving a subsidized phone.

[LuvULongTime]

It won't even take 6 months before we know the results. I will take your bet. After the official launch in September 2014, by the first of April 2015 we will be reading how the Passport sold some units initially, then when all the diehards have bought them, the sales will drop like a rock and the phone will be deemed a failure.

The biggest problem with previous Blackberry phones that flopped was not the fact that they flopped, but the fact they produced so many of them and had to write down so much of the inventory. This is what angered investors as the write downs killed the bottom line. Nobody ever criticized Blackberry for trying. Criticize them for being late to the party, or not fully baking the OS on release, but not for trying. With the Foxconn partnership inventory management is in much better shape. Provided they avoid any write downs then it's all good. This relationship with Foxconn gives them an opportunity to experiment with different form factors until they find that new sweet spot that grabs customers. You may not like the phone but you have to give them credit for thinking outside the box and trying something different.

[insandouts]

BlackBerry constantly shows the market that a mobile device does not have to have high specs to be premium; other may beg to differ. In addition, the Z3 or Q5 does the very same that the Z30, BlackBerry Passport and Classic do. That is, give you PREMIUM packaged devices.

But they still price it as Premium ones...sorry I am not buying last year specs at this year prices

[insandouts]

The device wasn't designed for consumers anyway so what does it matter? I think they would be better off reaching out to corporate & healthcare sectors who can afford the device would be better than targetting consumers with low prices and subsidiesand don't make any money. Most consumer's want high end devices but can't afford to pay outright for them and still complain anyway after receiving a subsidized phone.

Most corporate guys already have phones and they are not the one changing it every year. If you do not target the average consumer you are doomed from the start. It is fine to target a niche but only if you are a small company with little overhead which is not the case for BB. I might buy one but honestly do not expect big selling number. Releasing this the same month the new Iphone is released it is a big mistake.

[lift]

I don't personally hate the Passport. I hate that BlackBerry is releasing it because I think it is going to further hurt their reputation and their bottom line. I care about the company. All you guy's love it so much? Well, fine, I am done talking about it. When the phone is deemed another BlackBerry failure, you should feel bad about not seeing past your rose colored Passport glasses. I will now make you all happy by saying I'm done with all of you.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

The biggest problem with previous Blackberry phones that flopped was not the fact that they flopped, but the fact they produced so many of them and had to write down so much of the inventory. This is what angered investors as the write downs killed the bottom line. Nobody ever criticized Blackberry for trying. Criticize them for being late to the party, or not fully baking the OS on release, but not for trying. With the Foxconn partnership inventory management is in much better shape. Provided they avoid any write downs then it's all good. This relationship with Foxconn gives them an opportunity to experiment with different form factors until they find that new sweet spot that grabs customers. You may not like the phone but you have to give them credit for thinking outside the box and trying something different.

Foxconn doesn't have anything to do with the Passport or Classic.... those devices and sales are all on BlackBerry. They have to try a gauge demand and have product ready for that demand. If the Passport is a run away success then people will be selling them one eBay at a profit. If they overbuild and no one buys them, then there will be some pretty big price cuts and the bottom line gets hurt. Chen needs to sell 10 million BlackBerry devices at a profit! Selling them at cost or writing them off gets him no where. Which is why many believe this will be an expensive device, with a very slow roll out... much like the Z3 is seeing.

The problem is the US Market is so large... what do you do with it? Not sure what happened with the Z10, where Canadian and GB sales initially so good that it cause Thor to overestimate US Sales?? Or where those devices already in production (think the iPhone 6 has been in production since June to meet their estimates). Plus I'm not sure what BlackBerry's production capacity is these days... and with the Classic also being launched, who knows how quickly they can react to demand.

But I do think that overall the Classic is more important than than the Passport.... and should have be released first.

[LuvULongTime]

I don't personally hate the Passport. I hate that BlackBerry is releasing it because I think it is going to further hurt their reputation and their bottom line. I care about the company. All you guy's love it so much? Well, fine, I am done talking about it. When the phone is deemed another BlackBerry failure, you should feel bad about not seeing past your rose colored Passport glasses. I will now make you all happy by saying I'm done with all of you.

The real failure of the Z, Q, and Playbook were the HW write downs. The Z and Q were much more complete on release than the PB, but still lacked in the SW/OS dept. The Passport actually has a chance to make money for BB (note I never said resounding commercial success) as the HW is solid, SW is vastly improved over BB 10.0, and ecosystem has improved with the Amazon partnership. As long as they can make enough money to stay in the game then that will give them the time to really polish the OS and improve the ecosystem. If BB as we know it today, and BB10, can be here 7, 8 years from now, then we will have a very legitimate 4th platform to choose from IMO.

OT... I sincerely hope the mobile OS space turns into the auto sector (numerous manufacturers and competition) instead of the desktop PC sector (dominated by Windows). Competition is a great thing. One tech blogger mentioned that he is happy with only Windows phone as an alternative to Android and iOS. And all I could think was how pathetic it would be if all we had to choose from was GM, Ford and, Chrysler. The more competition the better. People wishing for Blackberry to fail make me scratch my head. I just don't get it.

[LuvULongTime]

Foxconn doesn't have anything to do with the Passport or Classic.... those devices and sales are all on BlackBerry. They have to try a gauge demand and have product ready for that demand. If the Passport is a run away success then people will be selling them one eBay at a profit. If they overbuild and no one buys them, then there will be some pretty big price cuts and the bottom line gets hurt. Chen needs to sell 10 million BlackBerry devices at a profit! Selling them at cost or writing them off gets him no where. Which is why many believe this will be an expensive device, with a very slow roll out... much like the Z3 is seeing.

The problem is the US Market is so large... what do you do with it? Not sure what happened with the Z10, where Canadian and GB sales initially so good that it cause Thor to overestimate US Sales?? Or where those devices already in production (think the iPhone 6 has been in production since June to meet their estimates). Plus I'm not sure what BlackBerry's production capacity is these days... and with the Classic also being launched, who knows how quickly they can react to demand.

But I do think that overall the Classic is more important than than the Passport.... and should have be released first.

My mistake then, I thought I read that Foxconn had a hand in the Passport. Either way, inventory management is critical. I would rather see a shortage in devices than a write down. I like the Z3 approach and hope they do the same with the passport and classic. I wonder if they can even setup a build to order model, especially for the their enterprise customers?

[Rello]

They have lowered the prices of most of their models have they been flying off the shelf? No. There is nothing wrong with the devices however the ECOSYSTEM is lacking for SOME, they cannot continue to throw money at the consumer market right now, they need to return to their core competences and rebuild the image. The Passport isn't going to be cheaper than the Z30 at launch and dare I say may very well be more expensive. However they are focusing on a niche for now. Once word gets out about the device in the corporate world the consumer will follow. The Ecosystem issue has sort of been fixed temporarily with Amazon App store, in time Developers will return to build for BlackBerry Consumer Products, in the meantime they need to focus on the niche. Timing and a little patience is needed. I have full confidence that they (BlackBerry) are on the right track.

Posted via CB10

Don't get me wrong....I also agree that they are on the right path. I'm glad Chen realizes that the company in its current form simply can't compete with the market leaders in certain areas. focusing on their strengths is definitely the way to go. As far as the devices not flying off the shelves....we're talking about devices that are nearly two years old (except the Z30). these devices barely have presence in stores...and like I said before, I'm just not sure that people care at this point.

I'm not saying the phone needs to be dirt cheap at like $450 or $500 like some suggest....but I do think $800 or $899 is also ridiculous for a company many don't have faith in. just my opinion

Posted via CB10

[Rello]

The device wasn't designed for consumers anyway so what does it matter? I think they would be better off reaching out to corporate & healthcare sectors who can afford the device would be better than targetting consumers with low prices and subsidiesand don't make any money. Most consumer's want high end devices but can't afford to pay outright for them and still complain anyway after receiving a subsidized phone.

I think then I'd argue then that if this is the case, then don't even bring them to store shelves. Sell them online strictly thru carriers and directly from BlackBerry because a high price tag guarantees that it's not for consumers. A high price tag doesn't even give the device a chance at the consumer market despite it being such a revolutionary device that many claim.

I want to see the Passport succeed. I want one lol. I just don't want to see it instantly DOA because of high pricing, to the consumers that may be interested

Posted via CB10

[darkehawke]

Do you have crystal balls? What makes you think that the Passport is not going to make waves? Maybe you should pick some stocks for me. You are only guessing; lets all wait and see how the phone does.

I live in the real world. And it's the simple truth. It's not designed to make waves. People here have already said that blackberry themselves aren't expecting to sell a huge number.
But fine I will humour the same old "you know nothing until it's released" hysterics we see with every launch only for the silence to follow

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

[darkehawke]

This is where the enterprise focus comes into play. People that work for companies that still issue corporate BB phones will have no choice but to use a BB10 device. It is then that they will see it is nothing like their old curve (the one that everybody likes to refer to when they say Blackberry is garbage). BB basically needs enterprise to forcibly put the phones into peoples hands.

That's happening already. I've mentioned somewhere before that the government department I work for has just trialled new blackberry devices and the results are positive

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

[darkehawke]

They have lowered the prices of most of their models have they been flying off the shelf? No. There is nothing wrong with the devices however the ECOSYSTEM is lacking for SOME, they cannot continue to throw money at the consumer market right now, they need to return to their core competences and rebuild the image. The Passport isn't going to be cheaper than the Z30 at launch and dare I say may very well be more expensive. However they are focusing on a niche for now. Once word gets out about the device in the corporate world the consumer will follow. The Ecosystem issue has sort of been fixed temporarily with Amazon App store, in time Developers will return to build for BlackBerry Consumer Products, in the meantime they need to focus on the niche. Timing and a little patience is needed. I have full confidence that they (BlackBerry) are on the right track.

Posted via CB10

They've lowered the prices only after most of the shelves stopped stocking them. Start of at a low price point, but before that make the os a bit more reliable and less of a battery hog

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

[darkehawke]

The device wasn't designed for consumers anyway so what does it matter? I think they would be better off reaching out to corporate & healthcare sectors who can afford the device would be better than targetting consumers with low prices and subsidiesand don't make any money. Most consumer's want high end devices but can't afford to pay outright for them and still complain anyway after receiving a subsidized phone.

Health care sectors? They use curves. Most businesses use curves. Most businesses do not use premium for their company phones.

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!