1. Jazuyo's Avatar
    This is just my personal opinion feel free to disagree with me if you like no problems. I'm biased I love BB10 so I'm going with Thor as yall nicknamed him. I honestly thought that Thorsten was fully supportive with the BB10 OS and wanted and seemed like he wanted to cater to the loyal fanbase of BlackBerry. I do believe the fanbase would've kept the BlackBerry company alive. It was different from the monopoly of Apple and Samsung. Not saying it would've put up a fight with those 2, but with support over the years of updating and some marketing it definitely would've played 3rd wheel in the smartphone market

    With John Chen I see where his mindset was. He believed and thought if BlackBerry joined Android it will improve and keep BlackBerry alive. Well he was right, but where Chen went wrong was he felt that BlackBerry was going to compete with Apple and Samsung. Not in chance in hell! The reason so, Android is no longer unique or standing out. Everybody and their mom is on android now. From LG, HTC, Moto, Sony, Huawei, etc you name it. BlackBerry is no longer unique or different from the rest of the fish in the android sea now. It's now another phone with "Android" that's part of the monopoly.

    In conclusion again it's just my opinion. But. If Thor was still the CEO, I think BlackBerry would still be relevant due to the loyal fanbase. But yes I think they still would've had their own issues.
    04-29-19 04:12 PM
  2. thurask's Avatar
    If Thor was still the CEO, I think BlackBerry would still be relevant due to the loyal fanbase.
    They'd be even less relevant to the average person compared to what Chen does. While BlackBerry Ltd's device-related business model currently is just selling the name to China, it's quite a bit different than going bankrupt in ~2015.
    ppeters914, Rico4you and Jazuyo like this.
    04-29-19 04:17 PM
  3. jope28's Avatar
    I believe in Thorsten.
    That's why I'm still waiting for his promised BB10 update to my PlayBook.
    I have faith in him even if he's no longer linked to BB in any way.
    pgg101, dmlis, JeepBB and 2 others like this.
    04-29-19 04:18 PM
  4. Elephant_Canyon's Avatar
    I do believe the fanbase would've kept the BlackBerry company alive.
    On what empirical evidence do you base this assertion?
    04-29-19 04:45 PM
  5. conite's Avatar
    This is just my personal opinion feel free to disagree with me if you like no problems. I'm biased I love BB10 so I'm going with Thor as yall nicknamed him. I honestly thought that Thorsten was fully supportive with the BB10 OS and wanted and seemed like he wanted to cater to the loyal fanbase of BlackBerry. I do believe the fanbase would've kept the BlackBerry company alive. It was different from the monopoly of Apple and Samsung. Not saying it would've put up a fight with those 2, but with support over the years of updating and some marketing it definitely would've played 3rd wheel in the smartphone market

    With John Chen I see where his mindset was. He believed and thought if BlackBerry joined Android it will improve and keep BlackBerry alive. Well he was right, but where Chen went wrong was he felt that BlackBerry was going to compete with Apple and Samsung. Not in chance in hell! The reason so, Android is no longer unique or standing out. Everybody and their mom is on android now. From LG, HTC, Moto, Sony, Huawei, etc you name it. BlackBerry is no longer unique or different from the rest of the fish in the android sea now. It's now another phone with "Android" that's part of the monopoly.

    In conclusion again it's just my opinion. But. If Thor was still the CEO, I think BlackBerry would still be relevant due to the loyal fanbase. But yes I think they still would've had their own issues.
    BlackBerry was only months away from total insolvency when the BoD turfed Thor.

    https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/video/wh...-group~1348735

    BB10 was an unmitigated disaster that cost BlackBerry billions of dollars. It's only because of Chen that we are even here today talking about BlackBerry.
    04-29-19 06:40 PM
  6. app_Developer's Avatar
    Under Thor’s watch a ton of shareholder value was destroyed. Under Chen at least the value has been more stable and the company is on a more realistic growth path. I think when you score a CEO, I would have to say Chen scores better.
    ppeters914 likes this.
    04-29-19 07:09 PM
  7. PantherBlitz's Avatar
    Both came in under less than ideal circumstances. The founders put the company behind the 8-ball before Thor took the keys. Chen managed to find an airbag to crash into and thus BBRY is still alive in some form.
    05-01-19 08:52 AM
  8. Dunt Dunt Dunt's Avatar
    One could question if Thor even was the CEO... or just Mike and Jim puppet.

    Anyway, clearly under Thor BB10 failed spring of 2013... from that point on BB10 was a dead OS walking. Chen kept it going to get out from under the debt that Thor had gotten BlackBerry committed too. And to keep cash flowing until he could find something of value to sell...

    Even Chen's move to Android... was a shot in the dark, and not really something he expected to succeed. They were already working on the Suites of Apps for Android, why not try an Android Phone.

    Where was the loyal fanbase in 2011 when the PlayBook flopped? Where was the loyal fanbase in 2013 when the Z10 flopped? where was the loyal fanbase when the Q5 and Q10 flopped?

    Sorry but the BlackBerry sheep fans don't exist in the numbers necessary to support a bad product. And that is what BB10 was in 2013.... 2007 it would have been a GREAT product. It's all about timing, and BlackBerry's was all wrong. That really isn't even Thor's fault. I do blame him for not spending "whatever" it would have taken to get more "key" apps on the platform.
    JeepBB and ppeters914 like this.
    05-01-19 08:54 AM
  9. Chuck Finley69's Avatar
    Both came in under less than ideal circumstances. The founders put the company behind the 8-ball before Thor took the keys. Chen managed to find an airbag to crash into and thus BBRY is still alive in some form.
    Chen did better than even that. He managed to narrowly avoid the crash so the airbag never deployed. Chen had only two solutions, either successfully implement the strategy he proposed or have BB file bankruptcy and be chopped into little itty bitty pieces to be feasted up and pooped out by three large beasts known as Apple, Google and Microsoft respectively.
    05-01-19 08:59 AM
  10. PantherBlitz's Avatar
    Where was the loyal fanbase in 2013 when the Z10 flopped? where was the loyal fanbase when the Q5 and Q10 flopped?
    They were clutching their BBOS devices telling the rest of the world that they were sheep for wanting a cell phone that did more than just email, calendaring, and SMS.
    ppeters914 likes this.
    05-01-19 11:06 AM
  11. glwerry's Avatar
    Both came in under less than ideal circumstances. The founders put the company behind the 8-ball before Thor took the keys. Chen managed to find an airbag to crash into and thus BBRY is still alive in some form.
    Dude, that may be the BEST analogy that I have read on these pages! Excellent job.
    (my Mom is alive today because of airbags - had a truck pull out in front of her across the highway, she didn't even have time to hit the brakes. Came out with bad bruising and a serious wrist fracture. Pre air-bags she would have died.)
    05-01-19 12:00 PM
  12. joeldf's Avatar
    Thor had his heart in the right place.

    Problem was, he believed the company hype that BB10 would save them all. He did what the previous CEOs did constantly - over-promise and under-deliver. He came from the same rose-colored bubble as Mike and Jim. Then found out things were much worse than he thought... or, was led to believe.

    He was the one who hired the incompetent marketing director (Superbowl ad, anyone?). He was the one who promised an all out marketing blitz with AT&T once they started selling the Z10 (total silence).

    He was also the one who offered to license the OS to anyone interested (no takers), and then put up the "for sale" sign for the company (still no takers).

    Thor was just the fall guy while Mike and Jim hauled it out of Dodge with their millions intact.

    Chen came in, and 5 years later, there is still a company named BlackBerry.
    ppeters914, Jazuyo and JeepBB like this.
    05-01-19 12:15 PM
  13. Jazuyo's Avatar
    On what empirical evidence do you base this assertion?
    Years ago blackberry was supposed to be a enterprise type only phone catered to the loyal fanbase I have to find that article.
    05-01-19 03:14 PM
  14. stlabrat's Avatar
    what a choice - two of the same kind. Thor blow up marketing dollar like no tomorrow - while Mike live in his quantum world and Jim try to catch a sports team. Chen is sitting far away in warm place counting his 128 million. By the way, BB is seek security VP and DevOp specialist. Guess Good or other chaps are about to be free from their term of agreement soon (if chen is a great leader, I am sure they will stay not forever, but for long term)...
    05-01-19 03:48 PM
  15. joeldf's Avatar
    Years ago blackberry was supposed to be a enterprise type only phone catered to the loyal fanbase I have to find that article.
    That "loyal fanbase" jumped ship in '08-'09 as soon as the iPhone offered native Exchange ActiveSync.
    05-01-19 04:05 PM
  16. allwi's Avatar
    ... fans don't exist in the numbers necessary to support a bad product. And that is what BB10 was in 2013.... 2007 it would have been a GREAT product. It's all about timing, and BlackBerry's was all wrong. That really isn't even Thor's fault. I do blame him for not spending "whatever" it would have taken to get more "key" apps on the platform.
    No, BB10 wasn't a bad product in 2013 and it is still not a bad product in 2019. I still believe it's superior to iOS and Android especially regarding the usability.

    But yes, the timing was bad. It came out far too late when the market was already saturated and sheeps only wanted iPhone or Android.
    The other problem with the timing was that because of the delay in creating a modern OS and adopting the touch screen, BB Phones were seen as outdated and not cool (anymore).

    This is not Thor's fault and I agree that he should have done more to rebuilt the reputation but it's easy to gain a good reputation but almost impossible to rebuilt a destroyed image of a company.

    Regarding Heins or Chen: Chen might have saved BBRY. So what? He sold the phone manufacturing - so I can still buy a keyboard device - but what do I care about a software company which mainly provides management software?
    05-01-19 08:38 PM
  17. Chuck Finley69's Avatar
    No, BB10 wasn't a bad product in 2013 and it is still not a bad product in 2019. I still believe it's superior to iOS and Android especially regarding the usability.

    But yes, the timing was bad. It came out far too late when the market was already saturated and sheeps only wanted iPhone or Android.
    The other problem with the timing was that because of the delay in creating a modern OS and adopting the touch screen, BB Phones were seen as outdated and not cool (anymore).

    This is not Thor's fault and I agree that he should have done more to rebuilt the reputation but it's easy to gain a good reputation but almost impossible to rebuilt a destroyed image of a company.

    Regarding Heins or Chen: Chen might have saved BBRY. So what? He sold the phone manufacturing - so I can still buy a keyboard device - but what do I care about a software company which mainly provides management software?
    Who cares that Chen shutdown hardware? That was the only possible option that existed. The company was busted, cash broke and he was hired to exit phones or there wouldn't have been a loan to save company.
    05-01-19 08:55 PM
  18. allwi's Avatar
    Who cares that Chen shutdown hardware? That was the only possible option that existed. The company was busted, cash broke and he was hired to exit phones or there wouldn't have been a loan to save company.
    As I said: So what? I don't care, if BBRY goes broke as much as I don't care, if Apple would go broke. I don't have a love relationship with the company: They are a provider of goods. They were my provider for mobile phones ... but not anymore. It seems they are still a provider of some BBOS like Android apps (I don't know because I'm still using the Passport) but aside from this? Why should I care?
    05-01-19 09:00 PM
  19. app_Developer's Avatar
    As I said: So what? I don't care, if BBRY goes broke as much as I don't care, if Apple would go broke. I don't have a love relationship with the company: They are a provider of goods. They were my provider for mobile phones ... but not anymore. It seems they are still a provider of some BBOS like Android apps (I don't know because I'm still using the Passport) but aside from this? Why should I care?
    Well the question is who has been the better CEO? A CEO’s job is to preserve and grow the value of the company in the interest of creditors and shareholders. Every other thing a CEO does is supposed to be in support of that primary goal: value of the company.

    So who cares? The people who hired Chen and the people who made the laws concerning his fiduciary responsibilities.
    glwerry and ppeters914 like this.
    05-01-19 09:06 PM
  20. Chuck Finley69's Avatar
    As I said: So what? I don't care, if BBRY goes broke as much as I don't care, if Apple would go broke. I don't have a love relationship with the company: They are a provider of goods. They were my provider for mobile phones ... but not anymore. It seems they are still a provider of some BBOS like Android apps (I don't know because I'm still using the Passport) but aside from this? Why should I care?
    Well for one, your Passport would be a pile of rubble if BB had already gone under since it wouldn't enjoy soft landing support.

    That's if the company had even lasted that long. Without Chen, there most likely have been no Passport of any kind. But hey, imagine how good your Android/IOS proficiency would be now.....!!!!!!!

    Be happy!!!!
    05-01-19 09:08 PM
  21. igor10000's Avatar
    though Thor supported BB10, he actually had no clue about what was happening and how BlackBerry was losing its position
    05-01-19 11:22 PM
  22. Chuck Finley69's Avatar
    though Thor supported BB10, he actually had no clue about what was happening and how BlackBerry was losing its position
    Sure he knew, but he was powerless to do anything. The competition was far larger and had economic resources at their disposal he could only imagine.
    05-02-19 06:28 AM
  23. Dunt Dunt Dunt's Avatar
    Sure he knew, but he was powerless to do anything. The competition was far larger and had economic resources at their disposal he could only imagine.
    I expect the PlayBook opened a lot of eyes at BlackBerry... but what could they do, but move forward and hope for the best. They didn't have the billions that Microsoft had to throw at the problems, and if they did.... results wold have been the same as they were for Microsoft.
    05-02-19 07:12 AM
  24. conite's Avatar
    I expect the PlayBook opened a lot of eyes at BlackBerry... but what could they do, but move forward and hope for the best. They didn't have the billions that Microsoft had to throw at the problems, and if they did.... results wold have been the same as they were for Microsoft.
    It was a real bind. Had they gone Android at the time, they would have found Gingerbread impossible to secure, and would have lost their customer base as well.
    elfabio80 likes this.
    05-02-19 07:47 AM
  25. glwerry's Avatar
    Regarding Heins or Chen: Chen might have saved BBRY. So what? He sold the phone manufacturing - so I can still buy a keyboard device - but what do I care about a software company which mainly provides management software?[/QUOTE]

    You may not care about BB the software company, but I'm sure that the shareholders and the people who have employment DO appreciate it.
    Plus which, we STILL have BB branded phones with real keyboards!

    Unfortunately, BB10 didn't survive. That's sad. Life goes on.
    ppeters914 likes this.
    05-02-19 08:07 AM
43 12

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