[misdaroc]

Passport?come on.like any 16 yr old is gonna run out and buy that? Im a diehard Blackberry fan..went from Bold to Z10.BB need to set down with the average guy like me or you and ask what we want.

[valleyag]

Here you go. I don't think he's after that market by this.

Posted via CB10

[thymaster]

So what if Mr. Chen did say they are focusing on enterprise but he never told consumers or young people that they can not go out and buy his product. I'm pretty sure there are lots of young and old using BlackBerry still despite it's target audience is corporate enterprises now.

[fcaputo4]

I'm 22 and have been using Blackberrys since my first smart phone. Currently rocking the Classic. I agree that my age people and younger are not going out and buying Blackberrys. I don't see many Blackberrys in the wild ever and when I do I kind of freak out and immediately talk to that person.

I think that it's all about marketing and perception. When I was younger I saw Blackberrys everywhere and that was the smart phone to have. When the iphone and android phone started to become popular blackberry wasn't changing much and people wanted the latest and greatest technology. After the emergence of apple and android, blackberry was on the back burner and no one thought of them because other phones were out performing them. I always loved having a keyboard and could never step away from blackberry myself. When bb10 came out finally, the damage was already done.

Younger kids and people that switched to apple or android were already done with BlackBerry. They became fanboys/girls and I'm pretty sure people didn't even realize that BlackBerry was still making phones. I still get dumb ignorant comments about my BlackBerry but I couldn't care less about what people say. I get things done quicker and more efficient than anyone else. I try and sell people on BlackBerry and sometimes it works but other times I have no chance because people are too infatuated with the iphone that hasn't changed in a decade, big touch screens, and cameras. I myself just enjoy the hell out of my BlackBerry and continue to hope they make great devices. I hope BlackBerry can get rid of this perception that the company is dead and their phones blow because it's not true.

Posted via CB10

[z10Jobe]

I'm 22 and have been using Blackberrys since my first smart phone. Currently rocking the Classic. I agree that my age people and younger are not going out and buying Blackberrys. I don't see many Blackberrys in the wild ever and when I do I kind of freak out and immediately talk to that person.

I think that it's all about marketing and perception. When I was younger I saw Blackberrys everywhere and that was the smart phone to have. When the iphone and android phone started to become popular blackberry wasn't changing much and people wanted the latest and greatest technology. After the emergence of apple and android, blackberry was on the back burner and no one thought of them because other phones were out performing them. I always loved having a keyboard and could never step away from blackberry myself. When bb10 came out finally, the damage was already done.

Younger kids and people that switched to apple or android were already done with BlackBerry. They became fanboys/girls and I'm pretty sure people didn't even realize that BlackBerry was still making phones. I still get dumb ignorant comments about my BlackBerry but I couldn't care less about what people say. I get things done quicker and more efficient than anyone else. I try and sell people on BlackBerry and sometimes it works but other times I have no chance because people are too infatuated with the iphone that hasn't changed in a decade, big touch screens, and cameras. I myself just enjoy the hell out of my BlackBerry and continue to hope they make great devices that I can do more with than anyone on their toys. I hope BlackBerry can get rid of this perception that the company is dead and their phones blow because it's not true.

Posted via CB10

Well said.

Posted via CB10

[KingOfQwerty]

I'm 22 and have been using Blackberrys since my first smart phone. Currently rocking the Classic. I agree that my age people and younger are not going out and buying Blackberrys. I don't see many Blackberrys in the wild ever and when I do I kind of freak out and immediately talk to that person.

I think that it's all about marketing and perception. When I was younger I saw Blackberrys everywhere and that was the smart phone to have. When the iphone and android phone started to become popular blackberry wasn't changing much and people wanted the latest and greatest technology. After the emergence of apple and android, blackberry was on the back burner and no one thought of them because other phones were out performing them. I always loved having a keyboard and could never step away from blackberry myself. When bb10 came out finally, the damage was already done.

Younger kids and people that switched to apple or android were already done with BlackBerry. They became fanboys/girls and I'm pretty sure people didn't even realize that BlackBerry was still making phones. I still get dumb ignorant comments about my BlackBerry but I couldn't care less about what people say. I get things done quicker and more efficient than anyone else. I try and sell people on BlackBerry and sometimes it works but other times I have no chance because people are too infatuated with the iphone that hasn't changed in a decade, big touch screens, and cameras. I myself just enjoy the hell out of my BlackBerry and continue to hope they make great devices that I can do more with than anyone on their toys. I hope BlackBerry can get rid of this perception that the company is dead and their phones blow because it's not true.

Posted via CB10

Make this sticky in Crackberry front page and save million threads

[Troy Tiscareno]

For the millionth time, it's mostly about the ECOSYSTEM (or, rather, BB's lack of one). 99% of people aren't going to patch apps or sideload anything - if they can't download it from the app store on the phone, then for them, "it doesn't exist."

Netflix, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. are HUGE, massively popular apps, especially with teens and 20s (their entire social circles often use these apps as the primary way to communicate with each other), and BB does not have those apps. BB does not have Google Apps, which are also key to this group. They don't have Microsoft Office either, nor do they have many, many specialized apps that the average person will never use and cares nothing about, but that people in specific careers simply can't live without.

The medical field is a good example. There are all kinds of medical apps that are used by millions of doctors worldwide every day that are available for Android and iOS but not on BB. That just isn't gonna fly, and most of these people aren't interested in trying to track down old versions or alternative (and risky) app stores, etc. All of that creates way too much resistance for the average phone user, who, remember, isn't already "in love" with BB, and they'll simply take the phone back to the store and get something else. Which is one reason that carrier sales people push people to other phones - those returns hurt the store and worse, hurt the salesperson's commissions and stats.

There are other reasons too:

- lack of flagship full-touch
- phones released with old specs
- phones overpriced
- undesirable/"niche" form factors
- lack of marketing
- lack of pre-sale support (i.e., phones stocked by carriers for instant purchase and demo phones to try)
- lack of after-sale support (if your phone breaks, getting it fixed can be difficult, expensive, and take a long time).
- cameras that perform worse-than-average

BB fans are BB fans, and some of them are fans because few of these issues are important to them, but others, because they are fans, rationalize and make excuses for BB's lack of competitive offerings in these areas, and pretend they aren't important to the mass-market consumer, despite sales figures clearly showing the truth. But buyers, on average, are a lot smarter than many folks here give them credit for. Other brands give them more of the things they find important for the same or fewer dollars spent, and even if some disagree with what those people find important, that doesn't change what the mass-market consumer finds important. And the biggest thing is the native ecosystem.

[spacemanZ10]

For the millionth time, it's mostly about the ECOSYSTEM (or, rather, BB's lack of one). 99% of people aren't going to patch apps or sideload anything - if they can't download it from the app store on the phone, then for them, "it doesn't exist."

Agreed, I'm on my 3rd Berry a passport I love it, I sometimes feel abut peeved that the odd app is not available (strava, times uk) but I manage. I certainly can't be bothered with sideloading or patching. If it's not in BlackBerry world or amazon then i accept that, but I'm 40 and mostly use my phone for internet linked in fb and twitter and news. I agree though for the majority it's an issue. I came from HTC Android btw. This is my personal Driver.

Netflix, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. are HUGE, massively popular apps, especially with teens and 20s (their entire social circles often use these apps as the primary way to communicate with each other), and BB does not have those apps. BB does not have Google Apps, which are also key to this group. They don't have Microsoft Office either, nor do they have many, many specialized apps that the average person will never use and cares nothing about, but that people in specific careers simply can't live without.
Workwise I'm in sales and sometimes forward emails to my passport to read on the go in wide! At work we use nokia!



BB fans are BB fans, and some of them are fans because few of these issues are important to them, but others, because they are fans, rationalize and make excuses for BB's lack of competitive offerings in these areas, and pretend they aren't important to the mass-market consumer, despite sales figures clearly showing the truth. But buyers, on average, are a lot smarter than many folks here give them credit for. Other brands give them more of the things they find important for the same or fewer dollars spent, and even if some disagree with what those people find important, that doesn't change what the mass-market consumer finds important. And the biggest thing is the native ecosystem.

Swiped on my beautiful Passport!

[AthenaSmith]

I'm part of the "younger generation", except that BlackBerry is the phone most appealing to me I purchased my first BlackBerry in my 20s; it was my first smartphone coming from a traditional Nokia. I was a new graduate fresh out of law school; I wasn't a manager or business owner or department head. BlackBerry appealed to me because it looked elegant and classic, powerful and professional. Moreover, my usage is straightforward: call, text, message, email, browse, take occasional photos. I don't need all those apps and games; my extra app needs are just a photo editor, a listmaker, a flashlight, a writing app, and WhatsApp -- all of which are readily available on BlackBerry World. Facebook and Twitter are already built in. I liked BlackBerry's efficiency, sophistication (without being overly simple), and no-nonsense feel.

Even when iPhone and Samsung became the most popular phones, even when my BBM contacts decreased, I stayed with BlackBerry because I liked having a phone that wasn't common. I didn't want a phone that everyone and their neighbor had.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of people have a herd mentality and jump on the bandwagon. They like what's popular or hip at the moment. At least that's what I see from my circle and peers. Whatever the majority finds "trendy" or most visible, that's where they'll go.

[RH1Pearl]

I'm 22 and have been using Blackberrys since my first smart phone. Currently rocking the Classic. I agree that my age people and younger are not going out and buying Blackberrys. I don't see many Blackberrys in the wild ever and when I do I kind of freak out and immediately talk to that person.

I think that it's all about marketing and perception. When I was younger I saw Blackberrys everywhere and that was the smart phone to have. When the iphone and android phone started to become popular blackberry wasn't changing much and people wanted the latest and greatest technology. After the emergence of apple and android, blackberry was on the back burner and no one thought of them because other phones were out performing them. I always loved having a keyboard and could never step away from blackberry myself. When bb10 came out finally, the damage was already done.

Younger kids and people that switched to apple or android were already done with BlackBerry. They became fanboys/girls and I'm pretty sure people didn't even realize that BlackBerry was still making phones. I still get dumb ignorant comments about my BlackBerry but I couldn't care less about what people say. I get things done quicker and more efficient than anyone else. I try and sell people on BlackBerry and sometimes it works but other times I have no chance because people are too infatuated with the iphone that hasn't changed in a decade, big touch screens, and cameras. I myself just enjoy the hell out of my BlackBerry and continue to hope they make great devices that I can do more with than anyone on their toys. I hope BlackBerry can get rid of this perception that the company is dead and their phones blow because it's not true.

Posted via CB10

Time to get rid of your perception as well that Android & IPhones are Toys and those users are less productive.

[dillanolliver]

I got my first blackberry when I was 16 instead of an iphone 4 and loved it. Now 20 and still love Blackberry and hopefully never have to change. Try to convince my friends to swap, unfortunately it's all about getting what everyone else has e.g iphone or samsung.

Posted via CB10

[LordCrankypants]

What people are failing to realize is that BlackBerry isn't catering to the consumer group anymore. Their devices aren't trying to compete with Apple or Samsung. They are making and designing devices to appeal to the Enterprise market, but even they recognize that this hardware is only going to appeal to a niche market of people. That's why so much focus has been placed on software. They are quickly becoming a software company with a small focus on hardware, when they were the other way around for a long time.

At the end of the day, BlackBerry isn't trying to sell to you as an individual consumer or an individual employee. They're selling to the Enterprise market, which has different needs than consumers do.

If nothing else, BlackBerry has proven in the last year or so that you don't need to be on top to be successful.

JB

Posted internationally thanks to my Passport

[z10Jobe]

Marketing, carrier store indifference, peer pressure, herd mentality, mistaken beliefs, perception, trying in vain to be cool, need to conform, mommy and daddy spoiling Junior, etc., etc.

BlackBerry is just not cool and fashionable right now. Sure it can do all the basic things any other phone can do, but that is irrelevant in the market place. I'm okay with BlackBerry at 0.5%. Makes me unique I guess, not that I f'ing care, cuz I don't.

Regardless, I don't understand the obsession about market share with phones. Unless you are a shareholder, who cares.... Grow up people, get outside, and enjoy the day (bundle up if you are in Canada. F'ing cold out there. Having the most popular phone vs brand B, doesn't really enrich your life in any way, make you better, And if you happen to think that does, well then enjoy.

Posted via CB10

[Sulaco757]

Even when iPhone and Samsung became the most popular phones, I didn't want a phone that everyone and their neighbor had.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of people have a herd mentality and jump on the bandwagon. They like what's popular or hip at the moment. At least that's what I see from my circle and peers. Whatever the majority finds "trendy" or most visible, that's where they'll go.

What a lot of people don't remember is that BlackBerry rode this wave of herd popularity in the mid 2000's as well. They got an inflated boost on market share because it became the "in" thing to get BlackBerry and BIS. BlackBerry was just a business /enterprise tool meant for corporate communications. But they had such great build quality and call quality the rest of the population wanted that tool too. Then it became a status symbol, BlackBerry enjoyed a few years of unprecedented success and forgot their roots. Some would even agree they stopped innovating and became arrogant, all while other companies ignored the banter and did their best to provide a great user experience.

BlackBerry now has to remember their roots and run their business sustainably, which John Chen seems good at. BlackBerry devices after the Passport (which wasn't Chen's first device, he just didn't kill it) are very lackluster in specs and really just minor tweaks on existing hardware. BlackBerry is obviously leaving market trends to the big guys, and instead concentrating on mid grade fleet phones with reliable, efficient specs. They are staying out of Samsung's way.

I'm just waiting for BlackBerry to officially say "If you want a premium Flagship quality phone go get a Samsung and we can put BlackBerry software on it to make it more secure and efficient. But we aren't interested in building it, we will just build the phones an enterprise account will order by the hundreds."

I wonder if that was part of Samsung's requirements to team up with BlackBerry. Stay out of the way hardware wise, and we will keep you alive software wise.

It's Sad because It's like GM saying they will shutdown Cadillac to concentrate on pushing Chevy's, even though Cadillac quality was part of their roots.

 Q10 

[mikedolo]

The younger generation grew up seeing full touch screen devices (iPad) . A blackberry looks like something from the stone age (typewriter).

[anon(8865116)]

Passport?come on.like any 16 yr old is gonna run out and buy that? Im a diehard Blackberry fan..went from Bold to Z10.BB need to set down with the average guy like me or you and ask what we want.

You know, I would have agreed with you a couple months ago, but, I tend to search on instagram for blackberry tags and have been sufficiently surprised. There are a lot of young people from a variety of cultures that love the keyboard and phones. It's just different you know so the "hipsters" of every generation tend to like something that is seemingly unique. Take a look when you get the chance.

[fcaputo4]

Time to get rid of your perception as well that Android & IPhones are Toys and those users are less productive.

I wasn't serious about them being toys, I should have put that in quotes. I've also have used androids. I never said the users were less productive. I was just saying I personally can get things done more effortlessly and efficiently on a BlackBerry.

BlackBerry Classic 10.3.1.2267

[TCB on Z10]

Quote:The medical field is a good example. There are all kinds of medical apps that are used by millions of doctors worldwide every day that are available for Android and iOS but not on BB. That just isn't gonna fly, and most of these people aren't interested in trying to track down old versions or alternative (and risky) app stores, etc.
***************
Yes, I was disappointed when LexiComp dropped support, in February, for BB10 but their android version from Amazon works well on my Z10. I have had patients complement me on my secure BlackBerry when I access medical info on it at their bedside. I would feel like Patch Adams if I was using a "game phone". BBM on a BlackBerry is safest for health care as we have the flashing red LED and the "R" beside the message and the ability to "ping" if it is a priority. It is a shame that the Passport is not advertised in medical journals as its display is perfect for x-rays but the Radiologists, at my Hospital, all have iPhones now as they did not know. BlackBerry just has to get back into marketing !

TCB on Z10

[sahilp17]

I'm 21 yrs old living in Massachusetts and attending a big public university. I got my z10 summer of 2013 and plan to change to IOS this coming summer. Loved all my time with the z10 but at the end of the day, ios better suits my interests. The day BlackBerry competes in the world of ecosystems, you'll see me coming right back

Posted via CB10

[anon(55900)]

Simple, Too many in USA need a phone available through their carrier in order to finance their phone. BlackBerry isn't available at carrier! Plus, if a phone isn't sitting on a carriers store shelf, the majority do not know it exists.

Posted via CB10

[Billy Bob Jimmy Joe]

Most of today's youth are morons. Maybe that's why.

Posted via BlackBerry Classic

[fcaputo4]

Most of today's youth are morons. Maybe that's why.

Posted via BlackBerry Classic

That's a pretty broad stereo type there and do not consider myself a moron. I don't think the phone you choose reflects on your intelligence.

BlackBerry Classic 10.3.1.2267

[prplhze2000]

Hmm..... no snapchat, no pinterest, no netflix, no hulu, things teens, especially the chick's want.

Posted via CB10

[fcaputo4]

Hmm..... no snapchat, no pinterest, no netflix, no hulu, things teens, especially the chick's want.

Posted via CB10

I have all of these working on my classic right now...

BlackBerry Classic 10.3.1.2267

[Bla1ze]

I have all of these working on my classic right now...

BlackBerry Classic 10.3.1.2267

You had to work to get them there though and they don't run as good as they do on other platforms in a lot of cases. Don't get me wrong, I know the point you're making, but you shouldn't have to jump through hoops. The BlackBerry solution, while improved, is still not friendly. Contrast it with the experience elsewhere and it's a mess.

• Why do I want to download APK's from the internet when the Google Play Store is easy and right there?
• App include Google services? Normal people are screwed. The workarounds for that are even more of a mess/hassle. More hoops just to get an app that still might work as expected.
• Amazon/Developers are is STILL hiding certain apps from BlackBerry users so even with the Amazon Appstore included, it's limited.

You seem smart, I don't think I really need to go on. Point is, that stuff is great but it's still a barrier to entry.