[Irish Blues]

I have no time to pretend. It is what it is.

Until Chen decides to leave, the circus will go on.

And if he left tomorrow, whoever took over would be the maestro calling for the curtain on the final act.

Chen really has done a horrible job.

Posted via CB10

As a few have pointed out, Blackberry has been marked for bankruptcy by many for 3-5 years now - and there's still people who SWEAR TO GOD that the company is going bankrupt this year. The fact that Chen has been able to stabilize cash flow and snatch up a major enterprise security competitor at a price lower than many claimed that competitor was worth and supplement the security offerings with minor purchases that help complete the security suite with the potential for growth, ... look, I know change is hard, but Blackberry isn't a hardware company, and it's never going to be one. It's become a software company first, second, and third. The sooner people accept that, the sooner we can have rational discussions about the future of the company.

Or, we can keep talking about how Chen should plow the remaining $3B into some gaudy, over-the-top marketing campaign for a new [insert description] device with [insert overly absurd, massive high-end] specs, and hope that somehow it turns into profit - knowing [and yet some ignoring] that if it fails, it utterly bankrupts the company. Either one's fine for discussion; however, one of them is much more grounded in reality and has a realistic chance of success.

[anon(9607753)]

On what basis could you file an antitrust? Does BBRY allow full BB10 compatibility on Android, iOS, or Win devices? Nope. Sure, they may have developed a few apps for those platforms. But it's nowhere near the same. And the issue isn't with Google. The issue is with the individual app developers. Google doesn't lock their app developer contributions to the Google Play Services. Developers can build their apps independent of the Google Play Services at any time. Whether they choose to or not is not on Google's shoulders. The burden is shouldered by the developers themselves.

What you're asking is that every platform supports every other platform fully.

No actually that is not what I am saying at all. It is as with any anti-trust lawsuit...that giving a product away for free (or forcing others to use it) creates an unfair market advantage. Google should either sell the base Android OS for a fee, and therefore put it on an equal footing with other companies whose OS development costs are embedded in the device itself; or allow all their apps and services such as Playstore to run on any device that supports the open-source Android OS (or components) that Google releases for free, by its own volition.

Posted via CB10

[Wayne_Enterprises]

Do you not understand basic business practices? He has a binding legal contract with BlackBerry called a "deal". Unless someone has intimate knowledge of his arrangement at BlackBerry, let's stop speculating for "likes" and responses please.

[Maxxxpower]

Regarding the smartphone division, Chen has done a horrible job. No working plan visible. Overpriced hardware. Broken promises.

Regarding the whole company, Chen has done a good job. Unfortunately, I'm not interested in MDM software

[MikeX74]

They offered to develop the apps for some companies, and they still passed. Not sure what's left to offer after that.

Posted via CB10

Microsoft tried the same thing for WP, as I recall. Company after company told them to kick rocks.

[Sridhar M]

Blackberry's decline in the market is seen as smartphone company, what's not seen is Blackberry as an Enterprise Security Services Provider for the Mobile Management which is basically getting stronger as we could see their software solutions are expanded to Android & iOs platforms. So in this context Chen has sustained the company in the right path. The very evidence of the company's existence in 2016 is the proof of efforts put in by JC.

Posted via my favorite Passport

[rthonpm]

I've said this many times before but phones have always been a hobby for BlackBerry: they have always been a network and services company. BlackBerry didn't even introduce a phone until 2002 since earlier devices were email focused only. BES and other services have always been where the bulk of their money has been made.

The BlackBerry name was all but completely tarnished for most consumers by the time Chen's name was even being considered by the BOD. The board knows where BlackBerry makes its money, and if hardware was playing a factor in that then they would have selected a hardware expert as the successor to Thor.

Just because the products that the average consumer uses are likely being phased out doesn't mean that BlackBerry won't be a stronger company than they've been in the past. The stock price may never hit the highs it did before but a multi-billion dollar software and services firm is certainly nothing to scoff at: it's just not as tangible or sexy to a consumer when you're servicing electrons as opposed to a tangible product.

Posted via CB10

[bb10adopter111]

Despite the interests of consumers and Crackberrians, the era of profitable smartphone manufacturing is drawing to a close. No sane CEO would bet a company's future on entering the smartphone market now , which is essentially what Blackberry would be trying to do.

Enterprise security software is a much more promising opportunity, and John Chen has made the correct strategic move in harvesting declining BBOS revenues to invest in the new lines of business. If the former CEOs had done that, starting in 2007-8, Blackberry would have had billions more to invest in its transformation.

I love BB10, and I hope it survives as a niche business, but it was monumentally aggressive and risky to assume that it would be a hit when it was launched in 2013.

Money invested in the software business is much more likely to produce profits than money invested in hardware. As a shareholder, John Chen has my enthusiastic support. It will be interesting to see how the markets react to this earnings report, but I expect the market reaction to be positive.

Posted via CB10

[donnation]

I've said this many times before but phones have always been a hobby for BlackBerry.

Posted via CB10

You cannot possibly be serious with this comment.

[Emaderton3]

Despite the interests of consumers and Crackberrians, the era of profitable smartphone manufacturing is drawing to a close. No sane CEO would bet a company's future on entering the smartphone market now , which is essentially what Blackberry would be trying to do.

Enterprise security software is a much more promising opportunity, and John Chen has made the correct strategic move in harvesting declining BBOS revenues to invest in the new lines of business. If the former CEOs had done that, starting in 2007-8, Blackberry would have had billions more to invest in its transformation.

I love BB10, and I hope it survives as a niche business, but it was monumentally aggressive and risky to assume that it would be a hit when it was launched in 2013.

Money invested in the software business is much more likely to produce profits than money invested in hardware. As a shareholder, John Chen has my enthusiastic support. It will be interesting to see how the markets react to this earnings report, but I expect the market reaction to be positive.

Posted via CB10

And today's results completely support this! Software is growing.

Posted via CB10

[Deckard79]

And today's results completely support this! Software is growing.

Posted via CB10

Yup, that's where the future lies.

No more devices.

Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android

[Elephant_Canyon]

No actually that is not what I am saying at all. It is as with any anti-trust lawsuit...that giving a product away for free (or forcing others to use it) creates an unfair market advantage.

Do you have some case law to cite?

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

I think after that ER, Chen might get a raise.

Yes it was bad for BlackBerry fans, but for investors there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Once the dead weight of BIS is gone, they should do very well. As for hardware, Chen has limited BlackBerry's exposure... he won't do anything unless it makes money.

I expect a mid-grade Android PKB device with a very high markup... will be an enterprise device that many carriers outside of Canada won't even bother with unless they have a large enterprise userbase.

[pkcable]

As he has not done his job of turning around the company, or at least in the direction most think he was supposed to turn it, do you think there is a good chance of him stepping down come Friday?

Posted via CB10

Slim and none, and Slim just left town!

[rthonpm]

You cannot possibly be serious with this comment.

See the second clause of that statement. They have always made the bulk of their money from network and service fees, i.e. recurring fees.

[sentimentGX4]

I don't think Chen will be asked to step down. I don't find his performance as super impressive; but, he has met/exceeded his software revenue targets and that is what investors should focus on.

Devices have been a lost cause for years now and there is little hope to resuscitate sales. I don't think it would be wise to dismiss Chen over a lost cause when he is doing an okay job growing the part of the company with potential.

[Superfly_FR]

Chen's plan is to turn BB into a software company and hopefully profit.

Yup, that's where the future lies.
No more devices.

Well, given the latest statements he made, I'm kind to believe that his plan is to turn BlackBerry into a back-end software company, serviced by in-house devices. I'd pretend the break-even on smartphones division is the balance he's pointing at because they have a lot of customers that will not buy a back-end solution without the full in-house [read, maybe : non U.S] option. Even if this option is not designed to meet all services/employees profiles, they might have queried their customers and found this is mandatory.
FWIW, I for one strongly advocate this (for years).

So, again, that's a balance between the cost and the gain ... and as I feel the wind, there's little chance they drop the smartphone business for now.
P.S: Amber agrees

BNN - Watch TV Online | CEO Chen calls BlackBerry quarter ?reasonably good? despite plunge in handset sales

P.S: as for J.C stepping down ...

[theboogeyman]

He has done some. What he hasnt done was to shut down the Hardware which he should had his first day on the job. Hardware was done in 2010 and if it were closed then, the company would not be in this state.

[Emaderton3]

Well, now they need to just sell 3 million phones in one year to break even which Chen said he thought was possible. While overall phone sales were down this quarter, they did not include some big carriers like Verizon in the US whom have just started offering the Priv. So some hope.. .

Posted via CB10

[thurask]

Yes it was bad for BlackBerry fans, but for investors there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Once the dead weight of BIS is gone, they should do very well.

BIS? Dead weight? How dare you! BlackBerry would be number one if they made BB10 use BIS, because my tin foil lined cave blocks out plebeian cell signals. LTE, data, apps, those are for children. Real Businessmen(TM) only use their phones for Real Business(TM), which is defined as having nothing to do with social media, images, apps, or anything else you couldn't have done in 1996.

/s, obviously

[anon(9607753)]

Do you have some case law to cite?

Great, a rhetorical question! Obviously you missed my point, but thanks.

Posted via CB10

[Deckard79]

BIS? Dead weight? How dare you! BlackBerry would be number one if they made BB10 use BIS, because my tin foil lined cave blocks out plebeian cell signals. LTE, data, apps, those are for children. Real Businessmen(TM) only use their phones for Real Business(TM), which is defined as having nothing to do with social media, images, apps, or anything else you couldn't have done in 1996.

/s, obviously

Hehe!

Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android

[ohaiguise]

If BlackBerry were serious about saving money, they'd do away with the overpaid CEO position altogether. Chairman Chen isn't worth millions of dollars a year, and neither is any other overpriced narcissist in a suit.

[Ronindan]

If BlackBerry were serious about saving money, they'd do away with the overpaid CEO position altogether. Chairman Chen isn't worth millions of dollars a year, and neither is any other overpriced narcissist in a suit.

except it was a narcissist in a suite that invested 1 billion dollars to Blackberry to keep afloat. and that same narcissist in a suit is happy to keep John Chen in his job.

[Elephant_Canyon]

Great, a rhetorical question! Obviously you missed my point, but thanks.

Oh, no, your point was clear. I was just highlighting the fact that your premise is fatally flawed.