[40blind40]

I thought I would share this article while I believe there is a lot a truth in this article, it is in the end a bad idea.
I agree BB10 was a massive change from BBOS 5, 6 7 and was to much of a change from what has worked for the company, I
have felt that there was like a step missing or maybe just a function or two in the new Os that just in the beginning put me off.
Whether it be the quick copy n paste or that pure one handed enjoyment, something was just not there and turned be off a first.
This is not just me I read and here from fellow Berryites the same story, where is my this or that hmmm?

Where I believe this writer is wrong is his view that BB10 should be abandoned for the old (not in my humble opinion).
Which leads me to the BB10 classic if put together with that pure feel of BBOS and that modern touch of BB10 just maybe we have a winner here. The right combination of old and new wrapped in modern beautiful hardware with a kiss of stainless steal to hold it all together!! I feel a little tingle here better end this post and get back to work lol.

BlackBerry's Coca-Cola Moment | Mobile | E-Commerce Times
Coca-Cola did something very unusual for a corporate giant. Its executives said they were wrong. They admitted the customer knew best. They apologized for screwing around with the brand, and they brought back the good, old-fashioned Coca-Cola recipe. Those executives gave in to mounting customer pressure. If they hadn't, that may have been the end of the company.

[AnimalPak200]

I don't think you can compare an instantly consumable drink to a long-lasting electronic device that requires support, ecosystem, accessories, etc.

So I agree, they can't *just abandon* BB10... or at least they hope they can't.

Posted via CB10

[anon(1464249)]

The author describes BB10 as a 'disaster'. While it might have been a disaster when released, the 10.2 OS is light years ahead of OS7.

He has some merit as the OS7 to BB10 migration was steep and not a lot of people liked it, it's something of the past now. The only thing they need to do is market the BB10 OS and show that migration from OS7 is painfree.

[bhrgvr]

I believe that BlackBerry has taken a step in that direction by bringing out bold devices into production again. They should bring out better hardware to support the OS so there are no more battery pulls...

Posted via CB10

[stabstabdie]

You know kagan is a paid shill right??

I'd take his views with a grain of salt.

[nuff_said]

You realise coca cola has the benefit (and curse) of never having to dramatically change their product. Whenever they stray from the original recipe it bombs (cherry coke, vanilla coke). Don't want to hear any nonsense about coke zero or diet because their objective was to make a drink which tasted like the original.
The author cannot compare coke to BlackBerry. Yes they both sell products but that's pretty much where the similarities end.

[kbz1960]

I believe that BlackBerry has taken a step in that direction by bringing out bold devices into production again. They should bring out better hardware to support the OS so there are no more battery pulls...

Posted via CB10

Battery pulls are not the result of hardware. It's the OS.

[blackburberry]

They admitted the customer knew best. They apologized for screwing around with the brand, and they brought back the good, old-fashioned Coca-Cola recipe.

Except Coca Cola didn't bring back the old recipe. The *returning* coke classic does not taste anything like pre 70's coke did. The important thing for Coca Cola was that the consumer believed the original taste had returned. All marketing hype [a k a bullsh*t] to sell a brand.

[Troy Tiscareno]

The author apparently doesn't understand that BBOS was already failing in the market 4 years ago, and its slide has continued each quarter since. Sure, sales have not yet fallen to zero, so it technically still sells, but that's more due to the inertia of enterprises who are slow to adopt new technologies, and due to the low prices BB could sell obsolete 3-4-year-old BBOS phones to emerging markets.

Coke wasn't a failing product when New Coke was released; Coke might have been losing a bit of marketshare due to an increasing array of alternative choices, but it was still the top product on the market with sizable, reliable sales. That isn't the case with BBOS - sales were already dropping. Going back to BBOS isn't going to bring BB back into relevance the way Classic Coke brought Coke back into relevance.

[eddy_berry]

Coke is pretty much the same to everyone. Everyone, whether they like it or not, uses it in the same way. They drink it or they don't. How we use technology changes and has changed a lot in just a few years. It would be a bad move for BlackBerry to start taking steps backward now. They see a demand for Bolds, perhaps in enterprise, they take it and make some extra cash. The BB10 Classic Q20 will be the real answer to bring legacy users over to BB10. They need to keep moving forward and at the same time stick to their roots. I do not see Chen deviating from exactly that. At this point they need to offer touchscreen devices that are as compelling as the mainstream players and at the same time corner a niche market of keyboard/email/messaging enthusiasts. Most likely their largest clientele will be end up being in the keyboard column, with their touchscreen offerings continuing to be a 4th place player to larger ecosystems. They can become profitable with the right hardware and software options. I don't think they are that far off software wise which has been impressive for a company undergoing cuts.

[stabstabdie]

The author apparently doesn't understand that BBOS was already failing in the market 4 years ago, and its slide has continued each quarter since. Sure, sales have not yet fallen to zero, so it technically still sells, but that's more due to the inertia of enterprises who are slow to adopt new technologies, and due to the low prices BB could sell obsolete 3-4-year-old BBOS phones to emerging markets.

Coke wasn't a failing product when New Coke was released; Coke might have been losing a bit of marketshare due to an increasing array of alternative choices, but it was still the top product on the market with sizable, reliable sales. That isn't the case with BBOS - sales were already dropping. Going back to BBOS isn't going to bring BB back into relevance the way Classic Coke brought Coke back into relevance.

^this

And I never agree with troy!

[Mirk]

Coke is a drink, a drink that no one expects to change. A drink that will continue to sell well without any change. A drink where change caused sales to plummet. BlackBerry is not a drink, and sales where already plummeting before the change. People expect technology to advance and change. People were already dropping BB because there was no change. Just because the legacy users don't want change that does not mean that's what the larger (much larger) market wants.

[adrenaline_x]

BlackBerry was losing massive marketshare before bb10 was released because they were too outdated.

So sticking with bbos and the Java based issues. Would have killed them off faster.

U only have to look at current bbos 7 sales to see that they aren't selling g like they used to. This is not because of bb10. Its because the majority of consumer don't find them attractive to the competition

Posted via CB10

[qwerty4ever]

And Coke Classic still is NOT as good as the original Coca-Cola prior to the decision to change the recipe to be more like Pepsi. Coca-Cola used to contain caffeine and I drank it to stay awake all night during coding sessions. The "burn" that I felt back then has never returned; Coke and Pepsi are equally weak. But I still drink Coca-Cola much as I still use BlackBerry. Ha! Ha!

Posted via CB10 on BlackBerry Q5

[Xenolock]

Except Coca Cola didn't bring back the old recipe. The *returning* coke classic does not taste anything like pre 70's coke did. The important thing for Coca Cola was that the consumer believed the original taste had returned. All marketing hype [a k a bullsh*t] to sell a brand.

^^^ Truth. Coca-Cola brought out New Coke to mask their transition from using cane sugar to using corn syrup. And the palate-challenged American general public didn't even notice. Drink a coke canned in America vs one bottled in Mexico (or anywhere else that doesn't have corn subsidies) and you'll see.

From a Z30

[Wiki Cydia]

^^^ Truth. Coca-Cola brought out New Coke to mask their transition from using cane sugar to using corn syrup. And the palate-challenged American general public didn't even notice. Drink a coke canned in America vs one bottled in Mexico (or anywhere else that doesn't have corn subsidies) and you'll see.

On the contrary, if the American general public is indeed "palate-challenged", why would Coca Cola need to "mask" its transition? And why did those same palate-challenged Americans reject New Coke?

Drink a coke canned in America vs one bottled in Mexico (or anywhere else that doesn't have corn subsidies) and you'll see.

Not for long in Mexico. Maybe they just added corn subsidies? Hmmm. . .

Mexican Coke Switching To Corn Syrup From Cane Sugar; 4 Reasons Why This Shift Is Terrible

[Dave Bourque]

You don't abandon BB10 just because the launch was a fail... you don't abandon 2-4 years of work because some software noobs demand it... You don't adopt full Android because the consumers want more apps and yet destroy the base that BlackBerry is founded on... security and privacy... BB10 is the solution and they should stick with it and return and improve missing features from BB7 and innovate beyond iOS and Android because they certainly can...

Z10STL100-3/10.2.1.2141

[Sergiu1337]

They should bring out better hardware to support the OS so there are no more battery pulls...

Posted via CB10

Or why not optimize the software?

Posted via CB10

[Dave Bourque]

I believe that BlackBerry has taken a step in that direction by bringing out bold devices into production again. They should bring out better hardware to support the OS so there are no more battery pulls...

Posted via CB10

You don't need to battery pull on BB10... it's called rebooting... many devices can get stuck including iOS and Android....

Z10STL100-3/10.2.1.2141

[KermEd]

This is a good example of why critics are not CEO's

. He doesn't understand what he is talking about or what the real problems were (yes, I said were).

BlackBerry took the correct and necessary steps. BlackBerry is electro-sexy again. A drastic change had to happen. And yes, when you make massive change, not everyone sticks with you. And that's OK - those are the same people, like this critic, that have been holding you back.

The fact this critic doesn't get it reinforces that they made the right move.


Posted via CB from my LE

[badiyee]

Coming from Malaysia, there are rare instances I get USA imported Cola, and also Japan Cola (Its coca cola, but from USA/Japan, since the Malaysian Coca Cola is, if I recall correctly, is bottled by Fraser & Neave in Phillipines (or they may have a Malaysian plant, I don't remember).

But I dare claim it tastes VERY different, the ones we get in Malaysia and the rare ones from Japan / USA that istumbled upm

[adrenaline_x]

Or why not optimize the software?

Posted via CB10

But bbos would still lack any current enhancements like a proper and fast browser, or better app support.

COME ON! I like Blackberry, but bbo7 is and was outdated long before they released the os7 with the 9900/9810/9860. i was on and iphone 3,3gs,4 before coming back to a 9900 for about 11 months and then tried the s3.. WAY better for pretty much everything other then message management.. i wouldn't have switched if bb10 hadn't sucked me back in after testing it for our BES 10 server deployment.. but i love my z30 now and you can't take it away from me.

BUT os7 was junk compared to what we have now.. I believe craving for bbos is like people craving for simpler days when flips phones were easy to use. And thats fine.. Get the phone that suits your needs best, but realize that the majority of people and consumers have moved on to bigger and better things and expect and demand more functionality out of their mobile devices.

[blueberrymerry]

Might as well go back to using rotary dialer phones and slide rules because hey, those things don't need batteries

OS7 was a disaster compared to its iOS and Android contemporaries, or even abandoned platforms like Symbian and Meego. It's ridiculous for a phone to take more than 5 minutes for a cold boot but that's what pre-BB10 users had to live with, and a battery pull was the last thing I wanted to do when I had to finish up an email or make a call. PB OS has the same crazy-long cold boot time.

As for security and privacy, in this day and age, who cares? Most of the world's mobile users are fine with Google and Apple looking through and making money off all their data. Besides, if you really cared, it's possible to use Google-less Android versions coupled with encryption and VPN for all your data traffic.

BlackBerry's maniacal obsession with security & privacy at the expense of everything else made them a one (two?) trick pony. BES is obsolete when Exchange is good enough for most data policy handling and BIS is obsolete because lots of mobile bandwidth is so cheap.

[Oilers24]

I think the problem wasn't the os it was the devices and in particular the fact the belt was missing on the Q10 and Q5. For all the talk about how the Z10 outselling the qwerty devices, the truth is the public by more than two to one still prefer BlackBerry devices with a keyboard.

That is why Chen is going back to Coke Classic. He is not going back to the old operating system, he is going back to the keyboard for the high end devices and for the enterprise devices.

People who want to type on glass are buying Apple and Android devices. BlackBerry tried me too and flopped. The Z30 and Z10 are excellent machines but they have no killer feature that would make an Apple or Android user switch to them.

The Q10 has the keyboard. If I want to play games or watch videos I am getting a device with the most screen. If I need to communicate I am getting a device with a keyboard.

The consumer market has spoken they want the screen for games, apps, and video. BlackBerry can't compete in that market - primarily because they didn't have the apps but also because they didn't have a wow phone.

They can compete in the market that wants locked down phones that are primarily used as communication devices. Which is their Coca-Cola moment.

Posted via CB10

[Omnitech]

Personally, while I think Chen does need to get a better grasp of the smartphone business in general, I think people are making too much of the "new production run of Bolds".

There is still a small demand for the OS7 devices, and since BB10 isn't selling and BlackBerry doesn't really have the money to do a marketing push right now, it's a very simple, cheap and easy matter to make a new production run of Bolds because:

1. It requires ZERO engineering time/manpower - the devices are already designed
2. It requires ZERO manufacturing and tooling effort - all the documents, protocols and tooling are already built and ready
3. All they have to do is say "Please give me XXXXX more of those, please"
4. They can sell to existing markets/customers without requiring any new marketing initiatives

So really - it's kind of a no-brainer, very cheap move to keep selling some things that are still in moderate demand. This is especially important because BlackBerry fired most of their hardware design people already.