[Calimero1987]

BlackBerry boss compares its dedicated audience to Porsche | Technology | theguardian.com

what do you think? porsche might not be the exact right comparison, but it serves the point of customer-segment oriented business.

[got it from the guardian twitter account]

[jojo beaconsfield]

I want a Porsche,and I have a Z10,I'm half way there.

[cjcampbell]

BlackBerry boss compares its dedicated audience to Porsche | Technology | theguardian.com

what do you think? porsche might not be the exact right comparison, but it serves the point of customer-segment oriented business.

[got it from the guardian twitter account]

I think it's taken out of context. His "comparison" was in response to a question regarding being able to be profitable and continue as a niche player.

[alternator77]

I think it's taken out of context. His "comparison" was in response to a question regarding being able to be profitable and continue as a niche player.

Exactly and in the interview he also mentioned that the clientel they are targeting dont really care about apps...shakes head...

Posted via CB10

[antoscimento]

I love John Chen, finally someone declaring that apps are not safe and that no one knows where they come from, and gives some serenity for Blackberry users!

I was gonna do a thread about it and found this thread first. He was talking more, from what I saw, about working on a strategy that closer to a porsche than let's say toyota. It's about knowing our audiences and keeping them and doing things right. Exactly what blackberry was doing before the android runtime storm. Developers want apps on blackberry? Then they should respect it's requirements and security policy.

I love john Chen, as simple as that.

Posted via my Q10/Playbook/Curve

[SEAWARRIOR]

hmmm,,, sounds a little disconnected,,, here we go again...

[OniBerry]

I think it's taken out of context. His "comparison" was in response to a question regarding being able to be profitable and continue as a niche player.

Nice to see someone actually read the article...lol

[lnichols]

If John Chen were correct with the statements about keyboards and niche car brands, then the Q10 would have and would still be selling very well. It didn't and it isn't. Also the other major issue with the analogy is that niche car brands typically sell at 4 times or greater price than your mainstream brands and therefore can be very profitable with lower sales numbers. At the same time he is getting ready to make a device that, if we stick with the car analogy, is going to be line one of the cheap Indian or Chinese car being introduced. You are not going to see a $5000 to $10000 Porsche ever get released.

Chen needs to just execute and stop with the car analogies that have no basis in the smartphone market and make good all touch devices and PKB devices and let the market work it's way out. PKB market will shrink over time as it has been, and they need to keep the focus on all touch so that when that PKB market is too small to support in the future that they aren't finished.

Posted via CB10

[donnation]

I find it humorous that he comments on apps and the security of them when BB has made it easier to download Android apps on our phones.

[sixpacker]

Jeez, starting to sound like mikeL...
Maybe even belfastdispatcher ;-)

Has to be said a very conservative, high risk strategy, perhaps more wishful thinking than growing a pair and controlling your own destiny.

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

[serbanescu]

I find this interesting, also: "Chen has previously said that more than 80% of BlackBerry�s existing user base is enterprise customers."

Apparently he stated this in December, but I was not aware of it.


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Screen Timeout app - keep your BB10 screen awake

[sleepngbear]

Chen needs to just execute and stop with the car analogies that have no basis in the smartphone market and make good all touch devices and PKB devices and let the market work it's way out. PKB market will shrink over time as it has been, and they need to keep the focus on all touch so that when that PKB market is too small to support in the future that they aren't finished.

Posted via CB10

Ok, hold on just second here ... it's not like he's just offering these statements up as unsolicited press releases. He's simply using another well-known market as an analogy to clarify his position on his own market. Makes sense to me, and should help others to understand why he's in no hurry to take on the whole consumer market. What I believe he is saying is that there will always be users whose needs will be more readily met by devices with physical keyboards. Their numbers may not be growing, but they will always be there, and he wants BB to continue to be the go-to device for those users.

And I am ecstatic that he is also keeping focus on security. It is still very important to the enterprise and governments. And maybe not in the near future, but at some point it is sure to become more important to consumers as well.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

I love John Chen, finally someone declaring that apps are not safe and that no one knows where they come from, and gives some serenity for Blackberry users!

I was gonna do a thread about it and found this thread first. He was talking more, from what I saw, about working on a strategy that closer to a porsche than let's say toyota. It's about knowing our audiences and keeping them and doing things right. Exactly what blackberry was doing before the android runtime storm. Developers want apps on blackberry? Then they should respect it's requirements and security policy.

I love john Chen, as simple as that.

BlackBerry is the one that left the Android Runtime unlocked that allowed for the rampant use of converted and sideloaded APK files on the PlayBook and BB10. BlackBerry (under Chen's rule) is the one that has now changed the Android Runtime and left it unlocked to allow the direct installation of APK's..... Yes in a perfect world apps should come through BBW and should be tested by them and behave as required, but in the real world BlackBerry World sucks and to keep the few BB10 customers they have and to hold out hope for the future they are willing to do anything... including getting into bed with Android.

You can love John Chen all you want, but what he says and what they are doing is not the same thing. He is a CEO - his job is very similar to a guy trying to sell "snake oil" to cure the common cold.

[lnichols]

Ok, hold on just second here ... it's not like he's just offering these statements up as unsolicited press releases. He's simply using another well-known market as an analogy to clarify his position on his own market. Makes sense to me, and should help others to understand why he's in no hurry to take on the whole consumer market. What I believe he is saying is that there will always be users whose needs will be more readily met by devices with physical keyboards. Their numbers may not be growing, but they will always be there, and he wants BB to continue to be the go-to device for those users.

And I am ecstatic that he is also keeping focus on security. It is still very important to the enterprise and governments. And maybe not in the near future, but at some point it is sure to become more important to consumers as well.

The regulated markets want all touch devices and apps too. They have pretty much lost the medical market to iOS because of all the medical apps available, even in surgeries, even though there are stringent security requirements with regulations like HIPPA in that market. Government clients are only using BBOS because nothing else can get ATO, but it is obvious that they too would like apps and all touch devices based on all of the stories about DoD wanting to get iOS and Samsung Knox devices on the network, as well as other agencies with announcements of switching. Security is important and they need to maintain dominance there, but if the PKB was so important, then you would not see so many efforts and press releases stating that iOS and Samsung Knox devices are so desired. The PKB being a sticking point is becoming less and less. I was die hard PKB since the Treo 600, but now after the Z10, I will never give up screen real estate for a PKB again.

Posted via CB10

[BobWalker]

I find it humorous that he comments on apps and the security of them when BB has made it easier to download Android apps on our phones.

Yeah, but the ones that try to do dodgy things don't "work.". If I'm going to use an Android app (and I'm not), it will run in a sandbox.

[donnation]

Yeah, but the ones that try to do dodgy things don't "work.". If I'm going to use an Android app (and I'm not), it will run in a sandbox.

How do you know though?

[BobWalker]

How do you know though?

I'm a scientist. I test things.

No Android app that tries to gain root access will succeed. They might be able to steal some data, but they can't do the nasty things that they can to Android users.

[Bbnivende]

Physical keyboards are what BlackBerry does best. It makes sense to make better physical keyboard devices before upgrading the Z30. You can only get away without a trackpad with a screen of a reasonable size. A screen of 3.5 inches or less needs a trackpad. If CEO's prefer keyboards then they also would prefer having a trackpad.

But

I do not really think that CEO's prefer physical keyboard devices any more than anyone else. It is just that BlackBerry has never made a successful iphone type phone to date. If the BlackBerry marketing dept is now in favor of the physical key board they should make a slider. In summary. Release Jakarta, upgrade the Q, make a slider, make a Z30 mini, upgrade the Z30.

As far as Apps go .. he should be emphasizing the benefits of BlackBerry Balance rather than saying that BlackBerry is for people who do not use apps.

[Bbnivende]

It's funny when some of us make a similar analogy to the automobile business, on these forums, we are jumped on and called every kind of id10t.

I've made a parallel almost exactly like his where I see BlackBerry as a boutique product for the discerning client. I'd be fine with BlackBerry doubling (or more) the price of the Z30 and Q10. Make nice margins and get rid of those customers who want BlackBerry to be just another Android.

Posted via CB10

The current high end smartphone line is the iphone. That is not a boutique phone. The Porsche model BlackBerries are boutique phones. Businesses and governments do not want boutique phones. In the UK , many London businesses use a Curve for their employees. Most employers want to provide a secure , reliable but cheap phone for their employees. In fact, I think the Jakarta could be a very successful business phone.

BlackBerry seems to want to make a phone that distinguishes it self by being more secure and useful. They need to focus on price, battery life, reliability, ease of use, larger screen size, camera and a robust build.

That is not to say that they should not build a flagship. They should for well heeled consumers like us.

[sleepngbear]

OKAY JC. You want to sell premium products like Porsche? If I'm paying a premium price I want the phone in the color I want. I want it to work on my carrier. If I need support I want to call BlackBerry and get premium customer service. I want Tech Support authorized to overnight me a new phone if necessary. You want high dollar clients, you better give them the products and service they expect.

He didn't say he was selling premium products like Porche. He was comparing the size and relatively specialized needs of his target market to that of Porche's.

"Chen sees BlackBerry as serving a particular segment of the market – the Porsche of the phone market – where volume is not as important as serving the right sector."

[Bbnivende]

In the USA, the carriers have given up on BlackBerry as a consumer phone. What can he do but to channel sales to businesses and governments. He is going to have to reduce the price and make it part of the total BES package.

What Kevin wrote earlier on CB:

Expect to see in different strategies for different markets. For example, in the U.S. it’s no surprise that carrier support for BlackBerry is waning (or almost non-existent). Here he can not rely on the U.S. carriers as much and instead go straight to enterprise and government customers with a direct sales team. In other emerging markets, where BlackBerry is still doing well and the carrier support is there, he can push phone sales hard throughout 2014 and beyond.

[early2bed]

It would be like Porsche trying to sell $25,000 sedans to left-handed people. That's what Blackberry is trying to do.

[Carterbits]

I think giving away a Porsche styled Z10 (I forget the actual model number) with each Porsche sold would be a great promotion.

Download Noted, my 5-star rated, native BB10 notepad app.

[avt123]

It's funny when some of us make a similar analogy to the automobile business, on these forums, we are jumped on and called every kind of id10t.

I've made a parallel almost exactly like his where I see BlackBerry as a boutique product for the discerning client. I'd be fine with BlackBerry doubling (or more) the price of the Z30 and Q10. Make nice margins and get rid of those customers who want BlackBerry to be just another Android.

Posted via CB10

You would be fine with BlackBerry charging $1000 or more for a Z30?

Increase the price of the product that is barely being sold. Am I reading this correctly?

[sixpacker]

You would be fine with BlackBerry charging $1000 or more for a Z30?

Increase the price of the product that is barely being sold. Am I reading this correctly?

Snobs like to pay more... Makes them feel so special...

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!