Features - QOTW: Does BlackBerry stand a chance?

[HEXUS]

It's make or break for BlackBerry, but is the Z10 enough to revive the company's fortunes?

Read more.

[Obscurity]

No.

[UseItNow]

I'm tempted by this for some reason, upgrades long overdue too.

Looking for some reviews - sites and user before I commit!

[3dcandy]

Nope - it appears not I'm afraid
@UseItNow reviews I've read are quite Meh.

[3dcandy]

In fact - here is a review that is about par for the course...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...que-not-really

[[DW]Cougho]

Certainly does. It doesn't appear to be a bad phone and as the article says there's still a massive fan base out there. I have a friend who works at CPW and in his store at least Blackberries walk out the door by the shed load - despite him and his colleagues singing the praises of alternatives.

Most naysayers said exactly the same things about Windows Phone, and that seems to be building a pretty decent customer base these days - and it didn't have the existing user base that Blackberry does.

[Noxvayl]

I'd choose BlackBerry over iPhone but probably not over an Android device from Samsung, HTC, Motorola and others. As mentioned in the article BlackBerry have a loyal group of customers that I think will be very pleased with these handsets, I know most my family fall into that group and if they asked me for advice I'd recommend BlackBerry because it would suit them better than an Android or Windows phone.

I don't think they were ever going to disappear, much like the media shouting about Nokia capitulating which never happened, but I doubt this will bring them significant enough success for the media to stop talking about their troubles.

[MSIC]

I'd like to say yes, as i like a diversity of options as a consumer, plus i think the products they have actually look strong.
But..... i think that buying a phone is about buying in to a brand and an ecosystem too, and for all the reasons that Windows Phone isnt attracting new customers, i think the same will be true for Blackberry unfortunately. And i think that both deserve to do well.

[pp05]

It has a core group who will always buy it due to security and infrastructure already in place for their devices. That is a good place to be.

[JimmyBoy]

I think iOS and android have the mobile market so tightly wrapped up that there isn't really much room for anyone else, win mob has done a great job though, it's a shame as Linux and Mozilla have both come up with cool mobile os'es but we'll see

[cameronlite]

I think iOS and android have the mobile market so tightly wrapped up that there isn't really much room for anyone else, win mob has done a great job though, it's a shame as Linux and Mozilla have both come up with cool mobile os'es but we'll see

Win Mobile has been retired - it's all about WINDOWS PHONE now

[cassist]

yes.
:-)

[jjgreenwood]

its a decent enough phone, from a reasonable brand, in a massive market. At the prices Blackberry will sell it at they'll do fine. Not every phone needs to attain 60% market share for its maker to make a decent living

[Zerox]

Not every phone needs to attain 60% market share for its maker to make a decent living

Indeed, it seems that the key to serious profit is not in market share, but is found in making sure that all revenue in terms of software (apps, music etc) run through the company who make the phone and control the software.

Whilst Blackberry has not taken this control to Apple levels, the fact that they own the software and the app distribution service means that with a good number of phones sold they should, theoretically, get a better return than those making android phones (samsung being the obvious exception).

[deejayburnout]

I am a Blackberry fanboy and I have high expectations for this device and the new OS.

I always feel that Blackberries are always compaired to the other brands and people dislike it as it 'doesnt have loads of apps' or the 'browser is poor'.

It has its place and has some inovative ideas like the keyboard and the camera functions.

The company as a whole has been given a new lease of life so things may get better. They might get worse though.

Only time will tell. I hope so cos I hate touch screens. Physical keyboards all the way.

[kingpotnoodle]

Blackberry are falling into niches, they are the phones stiff, boring or large organisations give to management and senior staff because of the secure management and data protection capabilities and because they have the right "does the email reliably and that's it - no fun here" image.

As a London commuter observing people on the train Blackberrys also seem to be what you buy if you are the typical Apprentice candidate - i.e. someone who goes to great lengths to project a "business" image - business posers, probably compensating for a lack of actual sense by trying to appear as if they are important enough to have been given the phone by a company as above.

They've been popular with teenagers purely because of low contract price and BBM, but competition there is hotting up with cross-platform alternatives so I can't see that being a long term winner.

The new hardware is OK but worse spec that the best Androids, less attractive than Windows phones and less faux-cool than iPhones... there are no unique hardware features, especially on the Z10 which doesn't even have the keyboard for physical button die-hards. They should have made a slider as well like the Nokia communicators, the N900 etc

So in summary either boring image, biz-*****, not exciting hardware with nothing to stand it out and previous advantages for certain consumers are much more competitive now. Blackberry will have to learn to live with a ~5% hardware market share gleaned from the security angle and probably start making clients for their platform for other OS.

As Blackberry they've fallen through the RIM to be a splash in the toilet pond.