Blackberry Targets Mid-Range Smartphone Markets This Year
BlackBerry used to be a global household name for high-end phones until its business debacle in the past few years saw the company struggling to remain afloat in an industry that has grown so extremely competitive.
With the failure of its first Android device, the BlackBerry Priv, to make a dent into the market, the smartphone company has announced a major turnaround and realigned its focus back on making mid-range handsets. Apparently, the $700 price tag has put off many of its prospective buyers who have been accustomed to the presence of cheaper alternatives or the highly attractive albeit expensive buys from either Apple or Samsung. A dismal sales report indicated that only 600, 000 units have been sold so far in three months.
"The fact that we came out with a high end phone [as our first Android device] was probably not as wise as it should have been. A lot of enterprise customers have said to us, 'I want to buy your phone but $700 is a little too steep for me. I'm more interested in a $400 device'," remarked BlackBerry CEO John Chen as quoted by The National despite their market proposition of appealing directly to business users.
He further noted, "We're the only people who really secure Android, taking the security features of BlackBerry that everyone knows us for and make it more reachable for the market."
To compensate for earlier sales losses, the company mulls on releasing two mid-range smartphone according to Endgadget. The phones are priced at a $400 range slashing $300 off from Priv's earlier pricing. One model will retain a physical keyboard while the other will be an entirely touchscreen creation.
Chen also adds that the company will be giving itself an extra year or so to break into the market that has long escaped from its grasp. If BlackBerry fails, then they would pack up their bags and leave.
"If I can't make it profitable because the market won't let me, then I'll get out of the handset business," Chen said as quoted in a report by Techno Buffalo.
