Called it. BB not so hot right now....

[CHIP72]

The reason BB10 isn't so hot right now is because some bonehead over there thought it would be a good idea to price something like a Z10 and Q10 in the same category as a HTC One, Galaxy S4 or Note 2. People aren't stupid. There's nothing in the Z10 that would make an unbiased customer want to go for it over a HTC One. Nothing on that phone stands out. Camera is terrible, design is boring as heck, runs a new OS. Doesn't have any feature that truly stands out and says BUY ME FOR THIS!
If I can get a developer edition HTC One 64GB for just $650, then a Z10 should be selling for $450 tops.

Ironically, $450 is about the top end of the going rate for a Blackberry Z10 on eBay right now. You can buy a NIB Z10 in the high $300s.

 

[Angry_Mushroom]

Looks like the name change from RIM to BB did not help. Can't say I'm too surprised. They only released flagships at at time when the flagship market looks saturated. Growing market looks like lower end devices. A market which Android dominates, WP is growing, and Apple is eyeing. Can a lower end BB even compete against the likes of a 520/620? Let's not forget that sales head start aside... once Apple drops their lower cost phone they can cash their brand name chips in for sales. We'll see how that turns out.

In the very end. I can see MS keeping their 3rd place world wide, and soon taking 3rd in the US.

 

[Jazmac]

I assume he means Windows and Apple, though I'd argue that Google will become a presence with chromebooks.

Anyway, it might make more sense to step back and just think about the whole space as "computing"- phones, tablets, laptops, desktops. You're now talking about a more evenly divided three way game between Apple, Google and Microsoft in terms of operating systems or platforms. And it will be tough for anyone to compete with a fourth platform, let alone a phone-only OS.

I don't see googles "presence" with that browser machine anymore than Linux has on the desktop for years. It would take a major paradigm shift unlike anything we've ever seen before to make a browser that kind of dominant. It'll be around only long enough to be replaced by something built by established vendors running an established operating system, neither of which is going anywhere anytime soon. IMHO.

 

[WanderingTraveler]

"BB not so hot right now..."

Tell that to the carriers who put up billboards adevertising the Z10. Everywhere.

 

[snowmutt]

And here I come, playing the devil's advocate.


Actually, me thinks people are burying BB just a tad too soon. I love BB10. It is a distant cousin to WebOS which is a fond memory and was ahead of it's time. I think BB can get through this. They have tons of cash reserves that have hardly been touched. Even if they do not get their entire user base to grab a new phone, throw 15-20 million out there and that is enough to survive. I believe the Q10 can do that. It has just been released, and it's momentum hasn't truly been measured yet.



They need two things: A large screened device that can compete in this day and age of multi-media heavy users. The Z-10 was not it. A 4.5-4.8" screen device could. Next, they need to show developers and customers interested that they will support them and improve their devices. If they can, WP is not a shoe-in for third.


I am not predicting this, it just isn't that hard of a scenario to envision a healthy BB.

 

[ammarmalik2011]

Ironically, $450 is about the top end of the going rate for a Blackberry Z10 on eBay right now. You can buy a NIB Z10 in the high $300s.

That's because these phones don't have any resale value. Another reason people tend to stay away.

 

[CHIP72]

That's because these phones don't have any resale value. Another reason people tend to stay away.

Yup. Actually my comment was meant to imply that the cost for a Z10 in the store should be about $400 right now. Blackberry has overpriced both the Z10 and the Q10 IMO (and actually has overpriced pretty much all of their high-end devices at launch, including the Playbook and Bold 9930/9900, for the last 2 1/2 years).

Ironically the weak resale value and recent earnings call announcement will further drive down the Z10's resale value. That will work to my advantage when I purchase one off-contract in a few months, probably in the September/October 2013 timeframe.

 

[Chris_Kez]

I tried to sell her on WP8. She just kind of looked at it with glazed eyes and said, "That's nice, but I want an Android." I said, "But blah blah blah" - (think Charlie Brown's teacher talking here). I tried guys. She gave up on BB, and she just didn't want WP. Android it is. Its a sad day... :-(

When my daughter pays for her own service contracts and devices she's welcome to get anything she wants.

 

[fatclue_98]

Did I miss something or was the article about the PlayBook not getting OS10. I've read umpteen posts regarding Z10 this and Z10 that. Pricing, quality, developers, apps, etc. The article had nothing to do with BlackBerry phones!

 

[Laura Knotek]

Did I miss something or was the article about the PlayBook not getting OS10. I've read umpteen posts regarding Z10 this and Z10 that. Pricing, quality, developers, apps, etc. The article had nothing to do with BlackBerry phones!

"More worrisome for the company is that, of the 6.8 million smartphones it shipped during the quarter, only 2.7 million of those were handsets running the new BlackBerry 10 operating system. Both of the phones released so far—the Z10 and the Q10—have been more expensive, high-end models, while phones targeted at the mid-range market are supposedly coming later this year. However, those numbers are still down from both the first quarter of 2013 (7.8 million phones shipped) up only slightly from the previous quarter (6 million), suggesting that BlackBerry 10 isn't doing much to boost overall demand for the company's hardware."

 

[sth2r]

The Z10 is an awesome device. I almost got one. I was really excited after getting my hands on one. There were two things that held me back: the ridiculous app market, and the high cost. $200 for the upgrade? Sorry Charlie, I went ahead and took advantage of windows phones offering top notch devices for low prices. I love the Z10 but I am so happy with my 928 the bb is just a distant memory.

 

[squire777]

Didn't BB say they would release devices with the old OS on them? Don't know the point of that if it's true.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Didn't BB say they would release devices with the old OS on them? Don't know the point of that if it's true.

Yes, that is true. Those devices will be for emerging markets.

 

[Tim-ANC]

I agree. Things are not looking up for the BB community. That being said, we should probably be looking to court BB folk over here to the WP8 side instead of "I TOLD YOU SO!"

Now if only we could get BBM...

um...Been berry all my mobile life. Was just watching the stock ticker drop and next thing I knew, I'm posting here.

 

[EchoRedux]

Z10 has 2 gigs of ram. Wonder why I can't get a WP with more RAM. Maybe I can download some? (JHF)

 

[fatclue_98]

Journalism 101 Laura, there has to be a reason why the update isn't coming to the PB. The reader needs to understand Cardinal Rule # 1, why. The author is suggesting it's the quarterlies. You could also argue that the revenue is up because of the sales of the high-end phones and the overall loss due to the high number of legacy devices being sold, primarily, to emerging markets. Either way, it's a poorly written article that does nothing but speculate as to why BlackBerry is pulling an HP on its customers "suggesting that BlackBerry 10 isn't doing much to boost overall demand for the company's hardware." Did the author ever stop to consider that pushing the update to an established customer base might pique interest and create sales? Shoot, now you got me speculating.