John Chen, CEO of Blackberry, has told Reuters that the company may not launch any devices in 2015. Instead, the focus will be on a select few models and ensuring that they remain successful and profitable.“BlackBerry has survived; now we have to start looking at growth”, said Chen. “I’m not going to build a general purpose device, simply because it is a 5″ touchscreen. The Chinese can build one for 75 bucks; I can’t get enough parts together for 75 bucks”.
The three handsets that the company will rely on in 2015 are the Passport (Display Monitor Vol. 21 No 38), Z3 (Display Monitor Vol. 21 No 8) and Classic (Display Monitor Vol. 21 No 41). Blackberry is currently in the middle of a two-year plan, aimed at turning it into a profitable business again.
In related news, Chen has said that he is interested in forging partnerships with Chinese companies, in order to expand in the region. At a meeting of APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation) leaders, Chen met with Xiaomi and Lenovo CEOs Lei Jun and Yang Yuanqing, as well as HTC chairwoman Cher Wang.
Display Daily Comments
Focusing on few smartphone models has worked for Apple, but it’s a hard strategy to pull off – especially when your market share (and, let’s be frank, reputation) are as low as Blackberry’s right now. The company has an interesting and well-received flagship in the Passport, but will it be enough to keep interest alive for a year without new releases? (TA)
