When BlackBerry first went on record saying that they are launching 6+ BlackBerry 10 devices in 2013 some wondered if that included budget entry level devices. TechRadar sat down with BlackBerry European MD Stephen Bates who set a different stage for BlackBerry 10. He told them that BlackBerry plans on evolving the new BlackBerry 10 portfolio to the mid-teir with BlackBerry 7 continuing to be the “workhorse” in the enterprise, financial, prepaid, and budget markets.
Definitely worth checking out the whole piece at TechRadar.
rustyknight17 Not Registered
Posted: February 11, 2013 at 4:53 PM EST
I can see Blackberry`s point ; if BB7 is continuing to sell well , keep it as the mid to low tier . But atr the same time , BB7 isn1t compatible with BB10 and I can see that causing problems .
I`m a great example of this . I`m upgrading in a few weeks and would love to get the Q10 or the Z10 . But how at $700 – $1000 ? And then there`s replacement of the backup phone . No way I can swing 2 Q10s or 2 Z10s or one of each . So what r my alternatives ? BB7 isn`t compatible with either of these , of course 2 BB7 bphones would be …
Or do I get a NOkia Asha or the 700 as BU , but they`re compatible either .. Lastly , i could get the Nokia 808 and 700 , they`d be compatible …except that Symbian has been EOLed . Sighhhhhh
dpr ( View Profile) - Posts: 789
Posted: February 11, 2013 at 5:05 PM EST from my BlackBerry 9930 | OS 7.1.0.580
I can see why Blackberry would want to focus on their higher end devices: to keep up with the competetion and show them that Blackberry can compete and win; they have BB7 phones to act as lower end phones for now. I saw a patent recently of a slider that Blackberry may develop which I see as good news for things to come.
Thuggidy Not Registered
Posted: February 11, 2013 at 7:41 PM EST
Do you have a link for the patent?
henry Not Registered
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 3:10 AM EST
6 blackberry 10 phones
Z10 GSM HSDPA
Z10 GSM + LTE
Z10 CDMA + LTE
Q10 GSM HSDPA
Q10 GSM + LTE
Q10 CDMA + LTE
Blackberry is very silly to stated that 6 moldes will be release, yet dont have any inention to release any budget bb 10 phone.
rustyknight17 Not Registered
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 12:04 PM EST
Ermmm , might be wrong here but I suspect all three Z10s and all 3 Q10s will be counted as one model …
kiddo2050 ( View Profile) - Posts: 814
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 3:21 PM EST
Nope.
rustyknight17 Not Registered
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 4:18 PM EST
I meant that all 3 Z10s will be a single model , and all 3 Q10s will be a single model different iterations .
ofutur ( View Profile) - Posts: 1187
Posted: February 13, 2013 at 6:03 AM EST
Let’s call Debbi (his EA) and ask directly
rustyknight17 Not Registered
Posted: February 13, 2013 at 6:26 PM EST
From what I`ve read and heard , there r at least 2 more BB10 models in progress . The Aristo a high end touch sdcreen even higher than the Z10 and the Colt a mid range QWERTY phone .
ofutur ( View Profile) - Posts: 1187
Posted: February 14, 2013 at 5:55 AM EST
That’s defo what I’m hoping for
and why I hope Stephen is wrong.
rustyknight17 Not Registered
Posted: February 15, 2013 at 11:25 AM EST
Me too !
clint Not Registered
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 3:24 AM EST
there goes my hopes for a low end bb10 device
ofutur ( View Profile) - Posts: 1187
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 4:34 AM EST
This doesn’t bode well for apps devs as the Z10 is not priced low enough for a mid-tier device and thus won’t grow the BB10 user base quickly enough.
If BB considers this a high-end device, then I guess we’re, once again, in for a disappointment in terms of hardware for this year…
kiddo2050 ( View Profile) - Posts: 814
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 11:02 AM EST
I am hoping that the current Z10 will cycle to a low end device failry quickly. That is a soon as they clear off the diehard fans who will pay premium prices for it.
If you look a build screen etc. the Q10 appears to be a higher end device than ther Z10. IMO
ofutur ( View Profile) - Posts: 1187
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 11:47 AM EST
I agree, but it won’t happen if they don’t have a better device coming soon. Look at what happened with the 9900. It was sold for a premium for a long time, just because it had some aluminium and carbon fibre.
I hope BlackBerry is less delusional under Heins.
Yeah, the Q10 is really nice, but won’t appeal to the masses in the US. They want high-end touch screen devices to play Temple Run 2. BB7 users are stuck with solitaire
.
And let’s not forget that a camera which works in low light is really important for those nsfw self-shots which populate social networks
Ronen Halevy ( View Profile) - Posts: 3408
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 12:19 PM EST
Yeah I am really curious to see how fast they plan on cycling devices. I don’t know. They have had quite a few plan changes so only really the top execs know what is going on.
ofutur ( View Profile) - Posts: 1187
Posted: February 13, 2013 at 5:42 AM EST
Someone needs to hack into their R&D dpt
rustyknight17 Not Registered
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 12:24 PM EST
I suspect the Q10 might appeal to more consumers than u think ! Nokia recently ran an input survey and 40% preferred QWERTY ! I think that would be a strong reason for the Q10 to do well , particularly if no one else introduces a mid tier or high end QWERTY …
ofutur ( View Profile) - Posts: 1187
Posted: February 13, 2013 at 5:50 AM EST
It was a poll on a Nokia site, hardly representative of the US market.
And I’m not the one saying they want shiny touchscreens, ask Heins
rustyknight17 Not Registered
Posted: February 15, 2013 at 11:31 AM EST
No but it IS representative of the world . The poll shows that there`s still a strong QWERTY contingent out there , and since Nokia doesn`t appear to be planning a QWERTY Lumia …
That`s not quite what Heins said … He also stated that Blackberry was also going to cater to to their core fans as well , hence the Q10 , which is a QWERTY candybar smartphone …
kiddo2050 ( View Profile) - Posts: 814
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 3:29 PM EST
I don’t think you can look at the past to forecast the future, since BlackBerry just went through a tructural operating system change.
The 9900 was sold as premium since they didn’t have another phone to sell. It wouldn’t make sense to offer an upgraded version of the 9900 since the OS was changing to BB10.
Haven’t we already seen leaks of the Aristo that has higher specs than the Z10? This suggests the Z10 won’t be a premium phone for long, but they aren’t going to announce that publicly.
I think if Blackberry (so much easier to type RIM!) sticks to making the hardware then the Apple model is a good one. Just keep pumping out out-of-date Z10s and sell them as low-end phones.
Everyone always said RIM had way to many models of phones
If they manage to get other to produce the hardware than having others produce low-end phone would likely be a good idea.
rustyknight17 Not Registered
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 5:04 PM EST
Who is this everyone ? Source please !
And the Bold 9900 was sold as premium because it was , well , premium . Even today , it`s regarded as Blackberry`s best phone to date ! I take it u don`t agree but there`s a
rustyknight17 Not Registered
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 5:05 PM EST
Who is this everyone ? Source please !
And the Bold 9900 was sold as premium because it was , well , premium . Even today , it`s regarded as Blackberry`s best phone to date ! I take it u don`t agree but there`s a LOT of people who`d disagree , including me !
kiddo2050 ( View Profile) - Posts: 814
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 6:18 PM EST
I agree the Bold is the best Blackberry (or was until the Z10) . I’m just saying it hung around longer than one would normally expect because they had no other phone to substitute for it. Yes they could have upped the processor, but why bother when you know the Z10 iscoming.
I have a 9930 and I will get the Z10 when it comes here. I’m no Blackberry hater, just the opposite.
rustyknight17 Not Registered
Posted: February 15, 2013 at 11:33 AM EST
Oh ok . Yeahh , makes sense . Personally , holding out for the Q10 !
ofutur ( View Profile) - Posts: 1187
Posted: February 13, 2013 at 5:57 AM EST
The best, thinnest, widest, clickiest, etc. BlackBerry doesn’t make it a high-end smartphone. I know there is also a reality distortion field in Waterloo, but consumers are able to compare devices in store and can make the difference between mid and high-end.
It was OK to sell it at a premium at the beginning, but it stayed at that price for too long imho.
ofutur ( View Profile) - Posts: 1187
Posted: February 13, 2013 at 5:51 AM EST
Yes, we saw leaks of the Aristo, but we also leaks of the London 1-2 years ago
.
I’m hoping this EU exec is wrong and that the Aristo will be out in Q3 to keep BB in the game.
kiddo2050 ( View Profile) - Posts: 814
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 11:00 AM EST
Horrible decision. They clearly don’t value how BB7 turns people off of blackberry.
This maybe OK if today’s Z10 becomes next years curve like iPhone 5 versus iPhone 4, but if they expect to have BB7 in the US and Canada for years I think it is a bad move.
rustyknight17 Not Registered
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 12:21 PM EST
Ermmm , I suggest youse reread both articles , as they make it clear that BB7 will be restricted to prepaid , enterprise and the low end of the market . For these areas BB7 is ideal . So , unless u think a lot of people r going low end , I don`t see a problem here.
BTST , the articles also make it clear that the BB10 lineup will include mid tier phones as well . Unless youse r planning on buying only high end Blackberrys , don`t see the problem .
BB7 turns people off of BB ? BB7 may not be as awesome as BB10 but it`s good and capable , especially in the budget range …
kiddo2050 ( View Profile) - Posts: 814
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 3:31 PM EST
Yes, while that is good. I still think there is a negative connotation of having employees carry BB7 phone and an iPhone it just makes people feel “I hate my blackberry”
A lower end phone with Balance would be appealing.
Also yes, the vast majority of Blackberry owners are consumers on curves, so people do go low end.
rustyknight17 Not Registered
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 5:10 PM EST
Again , source pleasse on the vast majority. Of the people I know with Blackberrys , less than half have Curves , though I`d say a significant minority , around 35 – 40% do , the rest have mostly Bolds or Torches , with a few Storms .
kiddo2050 ( View Profile) - Posts: 814
Posted: February 12, 2013 at 6:14 PM EST
Well from a quick Google here was the 2009 rank.
NPD’s Top 5 rankings:
1.RIM BlackBerry Curve (all 83XX models)
2.Apple iPhone 3G (all models)
3.RIM BlackBerry Storm
4.RIM BlackBerry Pearl (all models, except flip)
5.T-Mobile G1
ofutur ( View Profile) - Posts: 1187
Posted: February 13, 2013 at 5:46 AM EST
Exactly.
In the UK, when BB had 25% market share, it was mostly Curves at £99-£150.
rustyknight17 Not Registered
Posted: February 13, 2013 at 5:00 PM EST
Well , in 2009 yes it was nearly all Curves and Pearls lol . I myself had a Curve , as did most other Blackberry owners . In my post above , however , I was referring to the current time …
ofutur ( View Profile) - Posts: 1187
Posted: February 14, 2013 at 5:58 AM EST
That was 2011… Even in financial firms, they hand out Curves or the cheaper bold models in order to cut costs as the devices are seen as pagers which will be used along side a personal phone.