It has to be asked. Is the company formerly known as RIM actively trying to fail?
One would not think so. The high-end flagship Z10 is highly anticipated and the BlackBerry 10 operating system continues to get solid reviews. Techcitement has yet to try it out here, but one trusted source referred to the new OS as “not just a smartphone, but the smartest phone.” That’s high praise indeed.
The numbers seem to back it up, with a reported one million BB10 units already sold as of BlackBerry’s fourth quarter earning’s call. The company is aggressively aiming at other provider’s and has even unveiled a BB10 demo site aimed at users of Android and iOS.
Then, BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins lets slip that there will be more BB10 devices coming out later this year, including an exciting new flagship. In other words, Heins has announced news of a sequel to the device that the company is currently promoting and not in customer’s hands yet.
However, that’s a potentially huge mistake. One of the major reasons cited in the failure of HP’s Pre 2 was that it announced the Pre 3 as “coming soon” the day the former unit launched. Why in the world would anyone buy your current product if you have a new hotness coming soon?
On the other hand, with BlackBerry having stuck to BB7 for so long, Heins may have felt the public needed a promise that yes, BB10 is going somewhere.
BlackBerry has a rare opportunity at a second act, but may be squandered if they don’t focus on current products.
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