BlackBerry CEO John Chen hints at an exit from the handset market in 1 year.
We've all been hearing rumours of BlackBerry exiting the handset market for some time now. Last year, BlackBerry CEO John Chen was quoted saying, "If I cannot make money on handsets, I will not be in the handset business."
On Thursday, at the Code Mobile Conference in California, Chen finally put a timeline to the rumours and said that if the handset business does not generate enough money, the company will take the call of exiting it in a year's time.
It is a fact that the popularity of the Android and iOS ecosystems have literally crushed the Canadian company's hopes of turning things around in the mobile phones market. BlackBerry too seems to have realised this fact and are looking to focus more on their security and device management portfolio for enterprises.
In a move to stregthen its security portfolio, Chen also announced that the company will be launching 2 new versions of BB10 with added protection and security features for its clients in the government. He also presented the all new BlackBerry Priv smartphone that's slated for a year-end release in major markets. The phone is expected to house a 5.4 inch Quad HD display and is expected to run on a Hexa-core Snapdragon 808 SoC.
That said, Chen also plans to merge the BB10 OS with Android in the coming future, combining BlackBerry's strength in security and Android's ease of use. This might change things around for its smartphone business but BlackBerry still has a lot of lost time to make up for.
On the other hand, if the handset business does not turn profitable soon, the company has plans of using existing mobile technology to expand its IoT business. Internet of things is the buzz word in the tech industry these days and earlier this year, BlackBerry launched its cloud IoT platform which combined with its QNX system, shows real potential.
We'll keep a close track on any further announcements by the company till then we hope this news does not cause mass hysteria amongst BB loyalists. Yes, they are still out there.
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Adamya Sharma
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