Blackberry considers withdrawal from hardware market

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A GLOBAL leader in mobile communications, BlackBerry says it is considering plans to withdraw its hardware division if the android-powered Blackberry Priv plan falls through.

Blackberry-curveBlackberry CEO, John Chen in the latest market report, admitted that the company’s hardware division may be on its last warning with the upcoming Android-powered BlackBerry Priv, with the company more or less betting the factory on the change of operating system.

Chen said that BlackBerry needs to start making a profit in hardware next year, or he’ll need to start making some tough decisions about its future.

“Otherwise, I have to think twice about what I do there. A ‘‘business case” would need to be found for BlackBerry to continue making devices at all,’’ he added.

He however, expressed confidence that switching to Android, starting with the launch of the Priv and even – if widely-reported rumours are correct – providing Android for older devices, such as the BlackBerry Passport, could be a very positive way forward: “Android in the enterprise is a very under-served space.

“With our connections, our accounts, our security know-how, this has expanded our market. The market wants privacy and security, and they also want apps,” said Chen.

Continuing, Chen explained that the major reason BlackBerry is still in the handset market is because “there’s added value in BlackBerry’s end-to-end mobile solution, and a market that is under-served”.

While it may feel like the horse has long bolted for BlackBerry, as many street suppliers took Blackberry 10 devices off the shelves way back in the summer 2014, Chen’s aid: Android is a good one: Computing recently put out a request for end-user companies who have built their mobile policies on the Android infrastructure, and have so far had absolutely no firms comfortable going on-the-record to say that they run their company on Android.

Source: Vanguard