Tech giant to abandon BB10 OS, announces plans for two new mid-range Android devices

folarin okunola

April 12, 2016 11:31 AM

The company's OS has not been able to compete against Android and iOS which seems to have influenced the decision to opt for the Android platform, by releasing two new android phones in the nearest future.

Blackberry CEO, John Chen.

According to media reports, BlackBerry has stated that it has no plans to develop handsets for its own operating system, BB10. However, the Canadian tech giant will continue to issue updates for existing devices.

The company's OS has not been able to compete against Android and iOS which seems to have influenced the decision to opt for the Android platform, by releasing two new android phones in the nearest future.

BlackBerry also admitted that it made a tactical error in the pricing of its first Android phone, the Blackberry Priv - a lot of media reports did agree that the Priv's price was too high, including TechCabal'sOsarumen Osamuyi, who got to review the device (I can't understand why we still haven't gotten a unit, but let me pim).

“The fact that we came out with a high end phone [as our first Android device] was probably not as wise as it should have been,” BlackBerry CEO John Chen told Abu Dhabi paper The National.

“A lot of enterprise customers have said to us, ‘I want to buy your phone but $700 is a little too steep for me. I’m more interested in a $400 device’,” he added.

READ: BlackBerry users will no longer be able to use social media app

The company's sales fell by almost $200m in the three months to the end of February. Chen had previously blamed the company’s poor sales figures on delays in negotiations with mobile networks about its Priv handset - apparently that is not a tenable excuse anymore.

In an attempt to remain relevant in the industry, John Chen says the company will launch two mid-range Android handsets this year. According to the BlackBerry boss, one will have a physical keyboard, the other a full touch-screen.

Chen still believes his company has a chance for differentiation based on BlackBerry’s long history of strong security and integration in corporate environments and is why the coming is making another attempt to grab some more market share for itself.

Let's see if the introduction of these two mid-range phones will prompt a turnaround in the fortunes of the company. Watch this space. ;)

folarin okunola