Blackberry is 'going all in' with PRIV Android; Could be Their Last Phone

Photo credit: GSMArena

According to statements from Blackberry's own CEO, John Chen, the company is betting the farm on the new PRIV Android smartphone. Analysts in the industry point out that Chen has basically set the stakes for an "all or nothing" move with the new phone. CNET's Roger Cheng claims that if the new $700 PRIV isn't a success, it may be Blackberry's last smartphone. He points out that Blackberry CEO Chen has repeatedly stated that he will dump the smartphone business if the PRIV flops. Here's a quote with the details,

Quote:

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“If the $700 Priv flops, that will likely spell the end of the BlackBerry smartphone,” Cheng states bluntly. “[BlackBerry CEO John] Chen has already set the stakes. He’s said, repeatedly, that he’ll dump the smartphone business if it doesn’t turn a profit. While it doesn’t break out earnings from its devices business, BlackBerry has lost more than $6 billion in the last two and a half years. To move into the black, the company must sell 5 million smartphones next year. That’s a tall order considering it sold just 800,000 last quarter, less than half as much as it sold a year ago.”

Similarly, Bloomberg quotes Brian Colello, a Chicago-based analyst at Morningstar Investment Services, who also thinks this is likely it for BlackBerry as a device manufacturer.

“Perhaps there’s something else in the pipeline, but this device does seem like a last stand,” he said. “We’ve seen new products come out for the last couple years, BlackBerry’s trying to get a hit with any form factor, any price point and now it’s with a different operating system.” ~ BGR

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What do you folks think? Could Blackberry sell this many devices next year, or is it too late for Blackberry's hardware business?

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