BlackBerry Priv is faring worse than expected
by Volker Weber
AT&T offered a more detailed account of why the Priv has disappointed. BlackBerry and the carrier expected to see demand for an Android phone with a physical keyboard. Instead, most of the buyers were BlackBerry loyalists, the executive said. Those faithful, however, struggled with the transition from the BlackBerry operating system to the Android operating system, leading to a higher-than-expected rate of return.
That makes sense. The Priv is very, very expensive and not on the menu for typical Android customers.
BlackBerry is in a very difficult place here. They will be making one or two more affordable devices, but they cannot be as good as the Priv. If this were possible, they would just sell the Priv at a lower price. They can use a cheaper screen, they can remove the slider, making it either a smaller screen with keyboard or a larger without. All of this makes for a cheaper phone, but who will want it?
The unique value proposition is that BlackBerry wants to build a secure Android phone. But are Android customers even interested in a more secure device if it is less shiny than competing products?
BlackBerry cannot compete with Korea on price, and even less so with China. BlackBerry needs to convince people that security is important. They are trying their best.
Comments
Had the issue with my BB Priv that the default BB Apps wheren´t found and therefore not updated automatically. For example there is the BlackBerry hub, if i search inside the Google store i can see it offered an update, however under My updates it didn´t appear.
Blackberry said i need to wait 24 hour ... now 3 days passed, nothing happened. Not sure why they call it a "secure" device if there default apps will never be picked up by the build in auto update feature. I mean I couldn´t check the google store vor any non known pre-default BlackBerry Apps and update them by hand the first time. Which user would be able to find them all?!?
Weird. Works here without any issues. I do not know how to fix it but I know that Priv is supposed to find all updates in the store, including those for BlackBerry's own apps.
@Bernd: I haven't seen this problem either. Have you tried clearing the Google Play Store cache? You can store the cache using these steps: Swipe down on the top to open the quick access menu. Tap on gear-wheel symbol (Settings). Open "Apps", open "Google Play Store". Tap on "Storage". To clear the cached data, tap on "CLEAR DATA" and CLEAR CACHE". You will be warned that account data etc. will be deleted, but that is nothing you need to worry about. As soon as you open the Google Play Store app again you will be automatically logged in.
I would want such a product, but I am probably not an average Android user. If it is as good as you describe it in your reviews here, I would pay the price. And I do value security, yes, for sure over shiny looks. But I don't want to put down that money for a device that won't see any support a year from now. I've had that with two tablets...
But my current phone is slowly dying, so I need a replacement soon. The Project Tango sound testing but will likely not be available in Germany for a while (I assume). And one of my tablets that wasn't supported all to quickly was the Lenovo Android tablet, a device initially positioned as a business user device. Not really generating the trust in them.
So, really, do I switch the eco system to Apple?
You are a scientist. The evidence presented is pretty clear, isn't it?
And then the second struggle comes in: do I spend the money myself on the latest model or do I go with the corporate supplied model (6).
Depends on your policies. If they let you keep your vital services and TouchID, go with the corp device.
I will miss the wireless charging, everythimg else should be available. Any experiencemto share for Chi charging with iPhone 6S?
