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65 Comments

Here's what the BlackBerry Z10 costs to make

By Adam Zeis on 16 Feb 2013 02:33 pm
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We've seen the BlackBerry Z10 from the inside out, but have you wondered just what it costs to actually make the device? There are various bits and pieces that go into making a BlackBerry, from the plastic enclosure all the way down to that red LED.

The Z10 was pieced out and together all the components ring in at a total of $154 when all is said and done. By comparison it's a bit higher than that of the iPhone 5 but it does have some higher-spec parts. Check out the full breakdown piece-by-piece below.

  • Processor $23.50
  • Touchscreen $26.50
  • Cameras $15.00
  • Flash storage (16GB) $9.00
  • Other components $ 21.00
  • Remaining major materials $ 59.00 
Source: 
CNN Money

Topics: BlackBerry 10 BlackBerry Z10 News & Rumors

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65 comments

Ericy321

Very Interesting! Cant wait till I can get mine!

blackberry-pimp

Would it be wise to include the price for packaging materials/whats included in the box?

Jimcmf

The iPhone 5 is feeding us Americans garbage. We are no longer playing into their games. They give us the same phone year after year, and we are stupid enough to upgrade for no reason at all. It's no wonder why BlackBerry put us at the bottom of the list. We must be the most stupid race on this planet.

But we will not fall into that iPhone trap anymore. We finally see the light, and have become smarter. We want to be number 1 again, because we are sore loosers at number 20.

We will embrace the new BB Z10, and give it all the love that it deserves. We promise.

The Apple iPhone ages is fading, and will be gone very soon.

Tkarps

I'm a Canadian and I think your assesment of Americans is a bit harsh. My personal experience, whenever I have visited, has always been a good one.

Apple makes a great product I just prefer my BlackBerry.

Tim

BB_Bmore

American is not a race...further more you use "we" when speaking as if your perception is the same as everyone else...it's not. God bless America and BlackBerry is my device of choice :)

123berryaddicted

No... but he is identifying a trend. Many people who simply bought into a fad, are starting to realize that they're just wasting their money buying over priced Apple hardware.

camera531

Same $199 price as Z10

DuexNoir

I'm assuming you're referring to on-contract pricing because off-contract, the real, unsubsidized price of the iPhone 5 is a lot higher than that of the Z10.

~I am BlackBerry by choice~

boldkeyboardholic

bought my 9900 September 11 for 550 Euro - that is the gross amount.

Some provider sold off-contract for 630 (gross) Euro.

Still provider sell BBs overprized here in Germany.

I've read a bit and there are rumours the Z10 will also be about 630 Euro.

iphone is sold for 679~, 16GB.

In cases of "overpricing" and rid off people - BB and Apple does have something in common ;)

For me it's too expensive - I just don't want to buy it for this price.

Still using my 9900 but slowly replacing it with my Nexus 4 as main device.

My PB have got a bit lonely since using the Nexus, too.

Email-functions and Keyboard are still big to me, so it is a compromise, maybe with Q10 I get hooked again? ;)

FMlight

Nope, BB Z10 can be found for 539€VATinc. in France, some bast.. companies try to sell it more expensive though (everything between 600 and 999).
http://shop.sosh.fr/telephone-portable/blackberry-z10
Makes it a good choice for those with open eyes and mind. :)

BruvvaPete2

Apple product placement has been etched into the retinas of consumers to a point where an incremental change is seen as the next best thing to those in N. America. Samsung has done a good job of beginning to change the consumer's mindset by showing consumers there are other (better) options to the iPhone. BB will continue that trend.
.
I agree with some of what you said, but the most powerful nation of our time can't be called stupid. Ignorant, maybe. Ethnocentric? Absolutely.
.
Apple seems to have lost its innovative mojo but I wouldn't count them out. Not yet.

123berryaddicted

Yeah, and even the due hard Apple fans are starting to realize that paying hundreds more for their iphone, and sometimes twice as much for their computer... and getting absolutely no edge or anything extra, IS NOTHING BUT A BIG FAT WASTE OF MONEY. I do believe people (some) are starting to clue in.

xravishx

People are very sheep-like sometimes. We'll follow what "everyone" else does because the rationale is that if "everyone" is doing it, it must be correct or better or whatever. Obviously, that rationale isn't necessarily true. However, Apple is very good at using that kind of mentality "against" us. It's not malicious, it's just business and they know how to use it. The problem is, if you use it too long without actually making it true, people get turned off. They eventually see that there is something better out there, especially when the two things are directly comparable, except that one IS actually better.

I think Blackberry is going to do well with the Z10 and especially the Q10. I think companies will eventually be drawn to BB10 because consumers will want change and see that BB10 is better than the competition for reasons other than "there's an app for that." :D

camera531

So it's just not rational to think that hundreds of millions of people worldwide buy the iPhone because it's actually a great product?

hamruniz

If you factor in the price, it's not that great. All the extra money you pay when buying an Apple product is for the hype!

camera531

There must be something great about Apple products than just "hype". Let's not go overboard

JakeTheCat

"There must be something..." That is exactly the iSheep mentality! If everyone else is doing it why should I think for myself? Honestly, if there must be something that justifies a premium price I'm sure you would have mentioned it (please, with a straight face).

Raestloz

The only thing "great" in Apple products is probably the "major invention" of "Retina display", which in layman terms is "4x Anti-Aliasing", a.k.a "doing something gaming industry has been doing for the last 8 years and call it invention"

00stryder

I'm going to agree with Camera on this one. Never owned an iPhone (I do have an iPod Touch) but there's a reason why people liked the device in the first place. There's a reason why the non-biased tech sites gave it positive reviews, and deservedly so. It's not just an "iSheep fad" thing and the more we BlackBerry fans/users use that excuse the more pathetic we sound. Another device's success should not affect how good BB10 is. Petty attacks like this suggest a lack of confidence in own device(s).

DuexNoir

I honestly would like to know what is so great about an iPhone or Apple device?

~I am BlackBerry by choice~

00stryder

The current one? Continues to have great App support, easy to use/teach someone how to use, good integration between devices via Cloud services, iTunes, etc. I'm not saying it's the best at everything or even anything, but it appeals to certain people out there. Those particular people just so happen to not be us. Is it so hard to accept that there are people out there that genuinely enjoy the phone and services that Apple provides?

fcolmenarez

I think the main critique is what does the iPhone 5 offer that is so revolutionary compared to the iPhone 4S? When the first iPhone came into the market sure, it was a game changer. But I think most people are talking about the iterative process where a new model is introduced every year with incremental changes but is essentially the same phone as before.

00stryder

Oh, as to that question I have no idea. I personally don't like the iPhone 5 and don't see much benefit over the 4S or even the 4. At the same time, I know there are several people out there that do see value in it. Ultimately, people will buy the phone that they think will work for them. And as we've seen time and time again, it doesn't always work out.

nt300

I had a very hard core Apple Rep trying to talk people into buying Apple iPads and iPhones at a local Best Buy, tell me that it was Bullshit that BlackBerry released the BB10, he had the balls to tell me that Apple was suppose to have released a BB10 equivalent, revolutionary and innovative iPhone, but not by a dead company.

So till this day he's spreading miss-information telling uneducated people that BlackBerry already filed for bankruptcy and to only buy Apple products. Don't know why Best Buy let's these loonies manipulate people with lies.

Part is my fault lol, I played dumb and asked HIM where can I find the BlackBerry 10 section ;). That got him going lol.

So my question is, is Apple jealous? Do they think they should have released a revolutionary product? And not BB? I hope they don't think this way, because if they are, they are finished. BB will run them into the ground.

Shobhit pathak

I have been to many electronics store,
there is an outright disdain among the sales people for BB,I don't know why, we BB fans will buy BB and apple fans will buy apple products, but these morons who are the sales team influence all the undecided and looking for info kind of phone buyers and its them they lure to samsung and apple without even giving info on BB, that is what seriously needs getting looked in for BB (aka everytime I click a pic in public with my playbook - 9 out 10 people say they didnt know BB had a tablet),

My own personal view,
Apple is a great marketing company,
BB is a great phone maker.

Bobert_123

Speak for yourself. I'm American, and I love Apple products. The Iphone 5 is a GREAT device! If it was garbage then people wouldn't buy it, even if it's made by Apple, nuf said!! I have always owned BB devices and plan on buying a Z10 when it's released, but lets not get too crazy!

P.S. We still r #1!!

camera531

I can't believe I just read a comment that had some common sense attached

JakeTheCat

"If it was garbage then people wouldn't buy it..." That is quintessential iSheep logic. Cigarettes. McDonalds. Bottled water (in the western world). Spam. All sell very well. Should I conclude these are superior products?!

DuexNoir

+10

~I am BlackBerry by choice~

Iamanonymous62

@jimcmf Any one who thinks they belong to the American race is pretty damn stupid! LOL

DariusG1996

DariusG1996!

Couldn't agree any more!

I can CERTAINLY see the iPhone age dying!

They can keep calling the next phone 'S' (especially if they all have speech/voice recognition as standard now).

Can anyone else see, in the not so distant future... iPhone 7? NO

Meaning a) Apple iPhone Dies (yaay)
or b) They have a new game changer (like BlackBerry 10)

MozThaGreat

I'm not a big iPhone fan and I'm not defending it in anyway but Apple is just not gonna fix something thats not broken. Yes the OS is stale but I think we can all agree for the most part that iOS bulletproof. Idk about you personally but "Bulletproof" is just absolutely not a word in my vocabulary when I'm referring to my 9810 or my 16gb PlayBook.

kidbagel

The whole is greater than the sum of the Z10 parts.

Jtaylor1986

This is totally misleading to what it *actually* costs. This is just a bill of material and it doesn't include labour, transportation, R&D etc. It's kind of a worthless number just to throw out there and make people think they are profiteering off this thing.

BruvvaPete2

If you actually knew anything about manufacturing and the supply side of goods you would know that all those things are factored into the pricing of the final product. Go back to school and take some econ and business classes.

Jtaylor1986

What's great is I actually have a business degree from a top university and you don't know what you are talking about. This is a straight bill of materials and doesn't take into account the cost of any licensed software on a unit basis, final assembly labour and is basically a useless figure as it doesn't mean anything. They even say this at the end of the video which you clearly didn't watch.

BBPandy

Yea R&D is a big part of the cost

& don't forget there is hardware (Z10 ect.) R&D & Software (BB10 ect.) R&D

springbok

What about buying bulk? Was that already factored in? It's like trying to figure out the actual cost of a car. Shhh! It's a secret!

JR A

I would really like to see the cost for the given amount of units that were manufactured. I'm sure that the more units that were made, there was a price break for that.

Also, is the price of $154 for just parts? How about the total price of everything that comes in the box (including the packaging itself), and the total cost of manufacturing, packaging, shipping/handling, all the way to a retailer's door.

damiomf1987

They forgot the most important cost software development and may I say the US carriers need to get moving and get us our phones

moonoverparma00

What kills me is that blackberry was ridiculed for making the same phone over and over but its OK for Apple to do it.

ddtrills

There's gotta be a change and the BlackBerry 10 is here with that change ...

lostnaked

Let's not forget the people who worked on it (their salary) also.
I wish I could have one, but I don't know if I want to wait for Q10.
I like physical keyboard, but this new keyboard seem interesting!

Juanmabs22

Imagine that only cost 200$ (or 250 or 300$), the wordl see it like a cheap alternative that everyone could get, and BB will be an alternative that everyone will know, and everyone can love.

I hate that the companies increases the prices.... this is not good, (is the philosophy oh apple :( ) this is not good for get popularity, have a low cost could make a BB10 get the level than they had lost.... D: D:

coffeedoctor43

Well guess what, they want to make some money, not sell at cost. They are a for profit business after all.

Juanmabs22

But if BB10 could be more cheap, they would have the same benefits and much more aceptation of the public...
(Sorry for my bad English...)

machoman1337

Remember that Blackberry's biggest source of revenue is in the mobile sector. They can't afford to just cut the price like that, especially when their finances are barely stable.

Google and LG can sell the Nexus 4 at $300 and make no profit off it as a strategic move, because they have a gazillion other sources of revenue to make up while they wait for the economy of scale to smooth things up.

Similarly, when Microsoft and Sony release new game consoles, they sell them at a loss for the first few years in a strategic move to gain market share. Again, they have a gazillion other sources of revenue to keep themselves afloat. Nintendo on the other hand is a games-only company and they cannot afford to take the same risk.

SDTRMG

Blackberrys needs to start selling these phones online, that is why apple is so profitable, they sell it on there website for the same price as the carrier bought out. When they should charge a little less. I'd like to see blackberry stores or kiosks in the future like they have in inndonisa and Asia.

Qaxl

if Flash Storage costs $9 for 16 GB .. why dont all phones ship with 64 GB ??

Villain

what would be interesting is if you did an article with how much the hardware AND patient fees per device blackberry has to pay...

--TommesJay--

...Neither are this production costs (as N4BB claims) or manufacturing costs.

This are just 'direct materials costs' = raw materials.

Here's what's missing to "make" a BlackBerry Z10

1. Direct material costs ($ 154)
2. + Indirect material costs (we don't know)
(= Material costs)
3. Direct labor costs (we don't know)
4. + Indirect labor costs (we don't know)
(= Labor costs)
5. + Other indirect manufacturing costs (we don't know)

1+2+3+4+5 = manufacturing costs ("making" a Z10). As for final retailing, distribution costs (6.) also come on top...

Shafi Warraich

"Tommes"

-you are a person that truly understand the costs that go behind a product...the cost listed in this article is simply just the direct material cost of the product, a portion of the entire cost of making a z10.

smoothrunnings

Where is the cost of R&D, the cost of packaging, the cost of advertising, etc???

If that's all CNN came up with it goes to show you just how well educated the people at CNN are! :)

nabil114

I think the iPhone 5 has the higher cost. $199
http://www.isuppli.com/Teardowns/News/pages/iPhone5-Carries-$199-BOM-Virtual-Teardown-Reveals.aspx

- Rezaur Rahman

chopachain

I can see why most foreigners think Americans are a different race. Their perception is (this is going to hurt)that Americans are fat lazy and useless. America has enslaved the rest of the world via cheap imports, and live the good life. Why the dollar and pound is so strong God only knows. Americans buy because of image. Americans are a brand name nation(race) Just look at what adverts did to americans of people walking in the street and riding subways with a Ifone in their grubby hands and white earfones in their ears did, americans went Iwant gaga. Look at what the rest of the world is using to do their WORK on. Not Iwhatevers. Ninety percent either a Black Berry device or windoze. The rest of the world see's apple products as toys. Americans have single handedly bashed BlackBerry almost into oblivian. Americans dont deserve BB preferential treatment. If I was BB i would issue all the americans who have hung on and stood by BB with a new Z10 for free. They deserve it. BB10 is a revolutionary operating system. Anybody who knows anything about servers and operating systems will understand WHY.

cappo40

Seeing as my Z10 is quicker than my work system, can I use these components for my system :P

Rootbrian

That doesn't include labor and everything else. Add those up and... Then you've got the total cost. :)