If you missed out or just plain skipped the BlackBerry annual and special meeting webcast, you can now go ahead and listen to the replay. As expected, there were no huge announcements to come out of the webcast but instead, it was all focused on forward-looking statements and where BlackBerry is today and where they're headed in the future.
All rather standard, save a few what can only be called outbursts from those in the audience and an interesting mix of some rather weird and great questions. There was even a mention about porn, because, why not? Still, it's certainly worth a listen and there are a few choice quotes from BlackBerry CEO John Chen regarding BlackBerry marketing, where their focus is for the handset business and where they see the potential for growth and profit in the near the future.
According to Chen, the number one objective for BlackBerry is to make the hardware business profitable. "The device business must be profitable, because we don't want to run a business that drags onto the bottom line," Chen noted. "We've got to get there this year" meaning this fiscal year.
Note: The FY16 financial data in the screenshot is not new. It's the financials from Q3 2016 and Q4 2016. It's not the financials we're waiting to see on June 23. During our live blog, some folks got that confused. Silly fiscal years.
Listen via the BlackBerry Investors site
Reader comments
Listen to the BlackBerry annual and special meeting replay
Why isnt mr.chen talking about whatapp platform being cut by the end of this year on 31st dec to the users of blackberry10ver, What are blackberry devlopers thinking about pushing an upgrade to BB10 users
Sorry to burst your bubble but Whatsapp will still work come 1/1/2017...
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Thankfully it was posted online to listen to! :D
Typed using my QNX powered BlackBerry Classic running 10.3.2.2876 on WINDmobile HSPA+
when was the official gold version of 10.3.3 release, i actually update with the developer version.. and it was kind irritating.. when will official version release???
All analysts are telling BlackBerry to get out of hardware. Today's report will likely be further confirmation that this advice is good. It almost seems that keeping devices is certain to keep the stock price low! Maybe this is part of the strategy until BlackBerry is ready? I dunno! But I applaud Chen's commitment to phones because it keeps me on this site. Personally I don't see how he can keep two operating systems and make a profit. Likely bb10 is short term, particularly for specific governments. On the consumer side the competition is far too high, and as I see it no firm comes close to a full package that apple provides. BlackBerry should then fall back to bb10 and charge a good premium to its security focused clients. Hire Cobalt to lead the charge for us consumers who also want a professional phone. Long live bb10.
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And it also says "Software Licencing"
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Does anyone know if the video that Chen showed at the beginning of his talk is available online?
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Not yet, might appear tomorrow.
It's says
Handsets
BB10
Secure Android
on that slide... :-D
• There's a Crack in the Berry right now... •
My only comment/hope is will we be able to buy the hardened bb10 phones?
I don't need all the apps ''that everyone'' must have. I just want a secure phone that makes phone calls and allows me to have messaging via bbm or old fashion texting. Throw in blend and the other made for BlackBerry apps and I am good to go.
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Someone asked and he dismissed regular people being able to buy BB10 in the future. He implied just governments. And said he would "bring BB10 experience to Android."
That's how I took his response to someone who asked what youre asking. But with Chen he can change his mind every day. He speaks to where it's hard to keep him to any promise.
Z5 Premium - 6.0.1 - T-Mobile USA
Someone tried so hard to get Chen to understand what marketing is. And Chen either doesn't get it or doesn't want to get it. He can't spend money to advertise which, if a good agency were used with a viral campaign maybe they'd get somewhere. But Chen won't do it. Even if he did he wouldn't go far enough.
He doesn't get the pricing either. Or what the public wants. And if you'll still sell BB10 to business why can't you sell it to others?
I guess he just has to go through the motions. So frustrating. And unfortunately I was wrong about him stepping down. He promises to be there next year. Any chance hardware had left was dependent on a new CEO.
I'd have picked Mr. Gold. Or even the **** lady. Republicans have anyone but Trump as a slogan. BB diehards need anyone but Chen.
Z5 Premium - 6.0.1 - T-Mobile USA
Doggert the armchair CEO is back spouting his usual anti-BBRY anti-Chen rhetoric.
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Thorsten got a superbowl ad and only sold a handful of Z10's.
Chen gets it. He's just not interested in competing with Samsung and Apple. If he can get a BlackBerry powered Android into the hands of enterprise customers... the customers that issue BlackBerry 10 phones to their employees but the employees only use them to send corporate email and throw them on a shelf at 5pm to play with their iPhone's and Samsungs...
Thorsten got it too. He knew what BlackBerry 10 was. But he was way too late. If Chen spent Samsung money to advertise the passport I'd lose respect for him.
While I still believe Chen's vision is on track, it's frustrating that he doesn't get how brutal carrier support is in carrier stores. You would think a CEO would be on top of such a simple equation. (Yes, yes, it's been talked about to death) Seriously though, it's just like James explained in the last podcast...having the PRIV clamped in a display unit so you can't slide it open is beyond stupidity. That's only one example. Send any BlackBerry user in a store and you will only hear of a handful of positive experiences. This should have been dealt with years ago. I'm afraid BlackBerry will never get it.
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It has become blatantly obvious to me, Chen is not in the least concerned about BBM,OS10, handsets,marketing, lack of carrier support or we the foolishly hanging on yet diminishing customer base. That's why he is being so handsomely compensated as Blackberry is moving away from all the aforementioned. If this is truly the case as many already suspect, I wish they would just be done with it instead of this death by a thousand cuts approach
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I went to T-Mobile (with my ShopBlackBerry Priv, for something related to my phone plan) they had JUST gotten the Priv. There it was, either in sleep mode or off. All around it, the other demo phones were turned on with their screens lit up & blinking to everyone. The shiny new Priv on the wall looked so forlorn--in its forced slumber, all muzzled up with clamps, unable to show off its cool and innovative PKB to customers. I said something about it to the sales person and he brushed me off.
I like the way they laid out their strategy within those infinity circles. That's about how long it will take BlackBerry to achieve any success.
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Chen didn't say that they're only focusing on Android with the "BB10 experience" now, he essentially said that BB10 with NIAP certification is for governments and that Android with the BB10 experience is for consumers. BlackBerry can't make a profit selling BB10 phones to consumers, but if they can make a profit selling end to end software solutions to enterprise and government customers, at least there should also be a future for the BB10 experience on Android.
There is no future for BB10 in government either. BB10 fans want to hope but there must have been few sales and even less in the future.
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Yup... they are working on BB10 updates for sh*ts and giggles
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Who is this MR Gold, anyone have any info who he is, or is he some rich eccentric old coote. Who dresses weird......
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Mr. Gold is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.
He's part of an elite group, known as the illuminati, which is Latin for glows in the dark.
To bad they didn't turn the lights out at the AGM he would of lit the place up like a disco.
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The Doctors comments (part of it anyway) (1hr 09min mark). Everyone hates Blackberry, but knows there the best at security, consumers know it, joe meatball knows it, peter punch clock knows it, my dog knows it, It instinctive, its undeniable even to the haters, but no one understands why or how it works, We hear about it over and over again but we can't touch it, see it or feel it. This is where Blackberry fails miserably, Singing the same old song without music.Tie us into the knox, tie us into a security eco system that is simple and available to the average person.. Stick your name on anti virus software for mobile. Home security systems, car alarm systems, pad locks for f sake, Anything that is tied to consumers and secutity. Build on the strength that is widely known and accepted even if it is only perceived. Its always been starring them in the face, crying for them to take the easiest selling feature they have but they just don't get it.
Exactly!!! The reason I got to this thread was because I can't understand what makes BlackBerry so secure, but I somehow think it is! I'm searching for answers.
I was looking at the image that Blaze has attached to this article and on the very last circle it states "Secure Android, BB10" etc. I'm not gonna jump the gun or what not but it seems that they won't or haven't given up on the OS or it can still indicate that there is 10.3.4 coming and that's it. Who knows but hopefully there is hope of new BB10 devices. Lemme not hold my breath though.
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Didn't Chen already state there will be no new BB10 devices?
Several times. They then went on to clarify that further by saying they have 10.3.3 and 10.3.4 coming.
Consumer and enterprise fans of our workhorse BlackBerry 10 smartphones such as Passport, Classic and others can look forward to many security and privacy enhancements in 2016. The coming version 10.3.3 will be certified for NIAP compliance, meaning it will have passed the strictest government-grade security tests, enabling us to further support our government and regulated customers who use BlackBerry 10 devices and demand the highest levels of security. We are also planning a version 10.3.4 for later this year with even more security improvements. While we continue to invest in BlackBerry 10 in 2016, we will also develop another Android-based phone. We’ll share more details about our roadmap when we’re ready.
http://crackberry.com/john-chen-confirms-commitment-blackberry-10-promises-more-security-updates-are-coming
There's also an interview where he states that he won't rule out new BB10 phones after the announced updates.
You never know. :-D
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T9KOIOVQ5_4
• There's a Crack in the Berry right now... •
Bingo!!!
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Good call on not holding your breath. During the Q&A, a lady asked about the future of BB10 phones, and Chen confirmed that they're only focusing on Android with the "BB10 experience" now.
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The AGM was a bit of a gong show, especially the question period. One previous employee asked an excellent set of questions, which where danced around (except consumer space will only see BlackBerry Android phones). The others, pretty much garbage.
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'Microsoft.....No wonder'..:)
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I was at the meeting. Had intended to ask a question about the current sad state of the Hub on the Priv, plus the generally user hostile experience Android on the Priv provides, but multiple people asked multiple rambling nonsensical questions which sucked up the time so I almost felt bad for Mr. Chen having to put up with questions like these from the great unwashed masses. And then there was Mr. Gold, whom I was sitting a row in front of, who was a constant annoyance. He would make smartassed comments, interrupt multiple times, and even had the gall to complain when someone else asked two questions even though he had been a disruption the entire time! Plus he was dressed in a white dashiki, wore pajama bottoms and carried a pink flowered purse. He also asked to attend the board meeting and then seemed miffed when the company said the board meeting was for, uh, members of the boards and then there would be confidential information. He insinuated that this confidential information was something to hide. In other words, he was a complete jackass. And while he made a good point about executive compensation, flaunting the rules of the meeting and being an obnoxious annoyance is NOT the way to make it. He's a disruption at every AGM I have attended and doesn't contribute anything helpful. Sadly though the question period was almost a wash anyway. Including someone trying to use it as tech support. I think the **** lady was right on though. Perfect cheap advertising to those who want to feel some quality hardware in their hands.
I have a confession to make. I'm Mr. Gold.
... Haha! Just kidding.
Now that was funny!! :)
Rocking a Z30 on Verizon
Gold's outburst was justified. Only BlackBerry would they pay their executive team "hundreds of millions of dollars" for constantly posting a loss quarter after quarter.
Only BlackBerry, really? I wonder what Apple was paying their ceo before jobs took over.
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What was Golds comment?
I'm having trouble making out his words.
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Basically, executives get paid too much for doing nothing for the company aside from driving it into the ground. That was the gist of what he said.
Thanks.
Actually, I was listening to the wrong part. I was trying to figure out what he said around the 1m mark, but he really gets going at the 11-14min mark
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Oh, I think that was about the ISO stuff. If I recall, he was at one of the previous meetings where he requested that BlackBerry look further into and they said they would (and apparently did) but he felt as though he deserved a meeting over it. I dunno, he said a lot lol.
Is that all is to say' removable'? Bla 1 ze ?
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I want to hear the pr0n comment.
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Q: Linda Lamberton, and I'm from London Ontario, and my question is on marketing and I'm wondering if Blackberry is utilizing the top advertising media that is available at 1/10th of the cost and before I tell you the answer or ask if that’s happening, this comes from a podcast done on radio by the CVC about a month ago saying that credible companies are now getting into this advertising market and I hope to bring a little humor, but it is a serious one, the highest place to advertise at 1/10th of the cost is on the P**n site to dropped down damage. So, I'm putting that out for you to investigate.
A: Phil Kurtz
Thank you. Our marketing guys are here so. Nothing further on this side, so we’ll continue here.
Link to the full transcript on SeekingAlpha.. http://seekingalpha.com/article/3983769-blackberrys-bbry-ceo-john-chen-h...
Linda is my hero.
Of course she is.... of course she is.
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Whats new
Blackberry Passport (I0maginary 10.3.3)
Removable batteries.
Spinning hourglasses.
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Did you see the SecuTABLET entry in the second or third slide of the presentation? For government.. so either they are going to release an Android based BlackBerry tablet or some tools to lock down and secure existing ones but as it was listed under hardware, this is it, we are getting a new BlackBerry Tablet after all!
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It was released in 2015. Not exactly new. http://crackberry.com/secutablet-new-secure-tablet-secusmart-ibm-and-samsung
Didn't it have a $2000 price tag or something?
Yeah $2300.
Yep! Sorry, I saw after my memory was refreshed but too late as the post was already here! It is the SecuSmart tablet they got when they bought the company.... and based on a Samsung tablet device..
Apologies for the false alarm!!! My bad
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What !!! No one is going to say cool Dr Who avatar ???
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Zing!
Any bets on someone making a comment about calendar vs fiscal year?
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You did....
Posted from my passport not 'running the google'
Really captain obvious?
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