Amidst the Priv failure, BlackBerry is planning to release two new mid-range devices for Android this year. Many are calling this the company’s last chance at survival. If they somehow escape the clutches of death, perhaps, they will get an opportunity to compete with Apple in the exclusive smartphone market.
BLACKBERRY’S SECOND CHANCE AT ANDROID
This won’t be the first time BlackBerry has gone with Android. Their latest attempt at a smartphone, the Priv, didn’t exactly find its footing. The company admitted to making the Priv too expensive. Following that failure, they look to get a second chance at the Android OS. They will do this by targeting the mid-range market. The Priv was geared towards the higher end of things, but Apple and Samsung have a pretty firm grasp of that area. Hopefully for them, by lowering prices and sticking to the hardware side of things, BlackBerry will be able to save their weakening brand.
UPHILL BATTLE ON THE WAY
BlackBerry’s return to the top will not be easy. The smartphone market has been slowing down lately, even for giants like Apple and Samsung. Add intense mid-range competition and the battle to regain composure will not come easily to the handheld maker. In recent times, the company hasn’t made any impressive profits . This past year saw a 39.8 percent drop in hardware sales. 2016 saw just 3.2 million handheld devices sold for them compared to 7 million the year before. To solve their woes, BlackBerry believes switching to Android will help lower costs in other aspects of the business. However, moving to Android will come with its own set of problems as well. IF they can somehow overcome this, maybe they’ll have a chance at stealing some Apple customers away from the higher-end.
PEOPLE MAY BE SICK OF APPLE
Apple has had an iron grip on the smartphone market for quite some time, but their loyal customers may be losing interest. January 2016 saw the company’s first drop in profit since 2003. In addition, it seems their latest features aren’t exactly going over well with their legion of fanboys. They’re is still extremely profitable however, they’re far from falling. It’s just that people might get sick of shelling out upwards of $1,000 for their devices someday. If that’s the case, maybe a worthy mid-range smartphone would become all too attractive.
