AfterDawn: Tech news

BlackBerry will not sell $50 smartphones

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 10 Mar 2013 5:13 User comments (3)

BlackBerry will not sell $50 smartphones BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins has said this weekend that while the company is creating less expensive devices to compete in the emerging markets, it will not challenge Asian rivals that are pricing phones as low as $50.
"Understand where you are playing and resist being talked into segments that you know will not serve your purpose and will not result in shareholder value," said the exec. "You will not see us getting into the 50-, 60-buck phone segment. This is not BlackBerry."

He added: "You will see new products being launched this year based on BlackBerry 10, all fully LTE-capable, the whole 10 yards that are more geared towards those price bands where people need to be."

For example, the new Z10 sells for $600 unsubsidized, a price far out of the range of the average consumer in India, Brazil, and other emerging markets.

However, the executive says that all supply to India has already been exhausted, showing that maybe high-end phones do have their place in the nation.

Previous Next  

3 user comments

110.3.2013 23:35

"BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins has said this weekend that while the company is creating less expensive devices to compete in the emerging markets, it will not challenge Asian rivals that are pricing phones as low as $50"

Hmm? So your're not going to sell cellphones in the $50 to at most $60 dollar range? Then stop lying. Your're not going to be making 'less expensive devices.' That price point that you said that you 'won't sell at' is what 'less expensive' is..anything over $70 is just expensive, not 'less expensive.'

$300 to $600 is what I'd call a ripoff for a phone, way too expensive. $200 dollar range is a bit better, but not by much. $100 range is the most that I'd shell out for a cellphone, which is still a bit expensive, and $50 and under is alright pricing I'd say.

-Random, from Canada.

212.3.2013 12:35

Why would they sell a phone for 50 ? To go bankrupt ?

315.3.2013 17:11

Originally posted by xrandomx:

"BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins has said this weekend that while the company is creating less expensive devices to compete in the emerging markets, it will not challenge Asian rivals that are pricing phones as low as $50"

Hmm? So your're not going to sell cellphones in the $50 to at most $60 dollar range? Then stop lying. Your're not going to be making 'less expensive devices.' That price point that you said that you 'won't sell at' is what 'less expensive' is..anything over $70 is just expensive, not 'less expensive.'

$300 to $600 is what I'd call a ripoff for a phone, way too expensive. $200 dollar range is a bit better, but not by much. $100 range is the most that I'd shell out for a cellphone, which is still a bit expensive, and $50 and under is alright pricing I'd say.

-Random, from Canada.
Enjoy your $70 flip phone Granpa.

Comments have been disabled for this article.

Latest news

Neato, the robot vacuum company, ends its operations Neato, the robot vacuum company, ends its operations (02 May 2023 3:38)
Neato Robotics has ceased its operations. American robot vacuum pioneer founded in 2005 has finally called it quits and company will cease its operations and sales. Only a skeleton crew will remain who will keep the servers running until 2028.
4 user comments
How to Send Messages to Yourself on WhatsApp How to Send Messages to Yourself on WhatsApp (20 Mar 2023 1:25)
The world's most popular messaging platform, Meta-owned WhatsApp has enabled sending messages to yourself. While at first, this might seem like an odd feature, it can be very useful in a lot of situations. ....
16 user comments
How to Enable Bluetooth on Stadia Controller How to Enable Bluetooth on Stadia Controller (11 Feb 2023 1:04)
Google shut down its streaming game service Stadia late last month and this means that some people have Stadia controllers lying around that seem to be of no use. That is fortunately not the ....
2 user comments
Guide: How to Kick Unwanted Guests from Your Netflix Account Guide: How to Kick Unwanted Guests from Your Netflix Account (26 Jan 2023 2:14)
Sharing a Netflix account with a person in a different location is possible and indeed very common, although the company doesn't necessarily enjoy this behavior from their customers. However, ....
Guide: Turn an Old Computer Into a Chromebook Easily and for Free Guide: Turn an Old Computer Into a Chromebook Easily and for Free (07 Jan 2023 2:11)
Do you know someone whose computer is way beyond its best-before date, and they, unfortunately, do know have the skills or the expertise to do much about it? Or do you own a pile of old laptop ....
2 user comments

News archive