BlackBerry went back to the future at MWC 2014 with the announcement of two new smartphones: the super retro Q20 complete with QWERTY keyboard and the sub-$200 touchscreen Z3. BlackBerry said that its not going without a fight and that it intends to leverage its services and enterprise prestige to revive the company.
But first, BlackBerry wants to convince customers that its smartphones are still worth buying. BlackBerry's strategy is clever - its going to woo back customers by being itself. Of course, for BlackBerry, that means QWERTY keyboard-encrusted smartphones and simple touchscreen devices. John Chen, the company's new CEO told crowds of journalists and industry analysts that BlackBerry has big plans for its new smartphones, which the company will officially present later this year.
The BlackBerry Z3, a simple, touchscreen smartphone, will launch this spring in Southeast Asia, making its firsts top in Indonesia. The Z3 will be a very accessible smartphone for entry-level customers with its sub-$200 price tag. Although BlackBerry hasn't given any specifics about the Z3, it will probably feature mid-range specifications and at least a 4-inch display.
"It's going to be under $200 on retail price," Chen said at MWC 2014. "It's a 3G phone, and we have a plan to expand the phone to different parts of southeast Asia after Indonesia, and in addition we have a plan to go global with an LTE version of it some time in the future."
In addition to the more modern Z3, BlackBerry will go back to its roots in 2014 with the Q20, a QWERTY keyboard-based smartphone with a 3.5-inch touchscreen at the top. BlackBerry will market the Q20 to business professionals and die-hard fans of BlackBerry's golden age QWERTY smartphones. At MWC, Chen told the crowd that of all the things on its customers' wish lists, the QWERTY keyboard was always at the top of the list.
"Virtually everyone I meet says they love our keyboards," Chen said. "I call it the 'BlackBerry Classic.' "
The Q20 will feature an improved version of BlackBerry 10 OS and be made of premium materials. It will also be secure and convenient for business customers, Chen said. BlackBerry will release the Q20 before the end of 2014. Although BlackBerry is limiting its device production to a much smaller scale than before, the company is determined to keep its devices going. BlackBerry's plan is to target its faithful customers and keep focused on a few well-made devcies.
"We need to build very solid phones that are more skewed toward the high-end," Chen said. "We are not going to play 'let's build a $75 phone.' That's not our sweet spot."
Meanwhile, BlackBerry will put the majority of its energy into enterprise and software for security-focused businesses like telecommunications, the government and banking industry. BlackBerry's plan to return to its old ways is smart. The company might be able to win back some of the customers it lost when it tried to be something it is not and in the meantime, it can continue to grow its software and enterprise businesses.
