BlackBerry has shifted its approach to the market recently. It is no longer trying to cater all segments of the market by launching half a dozen devices every year. So far in 2014 it has released the Z3 which has performed very well in emerging markets due to its competitive price tag. Later this month it will unveil its first high-end device for the year and the second one will follow in November. When asked if the company considers up and coming OEMs like Xiaomi and Obi as its rivals particularly in emerging markets BlackBerry CEO John Chen shrugged off both of them.
Xiaomi and Obi have attacked the market with smartphones that are very competitively priced and yet they offer reasonable specifications. China-based Xiaomi is known for selling hundreds of thousands of units within minutes after opening up sales for a new model, such behavior was also witnessed in India where the company has just recently made its entry.
BlackBerry CEO John Chen told the PTI that the company doesn’t consider them to be competitors “since they play to a lower end market and do not post a threat across our broad set of capabilities.” He was asked if the company’s devices were losing charm with customers due to cheaper options from rivals. Chen pointed to the Z3 as an example and said that it has an attractive price point for all the “features and benefits” that it provides.
Costing roughly $250, the BlackBerry Z3 is the cheapest BB10 powered device available off contract. Its specifications rival those of most mid-range smartphones while providing the full experience of BlackBerry’s new software.
To counter the onslaught of devices from Xiaomi and Obi particularly in India, BlackBerry has also cut prices of devices like the Z30, Z10, Q5, 9720 and the 9320. Chen says that the country remains an important market for them and for now it looks like the folks sitting in Waterloo, Ontario will not be ceding space too easily to rivals in South Asia.
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