As if BlackBerry didn’t have enough to contend with in a market that is constantly threatening to leave it behind, CEO John Chen revealed in an interview with Financial Times this weekend that his wife would rather use her Samsung Galaxy than a Passport. One of the toughest challenges of his career so far has been attempting to convert his wife to BlackBerry.
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“There were a couple of parties we went to and, when my wife brought out the Samsung, everyone kind of looked at me funny,” Chen told FT. “So eventually I said she needed to use a BlackBerry. ‘No, I like my Samsung’, she said, and I told her she was embarrassing me.”
He’s not sure if she still uses the Galaxy in secret, but he explains that she found it hard to adjust to BlackBerry, something Chen admits many users experience when they first get their hands on the phone.
“It is harder in the beginning, but once you get it, it’s actually quite powerful. It makes other devices look a little toyish,” Chen said. He went on to compare it to jumping into a Lamborghini for the first time. “There’s a special sequence but, once you know where all the things are, it blows your mind. Still, because of that, I would never buy a Lamborghini. We too need to make sure the learning curve is not so steep.”
Chen might not be able to make his wife a believer, but he’s certainly had a positive impact on the company over the past year as costs have gone down and shares have gone up. Be sure to check the full interview on Financial Times for more on Chen’s plans for BlackBerry.
