On the one-year anniversary of the BlackBerry 10 operating system’s debut, BlackBerry’s market share in the United States reportedly hit just about 0%. Investors are still optimistic though, and BlackBerry shares are up nearly 22% in the past three months. Partially responsible for the recent optimism is BlackBerry CEO John Chen’s strategic shift that will see the company focus more on the enterprise and government markets where it still has some momentum, but in a recent interview with Fast Company, Chen also made sure to note that BlackBerry has no plans to completely abandon the remaining loyal customers it has in the consumer market.
“One critical challenge we have been addressing is the company’s broad approach on both enterprise and consumer markets,” Chen told the site. “[This] doesn’t mean we are turning our back on the consumer–far from it–but it’s important we narrow our focus on our core strengths. I believe in the values of this brand and I’ve assembled the right team and strategy with the strong confidence that we will rebuild BlackBerry for the benefit of all of our constituencies.”
So, if any hardcore BlackBerry fans out there have been sweating and wondering if the company they’ve remained loyal to through thick and thin might leave them in the dust, Chen’s recent comments should assuage any fears.
