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BlackBerry’s Chen explains why his company isn’t trying to ‘kill’ the iPhone anymore

Published Oct 2nd, 2014 1:35PM EDT
BGR

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One of the things that is most reassuring about BlackBerry CEO John Chen compared to some of his predecessors is that he seems to have a very firm grip on reality. So unlike Jim Balsillie (“There may be 300,000 apps for the iPhone and iPad, but the only app you really need is the browser!”) and Thorsten Heins (“There’s nothing wrong with the company as it exists right now!”), Chen has always offered a frank and realistic assessment of the company’s prospects as a player in the mobile device market.

RELATED: BlackBerry officially unveils its comeback device: Meet the BlackBerry Passport

With this in mind, we thought it was very refreshing to read Chen’s new CNBC op-ed in which he declares that BlackBerry is no longer trying to directly compete with the iPhone as it tried to do with notorious flops such as the BlackBerry Storm and the BlackBerry Z10. Instead, it’s trying to do what it’s always been best at: Making secure communications tools for corporate power users.

“We don’t expect to sell a handset to everyone and don’t expect to take down the consumers who love to play games on their iPhones,” he writes. “But we do want to provide an experience that caters to the mobile professional – anyone who relies on their device to do their jobs… Innovations with the BlackBerry Passport focus on things that matter: advances in battery life, an innovative screen, a multi-function keyboard and seamless synchronization of contacts and documents across devices, and aggregation of all messages (email, text, social, etc.) into one actionable hub.”

Click the source link below to read the whole thing.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.