BlackBerry to release 3 new high-end devices targeted toward ‘keyboard aficionados’

As we’ve written before, BlackBerry’s high-end smartphone strategy seems to involve largely ignoring the masses who want touchscreen-only phones and focussing on the keyboard-loving diehards who have helped keep the company afloat in hard times. CrackBerry brings us word that BlackBerry CEO John Chen said during his company’s earnings call on Friday that BlackBerry plans to release three new high-end devices over the next 18 months that will be targeted toward “keyboard aficionados.” As if to emphasize his point, Chen also made sure to tell us that BlackBerry’s focus “is going to be very keyboard centric” when it comes to making its own devices. BlackBerry has had to drastically cut back on producing its own hardware after the first BlackBerry 10 devices were massive flops and the company has outsourced production of cheap low-end BlackBerry phones to manufacturer Foxconn. BlackBerry sold only 1.1 million smartphones last quarter so it looks like its user base is shrinking down to a small but loyal group of diehards.