How BlackBerry Could Still Survive

BlackBerry has over the last few years become the epitome of a company falling from the dizziest heights to the most dangerous of lows. Once the pride and joy of Canada and the darling of corporate markets the world over, BlackBerry fell victim to the unstoppable rise of Android and iOS to eventually become something of a third-wheel to an increasingly private party. The general consensus had been that the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 smartphones would turn things around entirely, but as we now know this hasn’t proved to be the case. Millions of sales or not, analysts are now warning that everything the firm has so far thrown out as part of its recovery effort represents no more than step-one in a long and painful journey. And given that what we’ve seen so far this year is said to be as good as the BB name gets, most have written off the firm’s future as a no-go.

However, I’m of the impression that it’s not over until all avenues have been explored – BlackBerry still has plenty of places to go before folding. So with a more positive standpoint in mind, here’s a look at three ways in which the firm could indeed return to strength and surprise us all by coming out of 2013 stronger than ever.

Launch a New PlayBook Tablet

First up, it isn’t a theory that a new PlayBook Tablet is something the market is hungry for – it’s a proven fact. There’s a distinct lack of corporate-focused tablet PCs on the market today and given BlackBerry’s love affair with the world’s corporate markets, it’s a bit of a no-brainer. Admittedly, they won’t come close to the success of the iPad from Apple but this isn’t the point – the point is to solidify and complete the ecosystem for its existing fans and followers.

Launch a Phablet

And if adamant that a tablet won’t cut it, the least they could offer up is a BlackBerry Phablet. Something along the same lines as the Samsung Galaxy Note, with a screen size bigger than 5 inches and stylus support – all with productivity and versatility in mind. In some ways this could prove to be the best of all worlds for the firm.

Launch an Affordable Touchscreen Phone

Something else that really needs to happen is the launch of a truly affordable alternative to the BlackBerry Z10. We already know how great the touchscreen BlackBerry experience is and we have a pair of QWERTY keyboard devices to choose from on the other side of the range – all we need now is a less expensive touchscreen BB10 handset to further its appeal massively.

Quit Launching BB7 Devices

And finally, for some reason we may never know BlackBerry has just released yet another smartphone following its past-generation design blueprint and running BlackBerry 7 OS. Seriously – what kind of message is this sending out with regard to the new OS? That it’s not as good as the old? That the old one still has a place because the new one is anything less than perfect? A really terrible message at the wrong time that has to stop…and stop right now!