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BlackBerry says it isn’t withdrawing from the UK high street, despite the ailing corporation’s decision to shift focus to the world of business-related tech.
Johnathan Young, BlackBerry’s UK senior retail director, told CNET that the firm’s consumer efforts (i.e, selling phones to ordinary shoppers, rather than big companies) would be “business as usual”.
“The majority of our business, particularly in the UK is consumer,” Young said, “And we will continue to support that.”
BlackBerry last week admitted a loss of $950m (about £592m), and has announced it will cut 40 per cent of its workforce — a good 4,500 jobs. It’s also made preliminary moves to be bought by a private finance company — a move that could see the struggling firm broken up.
Despite these significant behind-the-scenes changes, BlackBerry insists there will be no loss in support for its smart phones, such as the new 5-inch Z30, which launches in the UK tomorrow.
Describing a major product push for Christmas, Young told me that BlackBerry will be focusing on the ‘prosumer’ market, which likely means individuals who want a powerful business gadget, but aren’t necessarily handed one by their company’s IT department.
BlackBerry devices will remain on sale in UK shops, CNET was told.
BlackBerry has struggled to compete with rival smart phones from the likes of Apple and Samsung. Last week its BBM messaging service was due to arrive on iOS and Android, but was delayed, with BlackBerry citing an unofficial knockoff Android version that caused some issues with the app.
Do you think new gadgets like the Z30, which runs an updated version of BB10, can save the firm, or is it simply too late for the once-almighty phone-maker? Let me know your predictions in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.
