Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
John Chen is going old school in order to promote his company’s upcoming BlackBerry Classic smartphone, sending an open letter to current and former customers on Wednesday in order to generate buzz for the soon-to-be-released throwback device, various media outlets are reporting.
According to Reuters, Chen, the chief executive of BlackBerry, admitted that the company had made some mistakes over the past few years, writing: “It’s tempting in a rapidly changing, rapidly growing mobile market to change for the sake of change – to mimic what’s trendy and match the industry-standard, kitchen-sink approach of trying to be all things to all people.”
“But there’s also something to be said for the classic adage, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” he added, according to Entrepreneur.com. With that in mind, he said that the Classic would come with a top row of navigation keys, a trackpad, and a larger and higher-resolution screen – and it will apparently run on the BlackBerry 10 operating system.
Reuters said that the open letter was posted just two days after reality television star Kim Kardashian confessed during the Code/Mobile conference that she loved BlackBerry and has owned several Bold devices. The Classic is supposed to have a larger screen and more extensive app catalog than its predecessor, the news agency noted.
Re/code’s Ina Fried compared BlackBerry’s situation to that faced by Coca-Cola several years ago, when they tried to change their soda’s recipe, only to be forced by public demand to re-release the old formula under the Coca-Cola Classic moniker and ultimately quietly doing away with what came to be known as New Coke. She called it a “costly flop” for the beverage company.
While BlackBerry is attempting to capture some of that Coca-Cola Classic magic with its new Classic smartphone, it faces a tremendous challenge from Apple’s iPhone line and Android devices. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus sold more than 10 million units during its first weekend after it was released last month, making it the biggest launch weekend ever for an Apple smartphone, while Android devices currently hold a 73.9 percent share of the European smartphone market, according to TechCrunch.
“Innovation is a word that gets used too often and carelessly. Innovation is not about blowing up what works to make something new – it’s about taking what works and making it better,” Chen wrote in the letter. “You don’t reinvent yourself every day; you take what you learned yesterday and sharpen it today. You drive change – often on your terms, but sometimes not. That you keep going regardless is what distinguishes you as a grown-up.”
“We are committed to earning your business – or earning it back, if that’s the case,” he added, promising that more details about the Classic would be released within the next few weeks, according to Reuters. People who are interested in learning more about the forthcoming device can pop on over to BlackBerry’s website and register to receive e-mail updates.
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BlackBerry Chief Pens Open Letter To Promote Upcoming Classic Smartphone
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