BlackBerry CEO: Don't Be Tempted By Trendy, Popular Phones. Buy Ours Instead. The struggling phone maker is setting up for the 'Classic,' a throwback to the BlackBerrys of yore.
By Jason Fell
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Kim Kardashian, this one's for you.
BlackBerry executive chair and CEO John Chen has written an open letter to loyal BlackBerry users (current and former), basically pleading with them to forget those shiny iPhones and buy a freakin' BlackBerry phone already.
OK, that might be an exaggeration. But not by much.
"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," Chen wrote in the letter published today on BlackBerry's blog. "But there's also something to be said for the classic adage, if it ain't broke don't fix it."
In other words, please don't buy an iPhone 6 or the latest Android phone. Instead, try the forthcoming BlackBerry Classic.
By "classic," BlackBerry apparently means throwback. Specific details about the phone aren't clear yet, though Chen says it will come with a top row of navigation keys and a trackpad, a larger and sharper screen, a "growing" app catalogue, and it will run on the BlackBerry 10 operating system.
BlackBerry, of course, was a smartphone pioneer, but saw it's market share eaten by Apple and Google. Not too long ago, BlackBerry released the awkwardly shaped BlackBerry Passport phone.
Related: The Passport Is Not the BlackBerry You're Looking For
"We also recognize that a lot of you continue to hang on to your Bold devices because they get the job done, day in and day out – just like you," Chen wrote.
Overexposed reality star Kim Kardashian recently said at a tech conference that she is still in love with her discontinued BlackBerry Bold, adding that it is her "heart and soul." Kardashian apparently keeps three in her room at all times and if one breaks she immediately searches eBay for a replacement.
Perhaps that was a coincidental plug for BlackBerry and nothing more ...
Related: Kim Kardashian Apparently Wants to Buy BlackBerry, and Thinks Twitter Is the New Google
In his letter, Chen continued to blast the competition while trumpeting the BlackBerrys of yore. "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. ... 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. You're in it for the long haul. So is BlackBerry."
So, if Classic BlackBerry is your thing, you can sign up for more details once it becomes available.
