BlackBerry: Resurrecting Curve, 'Typo' Injunction, Nearing Profit?
Yesterday, we brought you a trifecta of Microsoft updates. Today? There's more news from our favorite underdog, BlackBerry, which has finally stopped hemorrhaging cash and may be primed for a comeback.
BlackBerry? Aren't they the folks who made those keyboarded phones that businesspeople used to love? Yep, and they're bringing the old-school devices back, at least for now.
Meanwhile, for those who have moved on to an iPhone, but miss their QWERTY keyboards, there's bad news: Typo, the company that produced a BlackBerry-esque keyboard attachment for iPhones, may be on its deathbed, after a California court granted BlackBerry's request for an injunction.
The Curve Returns
As geeks, our attention is mostly focused on BlackBerry's latest phones, all of which run BlackBerry OS 10 and are touchscreen friendly. Accountants at the company, however, know that one of the reasons for the company's survival is the old-school BlackBerry. The BlackBerry Bolds and Curves (the ubiquitous models of years past) apparently continued to sell well, until now, that is.
According to Engadget, sales of the legacy devices, which run BlackBerry OS 7, have plummeted 50 percent year-over-year. Sadly, the 2.3 million units sold is still twice as many as their modern BB OS 10 devices. Meanwhile, the company's CEO announced that they'll produce another batch of the legacy devices, this time with a cheaper manufacturer, which should allow the company to sell the devices at a profit.
Back to Black?
Speaking of profit, mere months after the company posted a near-$1 billion loss, and despite a 64 percent decline in revenue year-over-year, things are looking up for the Canadian smartphone maker. The adjusted quarterly loss was only $0.08 per share, far less than analysts' predicted $0.57 per share, reports the Financial Post.
CEO John Chen predicted a return to profitability as early as next year, and who knows -- with so many new devices and an OS upgrade on the way, if consumers respond, he might prove to be correct.
Typo Injunction
This may help a tiny bit with demand.
For QWERTY diehards, their options were (a) really old and sub-par Android phones, (b) subpar BlackBerries or (c) getting a Typo accessory for their iPhone.
Strike option (c) from the list, then. The startup failed to convince a judge that the keyboard, which appears to be a blatant copy of the BlackBerry keyboard, did not infringe on the latter company's patents. The judge was also unsympathetic to arguments that an injunction could put the company out of business, reports Engadget.
For the QWERTY-addicted, it's looking like your only option for a modern keyboard-equipped smartphone is a BlackBerry. Let's just hope the upcoming "Classic" model is as amazing as it sounds.
Related Resources:
- 24 Hours With a BlackBerry Q10: Praises and Regrets (FindLaw's Technologist Blog)
- Are Lawyers Really Flocking to Macs, iPhones, and iPads? (FindLaw's Technologist Blog)
- iPhone Not Secure Enough for Pres. Obama; BlackBerry to the Rescue? (FindLaw's Technologist Blog)