Blackberry hopes $200 smartphone will reverse EM slump
By Randy Fabi and Euan Rocha
FROM 40 PCT TO 4 PCT
Just two years ago, the Canadian firm had a 40 percent share of the Indonesian market, shipping more than 600,000 handsets per quarter in a country once known as "BlackBerry Nation".
But the launch of the premium, high-priced BlackBerry 10 last year failed to attract buyers in a country where nearly 40 percent of the population live on about $2 a day. The company's market share has slumped to just 4 percent, with shipments of around 100,000 devices per quarter, according to IDC.
Chen hopes that the Z3 and other devices to follow spark a change in the company's fortunes. The Z3 is being launched at a price point below $200 to address one of the big turnoffs for consumers in emerging markets – BlackBerry 10 devices being too pricey.
"From conception to delivery, the BlackBerry Z3 Jakarta Edition was designed specifically with out Indonesian customers in mind," Chen said in a statement before the launch. The device will allow users to type in Bahasa and come with a special set of BlackBerry Messenger, or BBM Stickers featuring local characters.
Later this year, BlackBerry will launch a new, non-touchscreen device dubbed the BlackBerry Classic in partnership with Foxconn. The handset will see a return of the command keys that include 'Menu,' 'Back,' 'Send' and 'End' buttons, along with a trackpad. BlackBerry hopes the move will address the concerns of those users who found their new devices hard to navigate.