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BlackBerry Priv

BlackBerry spent years trying to become make its in-house BlackBerry OS competitive with Android and iOS, but that venture seems to have failed. So last year, the visitor finally did what it should have washed long ago — it released an Android phone. The BlackBerry Priv was one of the virtually anticipated phones after months of leaks and rumors, but the device hasn't been a peachy success. AT&T has admitted that the Priv but isn't selling well and returns are higher than expected. So, what went wrong?

The Priv is unique in the Android ecosystem — it's a modern flagship phone with a physical QWERTY keyboard. That'south something BlackBerry bet big on. Hardware keyboards used to be a common feature, simply on-screen keyboards have improved dramatically, and consumers have adapted. In fact, with smarter autocorrect, predictions, emoji, and swipe input, I think on-screen keyboards are but faster than physical ones. That didn't stop a very song minority from practically begging BlackBerry to release a keyboarded Android telephone. It turns out those people were just more of a minority than anyone thought. Co-ordinate to AT&T, many Priv buyers were moving from other BlackBerry devices and the transition to Android was rough on them.

BlackBerry besides sought to bring its security know-how to impact Android, which has been the subject area of several loftier-profile flaws and exploits in contempo years. Blackberry implemented a number of features that businesses similar, including verified boot, BES12, and a hardened Linux kernel. However, it's non dramatically more secure than other Android devices, and that's not the kind of affair that will attract a lot of buyers anyway.

PrivKeyboard

An ongoing issue with the Priv is the software update situation, an essential function of device security. The unlocked Priv got the Marshmallow update well-nigh a month agone, a proficient five months subsequently it was concluding. Most major flagship devices got the update months before. However, we're talking about AT&T and its adventure with the Priv, right? Well, that version of the phone nonetheless doesn't have Marshmallow, considering information technology's up to the carrier to certify the update and gyre it out. Information technology'south hard to sell a telephone when it's running old software. BlackBerry doesn't accept the clout to push through software updates like more established Android OEMs.

Even when BlackBerry was still pushing BB Bone 10, AT&T was in that location to stock its phones. Now that the Android-running Priv is doing poorly, it might spell trouble for BlackBerry. AT&T recently passed on the HTC 10 after several years of mediocre sales for HTC's flagship. Blackberry could also observe itself with fewer carrier partners soon. BlackBerry priced the Priv at a completely unreasonable $700 at launch, so you really need carriers to sell the phone with monthly plans. AT&T too admits this made the phone difficult to sell.

BlackBerry is going to have some work to do if information technology wants its adjacent Android device to fare better. BlackBerry has thus far refused to annotate on Priv sales, but we asked just to brand sure. We're not expecting a reply.