Android unable to revive BlackBerry

We open to a black and white shot of an ancient manor. Lightning crackles overhead, illuminating an elaborate lightning rod affixed to the highest spire of the highest tower. Cut to interior as the thunder rumbles. Bottles, beakers, and electrodes litter every surface of the ramshackle lab. Strapped to a table is the stitched-together and unmoving corpse of BlackBerry. Lightning strikes, and the body jolts and shudders from the electricity. “Live!” cries Android. “Live, damn you!”

But BlackBerry doesn’t budge. In fact, it sells only 600,000 phones Q4 of 2015, which is far from Wall Street’s prediction of 850,000. As it stands, things don’t look good for Canadian company.

When BlackBerry announced that they would be joining the Android ecosystem with the Priv, there was much celebration among fans. The physical keyboard was an alluring feature for many, and the increased security the device boasted was icing on the cake. Unfortunately, Priv might have been something of a misstep, and it might just be the end of BlackBerry.

When the Priv was in development, a high-end Android smartphone probably seemed like an excellent idea. However, 2016 has proven to be a brutal year for the premium smartphone market. The bottom line is that it’s oversaturated, and to make matters worse, since entering the Android ecosystem, the $700 Priv is now competing with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the LG G5, both of which are notably cheaper and provide a similar experience. Plus these brands have the benefit of name recognition within the market.

BlackBerry’s CEO John Chen is adamant that “The path to profitability looks reasonable,” but the fact of the matter is that BlackBerry needs to sell 3 million Privs just to be profitable on the device, and some experts are saying that this quarter will determine whether or not the company is able to remain in the hardware game.

What are your thoughts regarding BlackBerry and it’s foray into the Android ecosystem with Priv? Will the device be the savior the company so desperately needs, or is it too little too late? Let us know your predictions in the comments below!