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The BlackBerry Priv is expanding to new regions, but is it enough?
Today, on their official blog, BlackBerry announced that they would be expanding the Priv’s current domain – which is currently available in the US, Canada, the UK, and Germany – to include Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands. However, is this enough of an expansion to turn the Priv into the rockstar success Blackberry so desperately wants it to be?
Clearly expanding the Priv’s market looks like a very good move for BlackBerry. The former mobile tech titan isn’t what it used to be, and gone are the days when its products were synonymous serious smartphone users with business to take care of. Many analysts cite BlackBerry’s tumble from the throne as being caused by the company’s inability to scrape together a lush enough app store. The diverse array of apps, games, and services brought to the Android market by the Google Play Store and to the iOS via the Apple App Store squeezed BlackBerry out, and the company was forced to make some serious restructuring moves to stay alive.
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In the fourth quarter of 2015, the BlackBerry Priv arrived with far less fanfare than one might expect from a device that may, as some believe, make or break the company. Those who want to see physical keyboards and BlackBerry ideology return as major elements in the mobile world are hoping that the Priv does well, but so far its market performance has only been decent – not the runaway, blowout success that many would prefer. Whether this has to do with marketing, regional limitations, or other factors is yet to be determined.
Now with CES 2016 in full swing, the BlackBerry Priv runs the risk of sliding out of the back of buyers’ imaginations in favor of all the newer devices on display. Many were hoping that BlackBerry would announce a second device running Android at the event, but so far any such news has yet to surface.
What do you think of BlackBerry’s current situation and its reliance on the Priv? Is the Priv’s release being handled well, and will this expanse to new regions help bolster flagging sales? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!