Blackberry has found a lifeline. The release of their newest phone, the “Passport”, received mixed reviews from critics. The product release of the Passport ultimately rebranded Blackberry as a niche company that is strictly enterprise focused. Some say this “re-branding” has allowed Blackberry to competitively reposition themselves as a leader in a smaller share of the market. However, Blackberry’s new approach to tackling the phone industry is predicted to be short term.

Blackberry CEO, John Chen

If Blackberry is able to continue to position themselves as the industry leader in enterprise focused smart phones, I believe they will be able to control a large portion of the mobile-phone-enterprise market share for an extended period of time. It is crucial that they continue to focus on their points of difference rather than their points of parity. By focusing on their differentiating factors from other smartphones, Blackberry will be able maintain a competitive edge from competitors. Blackberry’s previous “melt-down” was the result of their inability to continue to innovate and remain assertive in their given market. Learning from their past mistakes, and managing expectations- acknowledging that they will own a larger portion of a smaller market- will allow Blackberry to rebrand their company  ultimately leading to growth.

Sources:

Silcoff, Sean. “Passport Sales Bode Well for BlackBerry, Analyst Says.” The Globe and Mail. 29

           Sept. 2014. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.