Open letter to BlackBerry CEO John Chen

Update: If you want to sign this letter, send an email to ben.witt@bb10qnx.de and we will set your fullname and email under this letter.

German version.

Hello John,

these are actually just thoughts and not necessarily real, but just imagine that it is true or possibly would be true.

At such dark days, when browsing on numerous blogs on that topic, sometimes it occurs to me to think about your employees and customers. Then I begin to ponder about why this company isn´t running smoothly for years and somehow not even want so. I could even imagine a very bad mood, because the company is known for doing everything possible for the success of the equipment division and the brand.

There are some points to mention that I have written down on a single page for you. Sometimes something falls under the table in such a large company and that might wouldn´t be benefical in these days.

• The discontinuation of the BlackBerry Z10 without a successor. This is a defiance of God-given equal anatomy and your colleague Steve, may God have mercy on his soul, had understood this.
• The more or less secret discontinuation of the BlackBerry Z30, which slows down the purchase of satisfactory quality.
  Too bad that the successor, we also had to wait for, has gaps in hardware, optics and features and couldn´t be as good as its predecessor.
• The discontinuation of the BlackBerry Q10 ran well and as planned on date, rare but true. But the introduction of the successor was a little bit delayed.
• Indeed in the intervening time you have offered an alternative. By the unconventional Rittersport form factor you could earn honor and glory. By the way why is it so much cheaper in the online shop right now?
• Your are great in making an incredible secret about the product line and their progress. This also done by numerous unpaid international bloggers + leaker, so-called advertising volunteers.
• Oh and by the way, those are mentioned, who want to or could build a sales strategy, but just able to offer their customers and other interested parties nothing but rumors.

And don´t forget the customers who want(ed) to buy something. I´ve forgotten them in this points, my fault.

They have to experience from BlackBerry partners and reseller, that the devices, which they wanted to order, aren´t available. So they have to wait for months, set new projects or cancel the whole project.

But BlackBerry still has a blessing in disguise, because there is still the 1% Gartner minority, who is related to the products they buy and keep BlackBerry alive.

What is the reason for such ethnicities to act like this?

Perhaps because

• the product quality and philosophy are going over big
• a certain security concept prevails
• OS/10 has an excellent usability with an Android emulator on top.

What would the customers, and we are included, wish rather than what is offered?

Regarding to this point you are already saving money: The blogger and leaker even assume the customer surveys in addition to advertising and providing information. Stuff like this come across:

• Reliable information that BlackBerry stands for the product OS/10 and not announce Android instead. A simple e-mail doesn´t matter in this case.
• We would also really like to know which product at what date is officially available. And soon enough in order to plan. And not getting the information from any interview with you.
• We, for the most part we’re business customers, would like to plan our future financially and strategically. This is our investment protection and it´s clearly in our focus. We are also more like the proactive type, if you are still familiar with this term.
• Especially we would be happy about devices with daily updated hardware, clearly defined availability and sources and hardware and software prices.
• We want a RIM, who figures their customes as their partners for a common future.
• We don´t want RIM to be a subdivision of Samsung or something in which a worm could be inside. And we are not talking about fruits.
• We want mainstay and honesty, and no rumors circulating in the press.
• We don´t want an Android Slider, a 1% minority is worth to be protected.
• We want faster innovation and release cycles. No outdated hardware like Leap and Classic, no adventurous form factors.

How would the world might look like after an Android implementation and the Big Bang?

• Android with a OS/10 UI?
• Kernel extensions so that MDM is possible?
• Dual boot? On the one hand is explained BlackBerry stands up for OS/10 and on the other Android is introduced. Parallel existence? Or what about?
• The device resources (CPU and RAM) are not enough for Android. Performance? Why all the advantages, that we have now, gamble instead of standing up for this?

Probability and risk assessment
is indeed such a point. What should be still known in professional management, right?

I’m just a simple man with the effort to put one and one together. I have a sense of foreboding.

99% percent of people indulging in Android and iOS. How many percentage points of this market could BlackBerry get by Android-introduction?

1% are loyal OS/10 customers. If they would be on Android, how many of them would stay with BlackBerry hardware?

I think that this doesn´t work out. I think BlackBerry could be great again when it finally succeeded to take the stigma of the brand, generate a hype and become really great to be teenie- and business man compliant. Mud has to stick.

No! It´s not only guaranteed by factors such as

• seriousness
• innovation
• unity and solidarity
• proximity to customers
• reliability
• predictability
• openness

To achieve this, we recommend the tried and true panacea such as:

• Strange interviews with seemingly witty punch lines to give non-binding and shadowy announcements at the most inopportune times
• Fire committed and critical employees
• Leave customers and prospects in the dark about everything
• Announce partnerships and build them up, but ultimately perish and manage to do nothing
• Represent 20 different license models per year, so it´s guaranteed that everyone knows about the current model
• Free bad press because positive marketing can not be a model of success and it would cost money
• Give the customer the feeling that he is on holiday at the speedway. It´s easy: an ongoing zigzag course of management will do it. Take a look on Petronas.
• Current certificates signed by the old CEOs.

John, I’m sorry that might offend you with my words. But I think we have arrived at a point where you have to take a new way.

Sincerely and best regards

1. Ben Witt,
   BB10QNX.de, BBLogs.info
   ben.witt[at]bb10qnx.de
2. Claus Börschig
   clabo[at]bb10qnx.de
3. Stephan Köster
   BB10QNX.de, BBLogs.info, BBQ.pm
   stephan.koester[at]bb10qnx.de
4. Uwe Heyken
   BlackBerryNorge.mobi
   uwe[at]blackberrynorge.mobi
5. Kristina Heyken
   BlackBerryNorge.mobi
   kristina[at]blackberrynorge.mobi
6. Dilshad Hussain
   BlackBerryNorge.mobi
   dilshad[at]blackberrynorge.mobi
7. Thomas Pichler
8. Peter Viefhues
9. Sebastian Dücker
10. Jörg Schlechter
11. Andreas Grzywacz
12. Franz Finkenzeller
13. Michael Schuppe‎
14. Jörn Graf
15. Christoph Fondermann
16. Peter Schuller
    http://pzzz.de
17. Michael Glaser
18. Heiko Schauseil
19. Andreas Paszt
20. ‎Artem Goncharov
21. Mike Strauss
22. Mario Laemmerhirt
23. Uwe Haste
24. Britta Kückelmann-Hoffmann
25. Christian Radke
26. Ralf Dörner
27. Rico Mißbach
28. Walter Stenzel
29. Wolfgang Meyer
30. ‎Frank Rolf Herrmann
31. Christian Kutsche
32. ‎Tim Tuechsen
33. Thomas Fritsch
34. ‎Daniel Lein
35. Raffaele Carbone
36. Dirk Schöneweiß
37. Werner Spindre
38. ‎Marco Lonsdorfer
39. Florian Janko
40. Falk Scherber
41. René Bernhardt
42. Birgit Nakielski
43. Steffen Ohrtmann-Hofmeister
44. Christoph Brüning
45. Peter Fuchs
46. ‎Steffen Dieterichs
47. Holger Enzmann
48. Christine Tuche-Markhoff
49. Lars Wiener
50. Karin Pichler
51. Matthias Milke
    bbsc-deutschland.de
52. Sven Bergmann
    bbsc-deutschland.de
53. Christine Dick
    bbsc-deutschland.de
54. Nico Wegener
    bbsc-deutschland.de
55. Pascal Schröder
    bbsc-deutschland.de
56. Stephan Kraft
57. Rainer Gollmitzer
58. Jens Benninghoff
59. Talib Hussain
    BlackBerryNorge.mobi 
60. Danilo Langnickel
61. Christian Attina
62. Juergen Hemmer
63. Marc Bülow
64. Ralf Beeke
65. Rene Hajek
66. Marco Improda
67. Winfried Apel
68. Sebastián Katzer
69. Markus Zimmermann
70. Martin Groß
    www.tlm-okgera.de