Faltering smartphone market share is a big concern for BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ: BBRY)’s CEO, John Chen, who in an interview with CNBC said something is in the works that could help offset long-running concerns. The hardware business has been the biggest undoing for BlackBerry in its push to regain its past glory, having been bashed by the likes of Android and iOS devices that control the biggest share of the smartphone space. The Canadian based company is also looking to partner other companies on its security business, with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) at the head of the pack.
BlackBerry has seen its attempt to rejuvenate its smartphone business come under immense pressure from consumers shifting to other products offered by its competitors. However, Chen believes that a focus on security, as well as privacy with devices on offer should help kick-start the business. Creating the next cool phone is the biggest agenda according to the CEO.
Blackberry focuses on productivity
“We are going to focus a lot on security privacy about productivity, battery last longer and the keyboard and all that stuff. It’s really about creating the next cool phone, it will evolve and then there is an opportunity to regain market share,” said Mr. Chen.
The enterprise segment is one of the areas that the company has been able to attain substantial growth that has somehow helped to offset some of the weaknesses in the hardware business. The company now has its eyes fixated on developing the next generation of apps specifically targeting the healthcare space, as well as the internet of things.
“We focus a lot on the enterprise apps. [..] I think there is a new generation of apps coming that’s an important thing, you don’t want to just play in the old game you want to kind of get ahead, and we are working on that,” said Mr. Chen.
Blackberry may partner with Apple
The software business has remained the most active segment in the recent years, with the CEO, affirming that they are more than ready to partner with other companies to make their solutions available to more people. A deal with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) on the security aspect of iPhones and other devices should be big for BlackBerry having already seen its security solution employed by key security installations.
BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) has already announced plans to make its software solutions available on other platforms notably Android Windows and iOS as the company moves to scale its software business.
