I have been watching your downfall for global marketshare of the smartphone and tablet market and must say that there needs to be some changes. Your company has to step outside of its comfort zone and say "Hey maybe its time to drop the Blackberry Bold". Lets face it You've been coming out with the same phone for years and although you may think that because we once loved that phone and it was a well respected phone that you should continue to keep it in your product lineup but times change. That's why I am here to provide you with some useful knowledge. Blackberry has lost its flare. People have seen that there are better phones with more capabilities. In a market that is pretty much run by the iOS and Android its going to be hard to gain some traction again in the smartphone business that's why when you as a company come out with your next product you should consider these suggestions.
- Quality is key: This is what apple has figured out and that is why their iphone has been so successful. This refers to the materials used to make your products. No more of the cheap plastic. Instead try something along the lines of aluminum. Something sturdy enough so your phone doesn't feel cheap. If you want your company to be taken seriously and your products you have to make the user feel like they are receiving a high-end product.
- Smooth User Experience: This is one of the most crucial parts of a product that could make or break a sale. You need to provide your users with a smooth and easy to use UI. People hate lag! If any lag is found on your device guess what you will be under fire by bloggers, people reviewing your product on Youtube, and sites such as CNET and Engadget which spend a lot of their time finding anything wrong with your product and yes people do listen and that will also determine whether or not your product is a success. Engage your users, think to yourselves "how can I make this UI interesting enough so my users will want to use it and keep coming back to it?".
- Sexy Sells!: I hate to say it but yes this is true! People want want want sexy! I can't emphasize this enough. The reason is. We live in a world that is influenced a lot by the media. People follow trends and it is a big part of their lives. They look up to celebrities, whether its musicians or actors or athletes and try to play sports like them or rap like them or wear the same clothes as them. The Point is the media is a big influence on the sale of your device. Adults and kids want the hottest device. Why? Its because they wan't to show off to their friends that they have the hottest device on the market or just have the satisfaction of knowing that they own the best device that they can own at the moment. Hype and anticipation is great for sales as long as you deliver a quality device that's also appealing to the eye.
- Advertising: Think simple and clear messages. Emphasize the key features of your product and the design of it. You have a limited time to engage a user into paying attention to your device. Whether they are driving by your billboard or staring at the tv for those 30 seconds of your commercial. Engage them! Leave them wanting more. Wanting to grab their computers and look up your product on the internet. Then when they get to your site keep it clean with big clear messages. Don't and I repeat don't overwhelm them with information! Keep it simple and to the point. Then provide a simple way to purchase your product. Give them really easy access to purchase your device. The less steps they have to go through to purchase your item the happier the customer will be. You don't want them to be struggling to and getting frustrated as they are about to make a purchase.
- Apps: One of the hottest selling points of a device these days are a platform's apps. Since the competition is already far ahead on this market strategy your company has to focus on building some good quality apps yourself. Applications that are useful and enrich the user experience. When a user see's that an application is made by your company they should be able to assume that it is a quality application that works properly and is well built. Offer them for free please, this will show users you care about them and want to give their devices everything you can do make them as valuable to them as possible. Then I would also suggest hiring some good developers and creating new apps. Be innovative! Yes you could offer Pandora or Angry Birds but all the other platforms already have that. Try to focus on coming up with some new ideas and really deliver. Make people want to come to your platform because of the awesome apps you have to offer but remember you also need an excellent phone that will have enough power to run those apps no problem. With that idea comes this. Make sure that you have an easy to work with SDK. Attracting developers should be a big goal for your product to actually succeed. Have well written documentation that is easy to read and easy to access. Provide developers with helpful support when developing apps for your platform and give them the proper tools to make it happen. The easier it is to create apps for your platform the more they will want to create.
- Hardware: One of the biggest reasons people may look away from a product almost immediately are the specs. Don't take a step back in a world that is moving forward. Look at the market right now. There are phones with dual core processors and 8 mp cameras. If someone releases a phone with a single core processor and a 5 mp camera then it usually goes under some criticism. Observe at what level the market is at and be up to par with that at least if not go to an even higher level. At the same time though consider this specs are great and everything but that doesn't mean anything unless the software is equally as good. Both hardware and software have to work perfectly together and give the user the best experience possible.
- Test, Test, and Test Again!: Before you have a device ready for production make sure you have tested it thoroughly. Sure your device may seem perfect new in the box but consider the stress it will take from a user. Consider what type of uses someone might have for it, what they might try to do with it, explore the possibilities of the use of your device. Test within all audiences and listen to the people Listen to what they want! They are your biggest user base so listen and execute. This is very important. They are only trying to help you improve your product. That is why I'm writing this email. I am only trying to help. I may just be one person but my voice speaks for many. I am among the many who live in this smartphone/tablet era and I see the way we have evolved. Every voice should matter and be taken into account. So make sure you listen to your users and your investors and your fans. Broaden your scope. Then deliver. Make sure your hardware is solid and that your software is not buggy.
What you need to take away from all this is that when you design your next product before you release your next device is that people want a good well-built device that is sexy and runs smooth with the addition of good battery life! I forgot to mention that battery life is also very important. Take a look at the HTC Thunderbolt for example how people were experiencing a lot of battery life issues. Also with much respect to the physical keyboard don't be afraid to fully commit to the virtual keyboard. Touch screen devices are in. Please shift your thinking away from Blackberry Bold and start from scratch. Really consider the current state of smartphones and design a totally new device to get us excited about Blackberry again. Search the internet for inspiration if you need help. It okay to look outside your corporate walls for inspiration. You have plenty of dedicated fans that go out of their way to design their ideal phones in hope that somebody out there is watching and listening. Heres a concept of a Blackberry phone that I phone created by a fan on the internet http://www.concept-phones.com/cool-concepts/2012-blackberry-concept-features-wraparound-display/ . Sure its just a concept but it thinks outside the box. Here's another as you would say "Dream Phone" that is more realistic and should consider in terms of design http://www.concept-phones.com/cool-concepts/blackberry-10-phone-london-mockup-appears-officially/. Those are just ideas on what a phone to bring some excitement to the people would look like but the decision is ultimately up to you. I just hope that you take all these things into consideration and build towards a better future. I thank you for your time and wish you the best.
Sincerely,
Caring Consumer
