BlackBerry has taken a bit of a beating this year with the company's latest smartphones under performing in sales. However, BlackBerry's interim chief executive is fighting back against the critics who say the smatphone maker is on its last leg by assuring them that he isn't "focused on who BlackBerry used to be - I'm focused on what BlackBerry will be today and in the future."
John Chen replaced former BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins after his ouster in November. The company has been suffering from huge subscriber losses over the course of the past year as well as some executive turmoil and widespread layoffs for months. Many consumers believe the brand is no longer a viable option to place their business in for the future, according to the L.A. Times.
Despite the set backs, Chen, 58, said that BlackBerry is still financially strong and well-positioned for a long-term run, according to an Op-Ed published to CNBC.
"Today, our company is strong financially, technologically savvy and is well-positioned for the future. In less than two months, my team and I have engineered a new strategy to stabilize the company, return to our core strength in enterprise and security, and maximize efficiencies," he said in the Op-Ed titled "BlackBerry: The way forward."
"It's been easy for competitors to promote negative stories about BlackBerry, focusing on the business of the past," he said. "When it comes to enterprise, we're still the leader. Don't be fooled by the competition's rhetoric claiming to be more secure or having more experience than BlackBerry."
"When it comes to enterprise, we're still the leader. Don't be fooled by the competition's rhetoric claiming to be more secure or having more experience than BlackBerry," he continued. "With a global enterprise customer base exceeding 80,000, we have three times the number of customers compared to Good, AirWatch and MobileIron combined. This makes BlackBerry the leader in mobile-device management."
Tell us what you think. Do you see BlackBerry's plans to get into the software game and keep its smartphone brand alive as a viable option at this point for the company? Comment and share your thoughts on the future of BlackBerry with us below.
