As time ticks on, there are many young smartphone users who draw a blank whenever Blackberry is mentioned. Apple and Android phones have dominated the cellular market, and the once-ubiquitous Blackberry is seemingly slipping into oblivion. When shopping for a new smartphone, the outdated devices are barely given a second thought. This is all news to Blackberry COO Marty Beard.
Beard sees a bright future for Blackberry. He sees Blackberry’s less-than-ideal position in the smartphone world as something of an advantage. Beard reasoned that at where Blackberry stands, the only direction the company can go is up. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Beard said, “I’m very competitive, so I love that challenge. I think that we’re going to prove a lot of people wrong.”
His goal for the company is to meet operation goals, ultimately resulting in a positive cash flow. While this isn’t exactly novel thinking, it is an issue that needs immediate attention. The company’s revenue fell by a whopping 69 percent to $966 million. Yet expectations are high for this coming fall. Beard explained that Blackberry has a slew of new devices and softwares set to launch, and that they expect the new products to have a big impact on sales.
Beard cited operational efficiency as the key component to turn Blackberry’s future around. He explained that it will be all about finding the balance between tightening the ropes while still managing to stay flexible enough to roll with any future punches that may come their way. As Beard stated, “Our goal is to be as efficient as possible.”
Image Credit: via flickr/Kārlis Dambrāns
