[LINK] "Android-powered Priv phone is a make-or-break venture for BlackBerry, CEO says"

[rfmcdonald]

The Toronto Star's Michael Lewis reports on how Blackberry may yet be nearing the end of its career as a manufacturer.

Smartphone pioneer BlackBerry Ltd. could leave the physical smartphone business if it fails to turn a profit in a year, to focus solely on selling secure software across mobile platforms, chief executive John Chen suggested Thursday.

While showcasing BlackBerry’s next-generation handset, the Android-powered Priv, Chen told the Code Mobile conference in California that the company’s hardware operation is in a make-or-break phase. He said the business needs to turn a profit next year: “Otherwise, I have to think twice about what I do there,” tech news website Re/code reported.

A “business case” would determine whether BlackBerry continues to make devices, Chen said, even as he expressed confidence the high-end Priv can succeed.

“Android in the enterprise is a very underserved space. With our connections, our accounts, our security know-how, this has expanded our market. The market wants privacy and security and they also want apps.”

BlackBerry, which launched its first two-way pager in 1999, has seen its once-dominant share of the mobile handset market evaporate amid competition from Apple, Samsung and a host of other equipment makers.