Reuters is reporting that Blackberry may be considering shipping new devices with Android after it has become apparent that the Blackberry 10 range was not enough to claw the company back from the brink. This news comes from four sources they have been in contact with over the sudden change in direction.
The four sources, who requested that they not be named as they do not have authorization to discuss the matter publicly, claimed that the move to Android is part of a new strategy BlackBerry is using to change their focus on software and device management. It is not hard to imagine that this will either bring about an end to the Blackberry 10 line of devices or see the beginnings of a new line of Android devices to run along side it. This is expected to begin with a phone featuring a sliding keyboard as was seen briefly at Mobile World Congress earlier this year.
“We don’t comment on rumors and speculation, but we remain committed to the BlackBerry 10 operating system, which provides security and productivity benefits that are unmatched,” – Blackberry
Two of the aforementioned sources stated that the introduction of Android to Blackberry devices would make an excellent point regarding managing and securing multiple operating systems through the new Blackberry enterprise Service 12 (BES12). Regardless of their plans for possible future OS, Blackberry will have to make a pretty impressive turnaround if they still expect to be around in a few years time. The company that once housed 17,500 people was down to just 6,225 at the beginning of 2015 and has made further cuts since. It’s not hard to see why, as their user base has dropped from a reported 80 million to just 37 million in just a few years.
Blackberry share prices since their peak in 2011
It would certainly be interesting to see if this move will rescue the fallen company and how an OEM known for producing unaesthetic devices with an unpopular OS would fare in the incredibly fragmented and versatile world of Android. Even if an Android Blackberry does not prove to be popular, my guess would be that it will still outsell most of the recent devices made by BlackBerry, and that can only be a good thing.
Would you buy a Blackberry device running Android? Leave a comment below!
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