BlackBerry Chief Admits Release of New Phones in U.S. Was Flawed

OTTAWA — Thorsten Heins, the president and chief executive of BlackBerry, acknowledged on Tuesday that the company’s new line of phones, which he originally promoted as something that would revive its flagging brand, had a flawed release in the United States. 

But Mr. Heins, speaking at the company’s annual meeting, told investors BlackBerry just needed more time for a turnaround — and he again sought their patience.

Not everyone was biting. One shareholder, referring to one of the new phones, the BlackBerry Z10, told Mr. Heins: “My sense is that the rollout of the Z10 was a disaster.”

“Were we perfect at the launch?” Mr. Heins responded. “Probably not. Was it a disaster? I don’t think so.”

After more than two years of development, the new phones and their new operating system were supposed to give BlackBerry smartphones capabilities similar to those of phones made by Apple and Samsung, the dominant forces in the market.

But hopes have vanished that the new phones would swiftly increase market share in the United States — now just 0.9 percent, according to a survey from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. Continue Reading...