Boston, MA 09/26/2014 (wallstreetpr) – The new launch of a “phablet,” called Passport by BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) seems like a tale of revival, but did the company succeed? Passport is designed more like a boxy device and the name seeks inspiration from the company’s ideology to market it as a “universal symbol of mobility.” BlackBerry defined Passport as the 4.5-inch square phablets, which has better resolution in comparison to the iPhone 6 Plus of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). Touting it in response to iPhone 6 Plus is a risk big enough for a company that is trying to come-back. To top it up, the reviews of Wall Street Journal opine that it might have trouble in creating “that” impression.
Feature-by-Feature Competition
Passport, released by BlackBerry recently, is trying to compete with iPhone 6 Plus feature by feature. BlackBerry claims that its phone has the “largest battery” in the peer of best-selling smartphones- 30 hours of battery life with mixed use. Also, for BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) fans that remained shell-shocked to see disappeared keyboard in Z10, Passport will make it up for that flaw as well.
The Square Shape to Infuse Freshness
The company CEO and Chairman, John Chen, in terms of the square design, said that this device is created to break the line of rectangular screens and all-touch devices. He adds that the device will help in driving productivity.
But, an analyst at Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C), Ehud Gelblum, says that the square shape will make store for the Android app that will be accessible through Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN). Almost all the apps are designed for the elongated screens these days, which mean that they will need re-designing. He was also a critic of BlackBerry’s price options.
What Analysts Believe?
BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) is offering Passport at a price of $200 exclusively for six days only. This will be available via Amazon in the U.S. and TELUS Corporation (USA) (NYSE:TU) in Canada, with 2-year contract. Thereafter, the price will increase to $250, i.e., from October 1, 2014.
Brian Modoff, a Deutsche Bank AG (USA) (NYSE:DB) analyst, remains sceptical of the BlackBerry comeback with this device. In this context, he says that it might be challenging for Passport to bring the company back.
Given the cynicism that surrounds Passport and BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY)’s revival, it is better left to time to check what will happen next.
