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BlackBerry executive won't mention the Apple iPhone

posted by Alan F. / Feb 01, 2013, 10:31 AM

BlackBerry executive won't mention the Apple iPhone

BlackBerry executives are getting plenty of media exposure as everyone wants to talk to them about the new BlackBerry 10 OS and the BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 handsets. On Wednesday, over in the U.K. on the show 5 Live Breakfast, BlackBerry's U.K. Managing Director Stephen Bates was asked what his company had learned from the Apple iPhone.

Steve Jobs had the media eating out of his hand

Bates could have said that he'd rather not answer the question, or that he had nothing to say about the topic. Instead, he fumbled his way through a response that must have been programmed into his head by the BlackBerry PR team. But it came out all wrong. For example, the BBC interviewer asks the executive, "What have you learned from the iPhone?" Bates response? "So, so, the key focus around BlackBerry 10 that we’ve really driven to is to deliver a new unique user experience."

You can listen to the audio below. We really can't understand the reason for Mr. Bates' reaction to what is really a rather simple question. We have seen the new management team at BlackBerry go to great lengths to cut ties with the past, so we wonder about this reaction to the Apple iPhone. And Bates' tap dancing around the question has been spread throughout the media. Now is the time for the world to see a poised, focused BlackBerry as has been personified by CEO Thorsten Heins. It is time for Heins to put a positive spin on this. It is the sort of task that Steve Jobs would do countless times when Apple faced a public relations problem. The difference is that Jobs became a living legend who had the media eating out of his hand. It might be asking too much for Heins to pull a rabbit out of his hat.

source: VentureBeat via IntoMobile

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58 Comments

1. PhoneArenaUser

Posts: 5498; Member since: Aug 05, 2011

OWNED! :D

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 10:35 AM 2

30. AamirSIII

Posts: 187; Member since: Oct 04, 2012

this is insane! why should he answer? why is it that everyone thinks iPhone as the LEARNING benchmark? what INNOVATION has iPhone brought to the smartphone market all around the world other than making "ONE OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE AND STUPID PHONE A FASHION FIGURE"???

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 12:12 PM 5

36. notor unregistered

Poor Chap you are, one who does not accepts facts.

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 1:20 PM 0

48. jiezel91

Posts: 67; Member since: Jul 28, 2011

Actually dude, as much as we hate Apple for their arrogance, they certainly deserve credit. I'm talking about how they demonstrated to the other companies how to launch a product successfully. I mean, there is a reason why a company could be wildly successful in a water that it has never sailed before and that is to make the user experience great. Apple nailed the user experience right when they launched the original iPhone back in 2007. In comparison, Nokia's Symbian phones lost the smartphone game because Nokia never bothered to make the user experience of Symbian-based handsets great. Yes, we all know that Nokia's Symbian-based phones are home to the key hardware innovations in the past decade. But then, Nokia never bothered to improve the software side of things. They are more on hardware and complement it with problematic software which spoils the user experience. At least give credits where it's due.

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 4:34 PM 1

2. centurion

Posts: 25; Member since: Jan 28, 2013

who care about the apple phone

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 10:51 AM 26

3. sithvenger

Posts: 371; Member since: Aug 25, 2012

Millions other than u

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 10:55 AM 9

31. rusticguy

Posts: 2828; Member since: Aug 11, 2012

Mr bates doesn't and that mattered the most as of now :D

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 12:41 PM 4

7. InspectorGadget80 unregistered

yes he wants to talk bout BB not the dumb fruit

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 11:01 AM 20

4. wildcard

Posts: 65; Member since: Jan 15, 2013

he is talking on their phone an not about the icrap phone an mistake the icrap is trash wiz a lot of bugs in there hands

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 10:57 AM 21

5. Ninetysix

Posts: 2965; Member since: Oct 08, 2012

In English please.

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 11:00 AM 3

9. wildcard

Posts: 65; Member since: Jan 15, 2013

look in to a mirror an look at your self an then say lm a smuck

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 11:07 AM 13

22. CorianU

Posts: 27; Member since: Jan 22, 2013

and* is the correct spelling of that word

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 11:45 AM 3

6. InspectorGadget80 unregistered

right. so gives a damn bout apple. this guy is such a idiot and he doesn't want to answer to him. HE WANTS TO TELL HIM BOUT BLACK BERRY. NOT talk bout THE DUMB FRUIT. this guy is such a idiot and he call himself a journalist keeps interrupting him. STFU BOUT THE IPHONE and let the guy talk

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 11:00 AM 9

8. dman999

Posts: 1; Member since: Feb 01, 2013

That was awesome, Reporter is a typical id10t reporter who wants to guide the conversation to apple. well done

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 11:04 AM 8

47. InspectorGadget80 unregistered

he's a a$$ hole. this guy is trying to promote there phone NO OTHER PHONE.

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 4:27 PM 1

10. Cha7520

Posts: 222; Member since: Oct 31, 2010

WOW.....so basically the Blackberry is just a copy of iphone/android OS, design, interface, etc. How is Blackberry different from the iphone and Android? umm....ummm.....ummmmmmm

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 11:08 AM 11

11. cripton805

Posts: 1485; Member since: Mar 18, 2012

You dummies. The reason he didnt answer that question is because it would be clear evidence for a lawsuit. What better evidence than him saying he took something from the iPhone. Even if it WERE true. This question would also be giving the iPhone positive remarks during a mothercrackin Blackberry Interview... For GODS sake. Not everyone compares themselves to Apple or the iPhone. Its a different product for the Sake. Damn!!! You people amaze me sometimes....

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 11:14 AM 13

12. Ninetysix

Posts: 2965; Member since: Oct 08, 2012

Well Google learned from Apple/iPhone. Look at their very first android phone and you'll see that it's a blackberry clone. They then changed the the design to look more like the iPhone. http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/android-prototype-from-2006-is-first-google-phone-50007757/ http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/mobile-phones/t-mobile-g1-review-49299060/

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 11:21 AM 2

15. cripton805

Posts: 1485; Member since: Mar 18, 2012

You do know there were touchscreen rectangular phones before the iPhone right? Did the iPhone copy them too? (sarcastically rolls eyes)

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 11:34 AM 6

16. cripton805

Posts: 1485; Member since: Mar 18, 2012

Also, why is this a Blackberry copy? Could be a Palm or early Samsung too. Even Kyocera had that similar design early in the game. Heck the design could have come from Samsung! Just showing how closed minded you really are.

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 11:38 AM 6

26. Ninetysix

Posts: 2965; Member since: Oct 08, 2012

Once you click my google link. You can go ahead and express your rage to those close minded tech sites that reported that it's a blackberry clone. Enjoy.

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 11:52 AM 2

18. Ninetysix

Posts: 2965; Member since: Oct 08, 2012

Sure. Name one that was a huge success and changed the smartphone industry. http://lmgtfy.com/?q=first+google+phone+blackberry+clone

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 11:42 AM 1

21. cripton805

Posts: 1485; Member since: Mar 18, 2012

So because it was a success it makes it a copy? Wow. Mind blown. I never knew it worked that way...

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 11:44 AM 4

28. gwuhua1984

Posts: 1237; Member since: Mar 06, 2012

You do know that prototype was only one of the prototypes that Google had in mind right? That prototype you mentioned was the only one Apple chosen to use to attack.

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 11:57 AM 3

54. jroc74

Posts: 6023; Member since: Dec 30, 2010

I take it he's never seen this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FJHYqE0RDg Look at the whole clip, but pay attention to 3:05 and forward....thats an all touch sreen phone with a track ball. He must also dont realize that Android had dev phones that looked like BB clones...in 2010: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0STvlyCxog At 6:48...it shows its running Android... Uh....Ninteysix....that BB clone you were so proud to show....would be a dev phone....it does say prototype. Android was thinking about both a BB like and all touch screen phone.

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 7:22 PM 0

13. VLaRueC

Posts: 189; Member since: Dec 18, 2012

At the beginning of the interview, I was miffed that he couldn't answer the questions about the iPhone. However, towards the middle, I began to realize the brilliance of dancing around the question. Towards the end of the interview, it was clear that the interviewer wasn't interested in Blackberry 10 but was more interested in comparing it to the iPhone. Nothing like trying to bring a touch of "sour" to such a sweet event for the Canadian manufacturer. I hope the hire-ups continue this trend of ignoring the iPhone because it simply makes the interviewers look foolish. What's wrong with wanting to enter the market on your own terms? Oh...you can't be Blackberry 10 unless you list all the things you learned from IOS 5 and 6. Since, you know, everyone is just copying off each other...

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 11:22 AM 5

17. dorianb

Posts: 617; Member since: Oct 24, 2012

I like how he had tunnel vision to the question. "I'm here to push my product." Maybe it would of been funny if he answered, "Everything we learned we learned from SAMSUNG!!!"

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 11:40 AM 6

24. XPERIA-KNIGHT unregistered

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL.............smh well copying would be "one" thing to learn if we do learn anything from samsung! :)

posted on Feb 01, 2013, 11:49 AM 5

33. rusticguy

Posts: 2828; Member since: Aug 11, 2012

Foxabt was torn down the moment it landed with the defected pilot. Why was it torn down ? to see, research and copy of course ... once everything was learned/researched it was sent in dismantled condition to russia ... moral of the story... everyone copies :)