BlackBerry to focus on software _ not devices [View all]
Source: AP-Excite
By ROB GILLIES
TORONTO (AP) - BlackBerry lovers left could be in for some bad news.
The device that was so addictive that it was dubbed the "CrackBerry" might not have much of a future: Its new chairman and interim chief executive says he wants to emphasize software and services - not devices. That could mean the company might ultimately get out of the business of selling smartphones.
The possible change in strategy comes as Fairfax Financial, BlackBerry's largest shareholder with a 10 percent stake, said Monday it won't buy the struggling smartphone company and take it private. It said that instead Fairfax and other investors will inject $1 billion as part of a revised investment proposal.
CEO Thorsten Heins is stepping down and John Chen was appointed chairman of BlackBerry's board of directors and interim CEO. Chen, the former CEO of software data company Sybase, told The Associated Press on Monday that BlackBerry employees need to start thinking differently about the company and accept that "we're really not in phones but we're in phones for software, for services."
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In this Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, file photo, Thorsten Heins, CEO of Research in Motion, which is changing its name to BlackBerry, is seen in Toronto on a video link from New York as he introduces the BlackBerry Z10. As of Monday, Nov. 4, 2013, CEO Thorsten Heins is stepping down and John Chen was appointed chairman of BlackBerry's board of directors and interim CEO. AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)
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