Barely a week after the launch of an all-new, make-or-break smartphone, BlackBerry is already looking at a future in which it is a leader in "mobile computing," Chief Executive Thorsten Heins says.
He says BlackBerry's aim is to reclaim its spot as an innovator in world where smartphones will have the processing power to replace tablets and laptops.
The company, which changed its name from Research In Motion when it launched the BlackBerry 10 smartphone last week, pioneered on-the-go email before losing ground to nimbler competitors. It's now out to explore new territory.
"This isn't just about smartphones and tablets," Heins, who took over as CEO just over a year ago, said in an interview at the time of the BlackBerry 10 launch.
"The architecture we have built is true mobile computing architecture. It's not a downgraded PC operating system. It is a whole new innovation built from scratch. It's built for mobile."
Despite a number of glowing reviews for the BB10 and reports of strong initial sales, some analysts and technology pundits are skeptical about BlackBerry's chances of mounting a comeback, doubting its ability to sell either enough smartphones or manage to transform the way people work.
"The Street cares about how many units of these (devices) they're going to sell and that is the balancing act," said John Jackson, an industry analyst at consulting firm IDC.
Jackson said he can see a future in which the BB10's new operating system will allow users to control a vast array of devices, but added: "They need to sell devices to keep the lights on while they transform themselves into a next-generation computing platform."
BlackBerry's marketing head, Frank Boulben, said the company is moving quickly enough to do just that.
"The vision is going to start to materialize this year," he said. "You will be able to plug the (Z10) device into a docking station at the office and then all you need is a keyboard, a mouse and a screen - combined with cloud services this would mean you don't need a laptop or a desktop."
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