According to the data provided by Android Authority from Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Google’s Play Store, the Priv sales have reached an approximate figure of between 10,000 and 50,000 units since its launch. This was determined by the total number of installations of the Priv’s applications such as the Blackberry Launcher, Blackberry Keyboard, Blackberry Camera and Blackberry Services.
The number of installations could be directly translated into the number of Priv users since these applications can only be installed onto a Priv through the Google Play Store. These applications can be viewed on Google Play Store via any desktops but they cannot be installed.
John Chen, Blackberry’s CEO, also revealed on Monday that the company’s first smartphone, which runs on Google’s Android operating Priv, had witnessed optimistic sales over the initial 30 days of its debut.
Mr. Chen did not mention the exact sales figure of Priv sales but he clearly stated that the development costs for the Priv are lower than for handsets using the Blackberry operating system. He further commented on the pricing, saying that the Priv price is expected to fall in February.
In the third quarter, Blackberry’s total device sales figure was 700,000 units compared to the expected figure of 900,000 units, Priv was launched only two weeks to the end of the third quarter, thus, it could not have contributed significantly to the total devices sold during that period.
Low sales figure led to a decline in the overall profitability of the company. However, due to Priv the company is back on track with the stock price going up in the last two consecutive quarters, a rare occurrence in the last two years.
Priv’s availability to only selected markets limits accurate determination of the sales, profitability as well as reception into the market. As the company expands its availability into newer markets, the picture pertaining to its performance is expected to get clearer.
Chen stated during a recent interview that the company is seeking more penetration into the mid-range sector for smartphones. This is highly dependent on the success of the BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY)’s Priv in the near future.
Sources: digitaltrends, androidauthority, yahoo.com
