BlackBerry Should Embrace Android OS And Ditch BlackBerry 10, Says Analyst

BlackBerry is gearing up to release the new slider phone with a physical QWERTY keyboard dubbed “Venice.” A recent report, however, said that the handset will be called “BlackBerry Priv.” The new device will reportedly be powered by Android OS, instead of the synonymous BlackBerry 10 OS. An analyst with knowledge about the business talks about why the Canadian tech giant should embrace Android for good.

Upon release, the BlackBerry Priv or BlackBerry Venice will be the first handset from the tech giant to run Google’s Android OS. According to a Bloomberg report, a bold analyst named Daniel Chan from Scotia Capital said that BlackBerry should replace BlackBerry 10 altogether, and move to Android for any future devices.

According to Chan, the Canadian tech giant can save roughly $266 million yearly, in case it puts an end to BlackBerry 10 OS. Although brutal, Chan believes, this number can be achieved by firing a total of 1,400 employees that are part of the R&D wing of the company. To top it off, upon switching to Android OS, BlackBerry will be able to stick to the ambitious goal of selling 10 million units every year. However, it is worth noting that the 10 million units apparently translate to less that 1 percent of Android market share, across the globe.

Reportedly, the main advantage of embracing Android OS includes the access to full range of Android apps for BlackBerry branded phones. Chan said that the current situation of waning sales can be attributed to the non-availability of Android apps for BlackBerry device users.

But then, on the flipside, BlackBerry might face some disgruntlement from “governments and corporations" that rely on BlackBerry devices on a day-to-day basis mainly because of the security offered by the BlackBerry 10 OS.

"While BB10, in our opinion, is technologically superior to many mobile platforms, it has failed to generate the recovery BlackBerry had hoped for and continues to be the primary source of losses for the company," Chan said.

Speaking about the concern from longtime users, the analyst added that BlackBerry’s association with Samsung and KNOX sandbox might remove the insecurities of governments and corporations specific to the OS switch. In any case, the tech giant cannot abandon the BlackBerry 10 OS as it is, due to the prior contracts that the company may have to honor.

The BlackBerry Priv or BlackBerry Venice release date is reportedly set for November.