Well, this one sure blew up…
As announced Thursday in a press release and here on INSIDE BlackBerry, BlackBerry and T-Mobile have made amends and renewed their partnership, with the first step bringing the much-beloved BlackBerry Classic to T-Mobile’s 57 million U.S. customers starting May 13th.
T-Mobile joins Verizon and AT&T in offering the BlackBerry Classic in the U.S., and a bevy of other carriers across the globe ranging from Canada to the UK, France, Germany, Spain, UAE, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong – read THIS ARTICLE for details.
It’s just another sign of momentum for BlackBerry, and one that the press and customers are going on at length about online, if the litany of quotes below is any indicator.
The momentum continues today, too, with T-Mobile CEO John Legere and our CEO John Chen exchanging tweets:
The Press Piles On with Endless Idioms
As John Chen predicted in his CNBC op-ed, “headline writers would get to “have some fun” with the announcement, and it’s indeed been a metaphor marathon:
“The BlackBerry Classic [could help T-Mobile] carve out more sales among businesses”
“T-Mobile is adding the BlackBerry Classic to its lineup as part of its latest plan to conquer the business world,” writes Josh Miller of CNET. “The move marks a decided thaw in the relations between BlackBerry and T-Mobile, [which] has neglected the needs of business users, many of whom use the same device both at work and at home.
By offering the BlackBerry Classic via its Uncarrier 9.0 initiative, T-Mobile is obviously looking to correct that mistake and carve out more sales among businesses, both large and small.”
“’Playing nice’ again”
“The BlackBerry Classic is coming to T-Mobile. Let that sink in for a minute,” writes SlashGear’s Nate Swanner. “Now, they’re all playing nice again . . . BlackBerry still has a large footprint in corporate, and T-Mobile recently made a move to get more businesses on their network . . . If you like deals (and why wouldn’t you) and are an avid BlackBerry user, T-Mobile is offering the Classic for $0 down, and $18.33/month for 24 months.”
“T-Mobile reboots with BlackBerry”
T-Mobile and BlackBerry are burying the hatchet,” writes The Wall Street Journal’s Thomas Gryta. “[T]hey have mended ties, and T-Mobile will begin selling the BlackBerry Classic beginning next week, conveniently timed with the carrier’s new push to capture business customers . . . [T]he devices still resonate with some customers. Business users popularized the devices, and many still mourn the shift to touchscreen smartphones.”
“BlackBerry is back!”
“BlackBerry is back!” declares Cam Bunton (also of PhoneDog) on TmoNews. “T-Mobile just announced that it will – once again – start selling BlackBerry devices . . . Pricing is fairly competitive . . . From my time with the device, it’s a fantastic phone for the BlackBerry fan. Those who have grown to love the physical keyboard will enjoy the updated performance and solid build quality offered by the newest QWERTY-equipped device.”
“Making Up”
The Associated Press’s Barbara Ortutay wrote that the two firms are back together “after a high-profile breakup.” The motivation is clear: “Just recently, T-Mobile began targeting business customers. BlackBerry is popular with some businesses for its security features.”
“QWERTY’s comeback”
The Dallas Business Journal’s Danielle Abril calls the news “QWERTY’s comeback,” writing, “The two companies are touting the partnership’s ability to unite BlackBerry’s track record of providing productivity and security and T-Mobile’s Un-carrier Business Initiative.”
“The Dust has Settled”
“The dust has settled,” writes Ubergizmo’s Adnan Farooqui. BlackBerry Classic brings “back the function key belt and the trackpad that BlackBerry loyalists have refused to give up.”
Customers Tweet their Excitement
World's at Peace with #Tmobile and @BlackBerry coming together yet again !!
— Nishant Rajput (@BigHustleJoe) May 7, 2015
What Do You Think?
So, are you excited about the news? If you’re a T-Mobile customer, we’d love to hear about what this means to you.
Will you take advantage of the offer? Tell us in the comments below!
