BlackBerry /4/exit smartphone business

BlackBerry /4/exit smartphone business

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John Chen: If I cannot make money on handsets, I will not be in the handset business.

BlackBerry is now leaving everything to its newly-appointed CEO, John Chen. Labeled as a turnover specialist, Chen has focused his efforts on the company’s core business – secure mobile devices for governments and corporations.

In an interview in New York, the 58-year old CEO said that he is focusing on BlackBerry’s corporate customers and not on the fickle smartphone race. Should his efforts to overturn BlackBerry fail, Chen said that the company will consider exiting the smartphone business.

“If I cannot make money on handsets, I will not be in the handset business,” Chen told Reuters.

For now, the company is planning to expand its reach with investments, acquisitions, and partnerships. In particular, BlackBerry is looking to invest in healthcare, financial services, and legal services – areas that need highly secure communications.

When asked about his long-terms plans for the company, Chen talked about the business of connecting different devices, ranging from home appliances to mobile devices.

“We are not only interested in managing BlackBerry devices. We are interested in managing all devices that you would like to speak to each other,” he said. “To achieve our dream of being a major player in M2M requires more partnerships with others.”