BlackBerry Targets iPhone Users With Promotion

   By Josh Beckerman 
 

BlackBerry Ltd. is targeting users of Apple Inc.'s iPhone with a new promotion, the "BlackBerry Passport Trade-Up Program."

The program will take place from Dec. 1 through Feb. 13, only in North America. Under the plan, iPhone users who switch to a BlackBerry Passport will receive Visa prepaid cards based on the trade-in value of their iPhones.

In another, holiday-oriented promotion, BlackBerry is offering temporary discounts on Passport and Z30 devices. The price of an unlocked black Passport will be reduced by $100 to $499 in the U.S., the company said.

Last week, Morgan Stanley downgraded BlackBerry to underweight from equal weight, saying there may be too much optimism that the company will meet the new software revenue targets unveiled by Chief Executive John Chen.

Earlier this month, BlackBerry unveiled its new mobile-security software, BlackBerry Enterprise Service 12, and also announced a cross-selling agreement on security technology with Samsung Electronics Co., an effort to win more business customers.

ComScore Inc.'s September rankings of the U.S. smartphone market didn't list BlackBerry as one of the top five smartphone manufacturers. In its platform rankings, BlackBerry was in fourth place with a 2.3% market share.

Write to Josh Beckerman at [e-mail]

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