BlackBerry offers iPhone users money to switch to Passport

Starting in December, customers who trade in an iPhone for the keyboard equipped Passport will get as much as Rs 25,000 (approx) back depending on their Apple. smartphone’s model and condition, plus a Rs 9,000 (approx) prepaid gift card, BlackBerry said in a statement. The promotion is only available in North America and lasts until February 13.

After losing most of its smartphone market share to iPhones and devices running Google’s Android software, BlackBerry is focusing on selling to business and government users. It brought back the physical keyboard and is touting the ease of working on the Passport’s wide screen.

The deal is part of a blast of holiday promotions BlackBerry announced on Tuesday, including a Black Friday sale, a new financing programme and red and white Passport phones. Chief Executive Officer John Chen has said he hopes to return the company to the consumer market one day.

When contacted, the company’s spokesperson in India said that the handset maker has no plans to roll out any such scheme here, which is a part of the black Friday sale in the US. “This offer is for the online portal (shopblackberry.com), which we do not have in India. The company, will offer different schemes prior to the next festival season, that is Christmas,” said the spokesperson.