Every app listed on the Play Store lists an approximate number of installations in a space sitting below the app description and rating. In this case, the apps are BlackBerry Camera, BlackBerry Keyboard, BlackBerry Services, and BlackBerry Launcher, all of which will only appear when searching for them in the Play Store if you’re using a Priv. They can be found on the Google Play Store website using any computer, though they can only be installed on the Priv.
The number of installations can, of course, be a good indicator of how many Priv smartphones have been sold so far. Unfortunately for BlackBerry, the number appears to be relatively disappointing. All of the apps list the install count as “over 10,000.” On the Play Store website, however, the install count becomes more specific, listing the number as between 10,000 and 50,000.
Based on the installation numbers, and with BlackBerry selling 700,000 total smartphones last quarter, it’s doubtful that the Priv comprised a significant chunk of that number. With that being said, the number of installations might not be wholly accurate, particularly with the Priv becoming available only two weeks before the end of the third quarter. In addition, the Priv is only available in select markets as of this writing, with availability in more markets to come in the near future.
However sales of the Priv shake out, BlackBerry is experiencing a small taste of a renaissance, with the company recently reporting two consecutive quarters of revenue growth for the first time in two years. In a recent interview, Chen even revealed that the company is looking into the mid-range sector of the smartphone market, so long as the Priv performs admirably.
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