Demand for BlackBerry phone above expectations

Hong Kong

IT'S a good thing that some people can't buy BlackBerry Ltd's Passport phone, chief executive officer John Chen said. That means it's popular.

Shortages of the business-focused smartphone show that efforts to turn around the unprofitable company, formerly known as Research In Motion Ltd, are taking hold, Mr Chen told an MIT Enterprise Forum event on Friday in Hong Kong. Demand for the phone - the first major new device released globally since Mr Chen took charge in November - has exceeded the Canadian company's expectations.