Black eye for Blackberry consumers as corporate focus shifts As well as slashing jobs Blackberry has announced it is to withdraw from the consumer market and concentrate on corporate customers and governments. Many industry watchers believe the move will simply speed up the downward spiral. The uncertainty and negativity surrounding the company could spook clients prompting them to abandon the brand. Pascal Samama is an an analyst with 01NET.com: "Blackberry failed to grasp the imagination of the average consumer. It is seen as elitist. Individual consumers want a device with applications, a device that is a little more fun. The Canadian smartphone maker made a raft of announcements on Friday including the axing of 4,500 jobs, a quarterly loss of close to 1 billion US dollars along with a shift in market focus. The long-term viability of the former leader in wireless email is now a major concern. More about: Blackberry, Markets, Mobile Telephony, Telecommunication