Last week everyone saw the end of an era, well the end of BlackBerry’s mobile device. What was once the must-have accessory to celebrities and stockbrokers became a paperweight on their nightstand.
Back in the day before the battle of iPhone vs Android, BlackBerry’s were the must-have device and it was once known as a symbol for elite status. In 2009, when blackberry was at its peak, ‘over 50% of the US and 20% of the global smartphone market owned their device’.
What went wrong?
With the coming of the iPhone and neglection of the end market, resulted in sealing the fate of the blackberry. The failure of listening to their team’s advice in transitioning over to interfaces and everyday apps caused a missed opportunity of the smartphone’s value. Their customers wanted a platform combination of personal productivity and entertainment. Which caused loyal customers to replace their BlackBerry with an iPhone.
Earlier in December 2021, the company stated, “on January 4th, 2022 devices running this legacy service and software through either carrier or Wi-Fi connections will no longer reliably function, including for data, phone calls, SMS, and 9-1-1 functionality”. They finished off by thanking their loyal customers.
However, don’t fear, BlackBerry devices that are run on Android software will continue to work normally.
What is next for BlackBerry?
By the end of 2019, BlackBerry Shifted from mobile to a Cyber focused company. They signed a deal to acquire a U.S artificial intelligence and cybersecurity company called Cylance. Now they develop software and SAAS products for big companies.