BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY) announced on Tuesday that they will discontinue the manufacturing of the BlackBerry Classic model.
Ralph Pini, chief operating officer and general manager for devices at BlackBerry, shared in a blog post that the company will no longer make the BlackBerry Classic. He wrote that the Classic has been an amazing device that exceeded all expectations, but it “has long surpassed the average lifespan for a smartphone in today’s market.”
The Canadian company is ready to move on and leave their QWERTY keys behind, to focus on offering their customers updated and modern devices.
“We are ready for this change so we can give our customers something better – entrenched in our legacy in security and pedigree in making the most productive smartphones,” GM Pini stated.
The company will focus on its Android devices
Priv said that they are aiming to succeed with their smartphones that run with BlackBerry 10 and Android operating system, like the BlackBerry Priv.
BlackBerry was once the ruling smartphones company but was left behind because of its lack of innovation, especially on what touchscreens concern. The company has been struggling for years to reach Apple and its iOS, and Google’s Android software, without success.
The company released their first touchscreen device, the BlackBerry Storm, on 2008, a year after the iPhone was launched and began taking customers away from the Canadian device manufacturers formerly known as Research In Motion (RIM).
On 2013, the company unveiled its BlackBerry 10 operating system, along with two new touchscreen-based smartphones: the BlackBerry Z10 and the BlackBerry Q10. Later, on 2014, the BlackBerry Classic, originally known as the BlackBerry Q20, was released, with the idea of stick to the basics.
With sales still declining, the company finally admitted that BlackBerry-based devices were not doing so well, so it opted to develop their first Android-based smartphone, the Priv, launched in November 2015. With sales struggling to lift, CEO John Chen announced this year that the focus of the company would move away from hardware development to software, enhancing its security software.
Nevertheless, that does not seem enough to retain the fans of the brand. Earlier this month, the Congress of the U.S. announced that they will stop using BlackBerry as its exclusive smartphone provider.
The future of the company is currently uncertain, with its continuous sales declining, and stocks falling. But as tough as it can be to let go, as Pini wrote on the blog post, BlackBerry is willing to adapt to the new market conditions, expanding its portfolio, and focusing on its strong-point, which is security.
An unlocked version of the BlackBerry Classic can still be purchased at the company’s online store. BlackBerry 10 is still getting software updates. The next version, the 10.3.3 will be delivered in August.
Source: PC Mag