BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ: BBRY) announced it would stop making its BlackBerry line of smartphones. The company will now focus on software development. The DTEK60 may well be the last Blackberry-made, and it will launch next month.
The Canadian organization is set to deliver 30% revenue growth in software and services for the full fiscal year. Since taking over as BlackBerry CEO in November 2013, John S. Chen has been pushing his company to center on software.
Previously called Research In Motion Limited (RIM), BlackBerry also disclosed a partnership with Indonesia’s BB Merah Putih. The Asian technology manufacturer will build BlackBerry-branded devices featuring BlackBerry software and internal workings.
“BLACKBERRY IS NO LONGER JUST ABOUT THE SMARTPHONE, BUT THE SMART IN THE PHONE,” said Chen. He then indicated they were close to reaching a deal in China and working on similar initiatives in India.
iPhone and Android dethroned BlackBerry
In the first decade of the 2000s, BlackBerry used to be the king of smartphone sales in the world. However, the company lost its dominant position in the market due to the success of Apple’s iPhone and several Android devices.
BlackBerry’s proprietary operating system, known as BlackBerry OS, got eclipsed by Android and iOS as well. Additionally, its multi-platform BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service lost out to rival WhatsApp long ago.
At its peak in September 2013, BlackBerry had an 85 million user base. As of June 2016, these numbers have fallen to 20 million active users. In 2015, the company began to release Android-based smartphones, but it was already too late.
BlackBerry’s earnings throughout the years
In 1999, the BlackBerry 850 pager became the first fruit-named device. Its keyboard resembled blackberry drupelets, hence the name. From 2001 onwards, RIM focused in the consumer market with its Pearl, Curve, and Bold smartphone series.
The telecom quickly took the smartphone throne despite the arrival of Apple’s first iPhone in 2007, and the introduction of Android the following year. RIM’s market share growth continued until 2013. That year, RIM change its name to BlackBerry, and it all went downhill from there.
Since then, BlackBerry’s global user base began to decline. Its market share dropped to 0.1% in the last quarter, killing the company’s hardware efforts. BlackBerry’s exit of the smartphone manufacturing business comes after a $372 million loss in the fourth quarter.
BlackBerry’s DTEK60: Specs, release date, and price
The upcoming DTEK60 could be the last BlackBerry-made smartphone. New features include a Snapdragon 820 CPU, 4GB of RAM, 21MP rear-facing camera, and BlackBerry’s Android skin.
It will also sport a QHD 5.5-inch screen, metal frame build, 8MP front camera, 3,000mAh battery, 32GB of internal storage expandable via microSD card. The BlackBerry DTEK60 will supposedly hit stores sometime in October. The flagship device will reportedly cost between $600 and $700.
Source: Tech Times