BlackBerry, a company that once reigned dominant in the smartphone business, recently announced it was finally discontinuing key services that support its phones.
Meaning all of its older devices not running Android software (BlackBerry 10, 7.1 OS, and earlier) will no longer be able to access the internet, send messages, or even make calls.
BlackBerry has mostly been out of the phone market since around 2016, but it was such a household name in the mid-2010s. Their devices mostly appealed to professionals who wanted the flexibility of working outside the office with tools they used on a desktop.
At its peak, BlackBerry once had more than 80 million active users including international and local celebrities. Then, came along Apple’s touch screen revolution with the iPhone in 2007, which made BlackBerry’s features appear a bit lacking.
The smartphone brand tried to compensate with touch screens and slide-out keyboards, but the key differentiator was the unique tactile QWERTY keyboard. Eventually, BlackBerry gave up on its software and embraced Android instead.
The company then moved on to different ventures and found success in enterprise security and automotive software. The last version of BlackBerry OS to be released dates back to 2013, so it should affect quite a small number of users. Still, it serves as a clear marker of the end of what was once cutting-edge technology.
Alfred Gitonga is a passionate tech news writer with a deep interest in smartphones and related technologies. He is a staff writer at Mobitrends.co.ke.
