R.I.P BlackBerry
Once the celebrities brand is no more
The status that Apple now enjoys once belonged to BlackBerry. Its Qwerty keyboard was so popular that it was the item in demand in those days. In 2012, the company reported that it’d 80 million active users.
The company that once enjoyed dominance in the field of mobile technology is no more. QWERTY keypad, the company behind the giant BlackBerry has decommissioned the use of their software in the mobile handset. From January 4, 2022, the company’s software will no longer support the handsets. You won’t be able to make a phone call, SMS, or use data on these handsets.
Celebrities First Choice
You saw the blackberry classic mobile handsets in the hands of the famous peronalities including U. S President Barack Obama.
Barack Obama said I’m still clinging to my blackberry. They are gonna pry it out of my hands.
After U.S President, the Queen of United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II was the strong contender for using these mobile handsets. She is said to be a fan of the popular smartphones, when her son, Prince Andrew, introduced her to them.
BlackBerry co-founder Mike Lazaridis had then in 2010 presented queen with the current model of the handset, the BlackBerry Bold 9700, with an image of school children offering her flowers.
In the old pictures of Kim Kardashian, the actress can be seen holding the luxury symbol in her hands. The other famous celebrities that were once die hard fans of BlackBerry includes Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and many more. It was once the first choice of CEOs and large business tycoons.
Why it gained popularity?
There were many features in the handset that other phones lacked. These included:
- Easy to understand and use
- Stylish yet simple keyboard
- BBM became the new message addictive option that was only available in Blackberry handsets.
- It was regarded as a luxury symbol
- It was best for security and privacy
Reason for its failure
- Qwerty keyboard soon became obsolete with the advent of new technology. Apple’s touchscreen swept away the demand of Qwerty keyboard handsets.
- Lack of consumer insight and poor design
- BlackBerry shifted to other things like it started providing security services to governments and business firms.
Note: Only the classic models of BlackBerry have stopped providing services, while other models are still working.The company said the services for BlackBerry 7.1 OS and earlier, BlackBerry 10 software, BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 and earlier versions, will no longer be working after January 4, 2022.
There are only moments for technology. Within these moments the products enjoy their dominance. BlackBerry reigned the market for years. It’ll be remembered as a legend among cellphone users…
