BlackBerry finally pulls plug on once-dominant mobile devices

BlackBerry, the once-dominant player in mobile devices whose physical keyboard was a must-have for career professionals more than a decade ago, has pulled the plug on its signature product.

The Canada-based firm, which has since transitioned into a cybersecurity-centered company, will no longer offer technical support to the dwindling number of BlackBerry phone users effective Tuesday.

The company originally revealed its plans to scrap its smartphones on its website in September 2020, though it chose to wait until January 4, 2022, “as an expression of thanks to our loyal partners and customers.”

That means anyone who owns one of the many BlackBerry devices will not be able to rely on basic services like phone calls, texts, data, and 911 emergency functionality.

BlackBerry, which stopped manufacturing mobile phones in 2016, was knocked off its perch by Google and Apple, whose respective Android and iOS operating systems combine to hold more than 99 percent of the world’s market share.

BlackBerry is shutting down services for all devices that operate on the Blackberry 7.1 OS or earlier as well as BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1, and earlier versions.

Those who own BlackBerry devices that run on the Android operating system will not be affected.

The company’s announcement is the death knell for a cultural and technological phenomenon that became so widespread, it was referred to jokingly as “crackberry” because of its reputation for inspiring addictive use.

The BlackBerry was the phone of choice for high-powered celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez. Former President Barack Obama famously refused to part with his BlackBerry after entering the Oval Office in 2009.

That was the same year that BlackBerry’s parent company, the Waterloo, Ontario-based Research in Motion, was named by Fortune as the year’s fastest-growing company.

Founded in 1984 by Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin, BlackBerry first came out with an email-enabled pager, the BlackBerry 850. It was unique in that it had a tiny keyboard that made it easier to send and receive emails.

The success of the 850 set the stage for the unveiling of the BlackBerry 957, the company’s first smartphone, which came equipped with email and internet functionality. It was released in April 2000.

Despite the advent of Apple’s iPhone in 2010, BlackBerry continued its steady climb to dominance. In 2008, its market capitalization exceeded $78 billion. Just two years later, it accounted for more than 50 percent of domestic and 20 percent of global market share.

At the height of its powers, BlackBerry sold over 50 million devices per year and its stock was trading at $230 per share.

But the company faltered by failing to anticipate that demand for smartphones would be driven by the mass consumer rather than just those looking to use them for work purposes.

BlackBerry’s attempts to compete with the iPhone by launching its own touchscreen smartphone, the Storm, failed to make a dent in the market.

By 2016, BlackBerry’s share of the smartphone market fell to 0.1 percent.

As of this month, BlackBerry had a market capitalization of $5.28 billion. It was trading on Wall Street at $9.24 per share just after noon Tuesday — a collapse of 90 percent compared to a decade ago. New York Post