BlackBerry has officially announced the discontinuation of its Classic variant with immediate effect. Manufactured with a physical keyboard for inputting content with a standard small size display on the top, the company is on the verge to release new series of smartphone designs based on Android and BlackBerry 10.
With more customers sliding towards the powerful Android platform, BlackBerry is no longer in a position to survive with the old designs. Hence, it is imperative for the company to come with the new design ideas to cater to the latest technology.
Commenting on the development, Ralph Pini, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager for Devices at BlackBerry disclosed that the Classic model has been an incredible workhorse device for customers, which exceeded all expectations. However, the classic model has surpassed the average lifespan for a smartphone device in today’s market. Hence, we are aborting the production of Classic model to provide our customers with something better with a productive smartphone with security in mind.
BlackBerry coming up with three Android smartphones
Pini also stated that BlackBerry will leverage unmatched experience and capabilities in security during the release of their upcoming smartphone devices. It’s tough to go and after years of great success in the market, the company will not manufacture BlackBerry Classic, adds Pini.
Even though Pini informed of the company’s decision to stop production of Classic variant, the disclosed information was belated since the news was leaked via US Senate memo published by Politico before the long Independence Day weekend.
Although the Politico memo clearly stated that a full range of BlackBerry OS 10 devices with QWERTY keypads such as Q10, Z10, Z30, Passport, and Classic was getting discontinued, Pini revealed in his blog post that only Classic was being shunted out. Meanwhile, BlackBerry also confirmed the same news to us without quoting about other devices.
In the meantime, BlackBerry stated that there would be a seamless transition between the existing BlackBerry Classic to Android device depending upon the customer’s choice. In addition to Android, BlackBerry will also offer support for customers with iOS and Windows Phones to help them to migrate to the latest Android devices.
BlackBerry market share stands at only 0.2 percent
With major telecom companies will stop selling Classic model with immediate effect, customers will be able to buy them unlocked from other sources till the stocks last.
According to Gartner, BlackBerry had a total market share of only 0.2 percent of all worldwide sales in Q1 2016. However, Android grabbed a significant portion of the market with 84 percent share leaving Windows Phone to the extreme end.
If BlackBerry needs to survive in the smartphone space, it needs to create a platform which is not only simple to use but also with excellent customization capabilities. Moreover, the device should be cheaper and the company should tie-up with other leading smartphone manufacturers to incorporate BlackBerry OS into their smartphones.
