The days of BlackBerry being synonymous with keyboard-equipped smartphone may truly be behind us as the company announced last week that the Classic line of smartphones will be discontinued.
First launched in late 2014, the Classic builds on its Bold predecessor by including the company’s signature keyboard and trackpads as opposed to the standard touchscreens that dominate the smartphone market these days. Also included on the BlackBerry Classic was BlackBerry 10, the company’s latest operating system. However, this may not be enough to save the company’s declining phone business. Not helping matters is the fact that BlackBerry has since shifted its focus to work on Android-powered devices, beginning with the BlackBerry Priv. Needless to say, the demise of the Classic was inevitable.
“Sometimes it can be very tough to let go. For BlackBerry, and more importantly for our customers, the hardest part in letting go is accepting that change makes way for new and better experiences,” says Ralph Pini, CEO and General Manager of Devices for BlackBerry.
While the phone will no longer be manufactured, BlackBerry has promised that it will continue to support BlackBerry 10 with software updates and are on track to deliver the version 10.3.3 update next month and a second update next year.
Source: BlackBerry Blog, New York Times