BlackBerry has announced today that the company is going to stop making its own smartphones. Yes, you have read it right, the phenomenally popular Blackberry phones are now a part of history.
However, this doesn’t mean that Blackberry is ready to leave the smartphone market altogether. The company has now adapted a new approach by re-branding other smartphones and putting Blackberry software in there.
We have already seen that the latest DTEK50 Android smartphone from Blackberry is actually a variant of China’s Alcatel Idol 4.
CEO, John Chen explained that they are now focusing on software development, including security and applications. He said that “BlackBerry is no longer just about the smartphone, but the smart in the phone.”
This makes perfect sense to me, since BlackBerry was never popular for its hardware. Most of the people opted just for Blackberry Enterprise Services (BES) and if BlackBerry is dedicated to make Android secure, than it could possibly work for the company.
BlackBerry’s Future Lies in Software
The company plans to end all internal hardware development and will outsource that function to partners. This allows us to reduce capital requirements and enhance return on invested capital.
It means an end to an era, the keyboard-equipped blackberry phones are no more. Blackberry’s future now lies in the software industry, where the company will be focusing on secure Android smartphone software.
