Back to BlackBerry

Despite predictions that BlackBerry was on the verge, it seems to be fighting back with better than expected figures and the release of a quirky new phone.

When BlackBerry released the seminal ‘Quark’ range of smartphones in 2003, few could have had predicted how the device would change communications for ever – Quark was just the beginning. BlackBerry went from strength to strength over the next four years but failed to predict how competitive the smartphone market would become and the release of the first Apple iPhone in 2007 spelled trouble for the company.

With the accession of the iPhone, BlackBerry were beaten into second place and then the Android and Windows platforms quickly began to gobble up more market share. In the second fiscal quarter 2013 BlackBerry announced a loss of $1 billion and analysts began to predict a 2014 bankruptcy for the flailing company. To the surprise of many this hasn’t happened and BlackBerry are functioning with some (erratic) success. John S. Chen who has been the CEO for almost a year has implemented a range of changes including the outsourcing of manufacturing to Taiwanese company Foxconn and the overseeing of workforce reductions (effectively 40% of the company’s employees). Chen has also overseen the release of a their new flagship phone or ‘phablet’; the BlackBerry Passport that has enjoyed moderately decent sales since its release.

The return of a new, simplified physical keyboard on the Passport and its unwieldy square shape (that makes it unsuitable for a trouser pocket but perfect for a suit jacket’s inside pocket) indicates that BlackBerry are once again focusing on their loyal corporate customers, rather than going toe to toe with Apple and Google in the mass market. It has been the CEO’s, the politicians, the stockbroker’s, the corporate lawyers – the cream of the traditional professional world that have kept BlackBerry afloat in the face of ruthless competition, it seems they are keen to reward that loyalty. In fairness, much of that consumer loyalty has been down to the failure of Apple, Google and Microsoft to proffer a decent alternative for the high powered professional, but don’t expect BlackBerry to take its fan-base for granted any longer.

For a while it seemed like BlackBerry was going to go the way of Palm; a smartphone and slate computer company, beloved by professionals, that failed to keep pace with the ever-evolving scene and simply disappeared (purchased by HP in 2010). There’s life in BlackBerry yet though and they look to be secure for the time being.