“No one seems to love or understand me.
And all the hard luck stories they keep on handing me.
Where somebody shines the light,
I’m coming on home tonight.”
Bye-bye, Blackberry.
BlackBerry Executive Chairman and CEO, John Chen, announced Wednesday the company will no longer manufacture its infamous BlackBerries.The announcement came in a press release of second quarter, fiscal 2017, earnings. The company plans to outsource hardware manufacture to its partners, turning its attention instead to software development.
“We are reaching an inflection point with our strategy,” said BlackBerry CEO, John Chen. “Our financial foundation is strong, and our pivot to software is taking hold.”
Chen said that under the shift in strategy, the software development focus will include security and applications. The company’s new Mobility Solutions is showing signs of momentum, said Chen.
BlackBerry 850, the first BlackBerry device, made its debut in 1999. Captivated users became so addicted to the featured QWERTY keyboard and sophisticated software that the device earned its nickname, “CrackBerry.” At its high point, BlackBerry had 85 million subscribers and ‘owned’ the smartphone market.
Due to the rise of Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android platform, BlackBerry ultimately fell from dominance with consumers. The company has attempted multiple comebacks, but has continued to decline. Wednesday’s announced shift in strategy points them toward a more confident future. About the new direction, Chen said, “In Q2, we more than doubled our software revenue year over year and delivered the highest gross margin in the company’s history.”
Those of us who remember CrackBerries fondly, can’t help but feel a twang of sadness, as we subconsciously tighten our grips on our iPhones and Androids.
Bye-bye, BlackBerry.
Bye-bye.
*BlackBerry Reports 89% Year over Year Growth in GAAP Software and Services Revenue for Q2 Fiscal 2017. http://ow.ly/w71N304GGOG 28 September 2016
**Joe Cocker, “Bye Bye Blackbird” (Live) HD. Posted on You Tube by Andranik Azizbekyan, 31 October 2010.
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