Before iPhones and Samsung Galaxy series took over, Blackberry was the most sought after mobile device back in the day, and nearly everyone had a BBM pin before Whatsapp was launched.
Blackberry gained most of its fans due to the sleek QWERTY keyboard, the iconic trackball as well as the infamous Blackberry Messenger (BBM). It’s 2021 and you may be excited to know that Blackberry phones are coming back.
Rise and Fall of Blackberry
In June 2003, Research in Motion (RIM), launched the Blackberry 6210 which was among the 1st-generation of Blackberry models. The phone did not have a white screen like the ones we have today but featured web browsing and email support. At the time, business people who needed emails and web services were Blackberry’s major customers.
Blackberry became a sudden hit and made its way into pop culture – businessmen, political figures, and even Kim Kardashian were using a Blackberry phone.
There have been many reasons stated as to what caused the death of Blackberry. Chief of which are; the launch of the iPhone, the fact that the Blackberry OS missed out on the chance to challenge the likes of Android and iOS or that the company wasn’t making phones to fit the rapid evolution of consumer behaviour.
What’s new for Blackberry in 2021
A new deal with a mobile security company, OnwardMobility, may mark the resurrection of Blackberry mobile phones in 2021.
The company has stated plans to launch new Blackberry models, hopefully in the 1st half of the new year. The new models will run on Android and have 5G network features in addition to the traditional physical keyboard
If all goes according to plan we may see a new Blackberry model this year after a big break from the last model in 2019.