BlackBerry pulls the plug: ends support for classic devices

BlackBerry is ending support for many classic devices and functionalities, pulling the plug on what has been a metaphorical life support attempt for a while now. Devices on the 7.1 OS or any earlier version and BlackBerry 10 devices no longer work as of January 4, 2022. BlackBerry-hosted email or redirected email from BlackBerry platforms may not work either, and that could impact business and personal users.

What happened to one of the leading mobile communications device providers, and how has it come to this?

At the end of the 20th century and into the aughts of the 21st, BlackBerry was a powerhouse player in mobile communication. Before tapping and scrolling on smart screens, people typed out messages on tiny QWERTY keyboards and sent them via two-way paging networks on devices like the BlackBerry 850.

By 2007, BlackBerry had leveled up its device game to include many features, and it announced the BlackBerry Curve the same year. BlackBerry fans adored the device, which included trackball-based navigation and Bluetooth capability.

The company's success with devices was mirrored by rising stock prices over much of the aughts. BB share prices reached a peak of just over $144 in June 2008 before embarking on a downward swing that would never fully recover. Today, stock prices remain below $10 a share.

It's not hard to see what went wrong for BlackBerry in hindsight. In 2007, when BlackBerry was introducing the Curve, Steve Jobs was introducing the iPhone. Apple and other manufacturers quickly outpaced BlackBerry in sales and innovations. For over a decade, BlackBerry hung on to the classic devices thanks mainly to a robust collection of die-hard users who love their BlackBerry devices and phones.

But it seems fandoms aren't enough to keep financials afloat on their own, and BlackBerry has to make some major changes if it hopes for a future.