BlackBerry confirms they will no longer make their own devices
In a quarterly financial release today, BlackBerry talked about how their business is moving in the right direction thanks to their new strategies. They’re still operating at a net loss, but the arrow is trending upward.
Much of their success has been owed to the decision to focus on software and services going forward, and not devices. After teasing that we may hear about their future device strategy today, they confirmed that they have no plans to make their own devices going forward.
That doesn’t mean BlackBerry-branded phones are dying, of course. TCL manufactured DTEK50 with BlackBerry’s name, and the same will happen for the DTEK60 we’re starting to hear about. TCL will likely continue their efforts in future years, and we may even see other partners get a crack at the fun eventually.
This is what a non-BlackBerry BlackBerry looks like.
But if you cherished the Canadian work of the engineers up in Waterloo, you’ll unfortunately no longer get any new goods from them. To be fair, devices across the board from all manuacturers are improving at fast rates, and BlackBerry really has no reason not to go this route.
The biggest things the company was known for are their software and their keyboards. Well, their software can be on Android phones, and keyboards are a dying breed whether you want to accept it or not. With quality devices at every turn, why not get out of the risky and increasingly tough hardware business and reap the rewards of someone else’s hard work through licensing?
That’s only one man’s opinion, though. There will likely be a bundle of folks who are deeply saddened by the news, and it’s understandable. If you want a pure BlackBerry-made smartphone then the most recent one you can get is the PRIV, which is still up for sale for $425 unlocked.