BlackBerry says thumbs down on its iconic handsets

BlackBerry device die-hards had plenty of warning. As far back as September 2020, BlackBerry CEO John Chen announced a "termination date" of January 4 to decommission legacy services running on original operating systems.

That end-of-life date has now arrived.

Users of BlackBerry 7.1 OS and earlier, BlackBerry 10 software, along with BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 and earlier versions, will now find that these devices – in the words of BlackBerry – "will no longer reliably function."

Figure 1: Phone shop in the sky: Canadian firm BlackBerry has called time on OS support for their iconic old-style keyboard devices.
(Source: Sevenstock Studio / Alamy Stock Photo)

The popularity of handheld BlackBerry devices, with their distinctive physical keyboards and reputation for tight email security, has of course been on the wane for years.

Android handsets and iPhones, boasting a wide range of apps and easy-to-use touchscreens, diminished the thumb-bashing appeal of BlackBerrys to keep in touch with colleagues when on the move.

BlackBerry, which now styles itself as a software company focused on cybersecurity (the bulk of its income) and IoT, got out of the device manufacturing business in 2016 when it entered a brand licensing and technology support with TCL Communication to continue making "modern" BlackBerry smartphones.

The deal ended on August 31, 2020, with TCL no longer able to sell BlackBerry-branded mobile devices, or obtain further rights to design, manufacture or sell any new BlackBerry mobile devices.

It will continue to provide support for the existing portfolio of mobile devices, which run on Android – including customer service and warranty service – until August 31.

Class action shadow

BlackBerry is finding it more difficult to shake off a class-action lawsuit tracing back to 2013 than it is on shuttering handset services.

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US District Judge Colleen McMahon in Manhattan, as reported by Reuters, indicated that BlackBerry still had a case to answer in a lawsuit claiming the Ontario-based company defrauded shareholders by inflating its share price through a deliberate overstating of the success and profitability of BlackBerry 10 smartphones.

The case could go to trial, she said, this September or October. Defendants include former BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins, former CFO Brian Bidulka and former Chief Legal Officer Steve Zipperstein.

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— Ken Wieland, contributing editor, special to Light Reading