Blackberry rode the massive highs but has long embraced the crushing lows. In the smartphone industry, it used to be difficult to look past BlackBerry. Its supremacy in this sector was undeniable at the start of the decade, but things quickly altered. BlackBerry has almost completely vanished from the smartphone landscape today and that’s why Blackberry failed. Even when the iPhone gained popularity, BlackBerry introduced its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) platform to the App Store, some couldn’t save hope.
In 2016, BlackBerry lost its dominance in the mobile industry, with only 23 million customers remaining, compared to 85 million in 2013. In light of this loss, the corporation chose to eliminate around 4500 jobs due to a lack of funding for the staff. In the same year, it hinted at being sold due to the massive losses they are experiencing. How may a well-established business with a sizable customer base lose its allure? Is it solely the company’s fault or did the corporates break the tryst? So, what went wrong with BlackBerry?
Here are five reasons why blackberry failed;
1. Poor Build Quality
Blackberry phones were always excellent in every way. However, in 2012, a substantial number of customers began claiming that their gadgets had malfunctioned. According to a poll, the trackballs of the majority of Blackberry phones were broken in that year. In the same year, users complained about keyboard difficulties. Furthermore, even after installing a lot of programs, the inability to traverse the screen remained a big issue that’s why Blackberry failed.
The concept of dialing on a QWERTY keyboard seemed too unpleasant to the fingertips after the introduction of touch displays. This need came as a result of a significant shift in public view of smartphones since 2012. They chose a laptop in their pockets that was as entertaining as it was reliable and practical.
2. Failure To Adapt
BlackBerry’s inventiveness kept us all on our toes during its heyday. BBM revolutionized instant messaging, and its gadgets aided in the transformation of cell phones into portable minicomputers. BlackBerry, however, eventually succumbed to its own obstinacy. One of the most prominent instances is the touch screen’s lack of innovation. In the early 2010s, many customers preferred to use their keyboards, which is one of the reasons the BlackBerry Storm was a flop.
The mobile sector was fast evolving between 2008 and 2016, and many firms saw this transition positively. Blackberry, on the other hand, was adamant about not changing its philosophy. The difference between the two BlackBerry models, for example, was practically insignificant, especially for the elites who were solely concerned about their privacy. As a result, no new model was a cause for joy for them. As a result, it became increasingly difficult to expand the consumer base after a certain point.
The failure of the Storm may have affected BlackBerry’s future phone selections. Unfortunately for them, customers were ready to accept touchscreen technology by the time Apple and Samsung’s smartphones became more ubiquitous. BlackBerry’s demise might also be attributed to its failure to adapt in other areas, such as its camera. As we can see nowadays, many smartphones feature cameras that are capable of competing with DSLR and mirrorless cameras.
3. Using A Very Restricted Operating System
Another reason for BlackBerry’s demise was its steadfastness in sticking to its operating system, despite its shortcomings and that’s why Blackberry failed. When compared to Apple and Android devices, one drawback of BlackBerry’s early OS versions was the limited number of apps available for download. With these technologies, you could and still can acquire pretty much whatever you need on your smartphone.
While BlackBerry ultimately let more popular programs into its app store, the damage had already been done. For a variety of reasons, BlackBerry consumers detested accessing its app store. For starters, it wasn’t user-friendly, and the app layouts hampered the user experience. Customers also reported a number of concerns with performance, including lagging and freezing.
4. Inability To Expand Product Segment Due To A Lack Of Innovation
Have you ever considered what would happen if Samsung phones went out of style and their technology became obsolete? What are the ramifications? Will Samsung go bankrupt? No way. This is due to Samsung’s investment in a variety of goods in order to maintain a strong presence in several market categories. Blackberry, on the other hand, was completely focused on developing phones for a specific user group. BBM Music’s introduction as a rival to iTunes only harmed the company’s reputation.
The program came with a number of limitations, such as the ability to save no more than 50 songs per user. Furthermore, both persons who wish to exchange music must have a BlackBerry phone and a subscription. The decline in the phone’s earnings coincides with a decrease in its R&D advances and that’s why Blackberry failed. Once The absence of innovation in other market categories made the company’s demise much simpler.
5. Lack of Support From Prime Developers
In addition, there was an increasing reluctance among developers to support Blackberry products. This began when large companies with billions of users, like Facebook and Whatsapp, began removing support for all current versions, not just BB10. Blackberry’s operating system was regarded as a very secure system, particularly for businesses and that’s why Blackberry failed. As a result, Blackberry did not believe it was vital enough to pursue any alternative option that may cost them, consumers.
Furthermore, because they were not developed for Blackberry, services like Google Hangouts and cloud performed badly. In fact, when the business eventually released a phone with Google’s operating system in 2015, users were hesitant to trust it due to its expensive price and the lack of a “safe” operating system. Even while some people still use the BBOS, the firm may soon stop updating it because it merely adds to the company’s costs. This would imply a compromise on the very security standard that Blackberry represents.
