The end of an era – Blackberry kills its classic smartphones

Many South Africans will recall a stage a few years ago where BBM seemingly dominated smartphone instant messaging in South Africa.

Don’t expect to hear that familiar “clacking” keyboard return however, as Blackberry have confirmed it will no longer be manufacturing its “classic” smartphones.

In a post published on Blackberry’s blog, Ralph Pini, the company’s new head of devices stated that the company would instead focus on other form factors – most likely touchscreens.

To keep innovating and advancing our portfolio, we are updating our smartphone lineup with state of the art devices. As part of this, and after many successful years in the market, we will no longer manufacture BlackBerry Classic.

For many years, Classic (and its BBOS predecessors) has been in our portfolio. It has been an incredible workhorse device for customers, exceeding all expectations.

But, the Classic has long surpassed the average lifespan for a smartphone in today’s market. We are ready for this change so we can give our customers something better – entrenched in our legacy in security and pedigree in making the most productive smartphones.

Did you own a Classic Blackberry Smartphone? Let us know in the comments below and in our forums.