In one case upon a time, information technology was hard to await across BlackBerry in the smartphone market. At the beginning of the 2010s, its authorization in this area was undisputed, but things soon changed.

Today, BlackBerry has fallen nearly entirely off the smartphone radar. Even introducing its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) platform to the App Store after the iPhone made up ground, and so some couldn't salve hope.

Then, why did BlackBerry fail so spectacularly? Could we come across a BlackBerry renaissance in the coming years, or are its phones consigned to the history books? Let's take a expect.

How Far Has BlackBerry Fallen?

Photo of a BlackBerry phone

BlackBerry'south decline was more dramatic than LG'south smartphone failures because of just how potent its position in this particular market was.

In the Britain, BlackBerry held a 33.2% smartphone market share in December 2011, according to Statista. Inside ii years, however, that had shrunk by around just under half to 17.44%.

Since the finish of 2013, BlackBerry has faded even further into the abyss every bit far as the UK is concerned. Equally of May 2021, the same report plant that BlackBerry smartphones at present comprise a meager 0.01% of the UK smartphone market.

Worldwide, BlackBerry's decline has been but every bit spectacular. Equally Gartner reported in Feb 2017, just 210,000 devices with its operating system sold in the fourth quarter of 2016. That was much worse than in Q4 2015, which itself wasn't great either—with fewer than 907,000 devices sold and a 0.2% marketplace share.

The iii Reasons Why BlackBerry Declined And then Badly

Photo of a BlackBerry outside

BlackBerry's autumn from grace was spectacular, and that kind of drop doesn't happen overnight. Commonly, failures of this kind are the boiling indicate of years' worth of bad decisions.

So, where did it all get wrong for BlackBerry? Below are three potential contributors.

1. Failure to Adapt

At its peak, BlackBerry's innovation kept us all on our feet. BBM revolutionized instant messaging, and its devices besides helped speed upwardly smartphones to what today are finer portable mini-computers.

But in the cease, BlackBerry barbarous victim to its own stubbornness.

One of the most glaring examples is its lack of innovation with the bear upon screen. Many users were happy to stick with their keyboards in the early 2010s, which is one reason why the BlackBerry Storm was a disaster.

The Storm's failure may well accept influenced BlackBerry's decisions with future phones. Unfortunately for them, past the time Apple and Samsung'due south devices became more than mainstream, consumers were ready to adopt touchscreen technology.

You could also attribute BlackBerry'south decline to how it failed to adapt in other areas, such equally its camera. And as we can see today, many smartphones accept cameras that could rival their DSLR and mirrorless counterparts.

2. Ignoring Its Competition and Losing Its Cadre Market

Another reason BlackBerry's fall from grace was so steep is because it didn't pay as much attention to the likes of BlackBerry-created phones for businesses. As such, it didn't see the iPhone every bit a straight competitor.

BlackBerry'southward desire to cater to people in business was pretty evident in the blueprint of its devices. While you could respond to emails, send instant messages, reply calls, and scan the spider web, you couldn't practice anywhere about every bit much every bit even the early iPhones made possible.

On the other hand, the other smartphone giants looked at the everyday consumer for the future of the smartphone. Their devices were nigh convenience and accessibility, two things which—funnily plenty—people working for big companies also want with their devices.

As time progressed, consumer-oriented phones became more pop in business environments also. They could also do everything BlackBerry devices could, and and then some more than. Then, in the end, the simply way was down.

iii. The BlackBerry Operating System

Another key reason behind BlackBerry's failure was its loyalty to its operating system—despite some significant flaws.

I issue with BlackBerry'southward early Os versions was how few apps yous could download compared to Apple and Android devices. You could become pretty much anything you need on smartphones with these systems and all the same tin. And while BlackBerry eventually opened up its app store to more popular apps, the impairment was already washed.

BlackBerry users disliked using their app store for several reasons. It wasn't user-friendly for starters, while app layouts also hindered user experience.

Customers besides reported several operation issues, such as lagging and freezing.

3 Reasons Why BlackBerry Volition Make a Return

Photo of a Blackberry keyboard

So, information technology looks like BlackBerry'due south time in the smartphone space is all but over.

Or is information technology?

Despite losing almost all of its smartphone market share, BlackBerry isn't giving upward equally a business organization altogether. Here are three reasons why yous might not have seen the last of one of technology's fallen giants.

1. A New 5G Phone on the Horizon

4G hasn't been mainstream for that long, but we're already hearing plenty of debates surrounding 4G and 5G. Some people have even begun speculating on how 6G could alter the world forever!

Many smartphones haven't nonetheless adopted 5G, and there's probably a way to become still earlier the world has the proper infrastructure for this technology. BlackBerry isn't waiting around, though; in 2020, the company announced that it would launch a 5G phone in 2021.

At the fourth dimension of writing in Baronial 2021, no device is yet on the market. Withal, it might convince a few to give the telephone at least a endeavor.

ii. Partnership Deals With Other Companies

BlackBerry's previous success means that despite falling away from the top of the smartphone marketplace, it'due south notwithstanding a reputable make name. And thanks in part to this, information technology has no shortage of businesses happy to piece of work with it. For example, the company is releasing its 2022 smartphone in partnership with OnwardMobility.

BlackBerry also has plenty of partners using its solutions, including Dell and IBM.

3. Digital Minimalism

The amount of information we have nigh how addictive smartphones can be and the apps on them grows larger and larger. Documentaries such as the Social Dilemma have also shed light on how toxic modern-twenty-four hours prison cell phones tin can exist if we permit them take too much command of our lives.

Many users have sought to prefer a more minimalist digital lifestyle, with some deleting apps from their phones and only accessing them from their computers.

While BlackBerry's are less restrictive than earlier in terms of customization, some users might consider switching to give them more than control over their digital experiences.

BlackBerry's Failures Tin can Teach Smartphone Companies a Lot

Despite its phenomenal demise, BlackBerry taught the states a lot about both business organisation and innovation. The company'south decline was mainly due to its ain doings, while one could also argue that Apple, Google, Samsung, et al. had a better long-term vision on how the market place would evolve.

Information technology's doubtful that BlackBerry volition return to its previous state of authority. However, its 5G device might turn a few heads—or at least bear witness us if it has learned from previous mistakes.

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Virtually The Author

Danny Maiorca (242 Articles Published)

Danny teaches MUO'due south readers about improving their photography and creativity. He's been part of the team since 2022 and is besides ane of our editors.

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