AKATECH NEWS

THE END OF AN ERA: BLACKBERRY TO TERMINATE ITS CLASSIC LINE.

JUL 07

POSTED BY: Akatech Solutions | | DATE: July 07, 2016. | Source: cnbc.com

Blackberry Limited said Tuesday that it will no longer manufacture its Blackberry Classic as a part of a company effort to innovate and update their smartphones lineup with "state of the art devices."

"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," Ralph Pini, chief operating officer and GM for devices at BlackBerry, said in a blog post.

He added, although it is "very tough" to let go of the device, the change will make way for new and better experiences.

Blackberry has struggled in recent years amid shrinking market share. The company has shifted its focus to serving corporations and government agencies.

Separately, the U.S. Senate said it would ditch Blackberry handsets Monday for Apple and Samsung smartphones after Blackberry informed AT&T and Verizon that production of all Blackberry OS 10 devices would end, according to a report in Recode.

"Despite my best efforts to tell the world I'm a lot more than just a phone company, every question I ever get is about phones," CEO John Chen said last week, according to Recode.

Blackberry will continue to update Blackberry 10 software with version 10.3.3 next month and a second update to follow next year, according to the company's post.

Chen told CNBC in May that the company plans to release two new smartphones between now and the end of the year.

Berkeley Lovelace Jr. Special to CNBC.com