The BlackBerry Classic is officially dead
Pour one out for the BlackBerry Classic.
BlackBerry announced on Tuesday on its Inside BlackBerry blog that it will no longer produce the BlackBerry Classic, officially ending a form-factor era.
"Sometimes it can be very tough to let go," Ralph Pini, the company's chief operating officer and general manager for devices wrote. "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."
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Translation: Nobody was buying the Classic (except maybe Kim Kardashian).
"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."
Translation: BlackBerry 10 is dead. Nobody wants a tiny square display.
"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."
Translation: It's time to move on from BlackBerry 10. Android is our future. Please buy the Priv!
It's impressive the BlackBerry Classic survived this long.
All snark aside, it's impressive the BlackBerry Classic survived this long. BlackBerry released the Classic in late 2014, and despite attempting to harken back to the good ol' keyboard and touchpad nub days of yore, just didn't have the app ecosystem to keep it afloat.
BlackBerry pivoted to using Android and while the Priv's sales were unsurprisingly low, the phone itself was pretty solid. In our review, Mashable chief correspondent Lance Ulanoff called it the best BlackBerry in a decade.
The company is well aware of the premium pricing that doomed the Priv and is preparing to launch several new devices at lower price points.
Still, the demise of the Classic represents the end of a smartphone bloodline of keyboard phones with touchpads that date back to the first BlackBerry Bold, which went on sale in 2009. RIP.
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Raymond Wong is Mashable's Senior Tech Correspondent. He reviews gadgets and tech toys and analyzes the tech industry. Raymond's also a bit of a camera geek, gamer, and fine chocolate lover. Before arriving at Mashable, he was the Deputy Editor of NBC Universal's tech publication DVICE. His writing has appeared on G4TV, BGR, Yahoo and Ubergizmo, to name a few. You can follow Raymond on Twitter @raywongy or Instagram @sourlemons.
