BlackBerry Classic 2016: Iconic QWERTY Phone Finally Discontinued [VIDEO]
BlackBerry's recent announcement that the firm is ceasing production of its BB Classic smartphone is not really much of a surprise. Indeed, the company's financial troubles have made headlines for years, and BlackBerry itself admitted that it might very well abandon the smartphone business altogether. Nevertheless, one cannot help but feel a bit nostalgic at the news.
The BlackBerry Classic is the company's love song for its millions of fans. Featuring the firm's iconic tool belt and a full-sized trademark BlackBerry keyboard, the Classic is, in many ways, the ultimate BlackBerry handset. Though more powerful devices such as the Passport and the Priv outgunned the Classic, the latter is nonetheless the device that is, from its core to its frame, a true-born BlackBerry device.
The announcement of the Classic's death sentence was published on BlackBerry's official blog, where COO and general manager for devices Ralph Pini explained why the iconic handset, the last of a breed of productivity-centered devices, is finally getting the ax.
"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," he wrote.
"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."
The BlackBerry Classic was released to fairly positive reviews from critics and BB fans alike. While the device's hardware was not flagship-worthy, its inspired design and cues from previous popular handsets made it, as could be expected from its name, an instant classic.
While the Classic is ceasing production, it does not mean to say that BlackBerry would be abandoning physical keyboards for its devices in the future. According to recent rumors, the Mercury, one of the three Android smartphones that the company is planning to release within the coming months would come with a physical BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard.
