afaqs! news bureau
Shareworthy

Blackberry: never say die

The original smartphone is gearing itself for a comeback. But can it come back from the dead?

The Blackberry is not dead. Long live the Blackberry.

In 2002, when Research in Motion introduced a handheld device that combined the features of a cellphone with a tiny keyboard that enabled both email and web browsing, the world was never the same.

In 2007, Steve Jobs with his reinvention of the phone pulled the rug out from under Blackberry’s feet. By 2015, Blackberry was – more or less – dead. But wait there is a twist in the tale.

Last month, TCL Communications - the tech firm that took over BlackBerry’s phone manufacturing in 2016 - announced two new models for 2018. For a brand’s that faced a wipe-out when its market share crashed from 20 per cent in 2011 to just .04827 per cent in 2016, this was big news.

The Blackberry is not dead. Long live the Blackberry.

Have news to share? Write to us atnewsteam@afaqs.com