In 1984, two Canadian engineers, Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin, founded a company called Research In Motion (RIM). Initially, the company focused on wireless data transmission and paging systems. (News18 Hindi)
In 1999, RIM introduced its first device, the BlackBerry 850, which could send and receive emails. It proved to be a game-changer for business professionals and marked the company’s first major breakthrough. (News18 Hindi)
In the early 2000s, BlackBerry phones carved a niche in the business world with features like the QWERTY keyboard, robust inbuilt security, and services such as BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). The devices dominated banking and corporate sectors and became synonymous with business communication. At its peak, BlackBerry was the most popular business phone, even used by then US President Barack Obama. (News18 Hindi)
However, the landscape began to shift in 2007 when Steve Jobs launched the first iPhone, offering a full touchscreen and an app store. BlackBerry’s leadership dismissed the device as a ‘toy’, believing that the business class wouldn’t embrace touchscreen phones. (News18 Hindi)
Sticking firmly to its QWERTY keyboards and security-first approach, BlackBerry underestimated the rising demand for enhanced user experience and app ecosystems. Meanwhile, Android had entered the market, and the popularity of touchscreen phones began to soar. BlackBerry’s stock, which traded around $140 in 2011, fell below $10 by 2013. Investors realised the company had missed the tech transition. (News18 Hindi)
In 2013, BlackBerry attempted a comeback with its new operating system, BlackBerry 10, and touchscreen phones. Although the devices supported Android apps, the market had already moved on, both customers and developers had lost interest. (News18 Hindi)
After facing sustained losses and shrinking market share, BlackBerry announced in 2016 that it would stop manufacturing mobile phones. It marked the end of an era. (News18 Hindi)
Today, BlackBerry has reinvented itself as a cybersecurity and automotive software company, offering solutions to automobile manufacturers and government agencies for secure data services. (News18 Hindi)
