BlackBerry Says It's Done Designing and Building Its Own Phones (theverge.com)

BlackBerry today reported its fiscal second-quarter sales and said that it will stop making its iconic smartphones and focus on its software business. The Verge adds: BlackBerry has announced that it plans to stop making its own phones as the struggling company continues to focus on its software and security products. This is far from the end of BlackBerry devices, the production of which will be outsourced to third-party manufacturers -- as was the case with the company's recent DTEK 50, a clone of Alcatel's Idol 4 with BlackBerry branding. "The company plans to end all internal hardware development and will outsource that function to partners," said CEO John Chen in a statement. Elsewhere he stated: "We are reaching an inflection point with our strategy. Our financial foundation is strong, and our pivot to software is taking hold." This isn't surprising news considering BlackBerry's ongoing struggle in the mobile market. According to estimates from Gartner, the company claimed just 0.1 percent of the market in the second quarter, equating to sales of some 400,400 units. The last BlackBerry phone manufactured by the company was the Priv, the company's first Android-powered device, released November last year.

Comments

It's a shame.

[Dr Caleb]

I like my Z10 and Z30. I really like BB OS 10. I love the way messages are organized in "Blackberry Hub"

But if Blackberry is moving to an OS they don't write, on hardware they don't design or build - is there any reason to buy their stuff any more?

Sad. I've had a Blackberry in my pocket since the 5790, a three line pager with the iconic keyboard. :(

Make a decent addon keyboard.

[kenj123]

I wish blackberry would create a decent keyboard tightly integrated with a protective case to add to my android or iPhone. I miss physical phone keyboards very much.