The days of corporate executives glued to their blackberry are not yet forgotten.

In the early 2000s, Blackberry became a monopoly of the wealthy, reflecting high status as well as a strong dedication to protecting its customers' privacy.

As a new decade begins, one would question if the tech behemoth has any hope of being resurrected. Is it still in use among the upper crust, known for amassing high-end technology? Finally, what exactly was the cause of this global downturn that dissatisfied consumers?

Let's have a look.

A History Of Success For Blackberry

Blackberry began with a distinct name and mission, namely Research in Motion. The company began creating data technology and networking solutions in March 1984, when it was founded.

The company noticed a growing desire to provide devices that aid wireless connectivity. As a result, in 1993, it began developing an Intel wireless modem that included RIM modem firmware. RIM, being a private corporation, quickly sought to raise funds through a private placement. RIM received funding from a Canadian company, which helped them raise C$30 million in pre-IPO funding. The company then shifted its focus to pagers, releasing the Inter@ctive Pager 900 in 1996.

The First Success Round

Those who are unfamiliar with Blackberry's original success believe it was a failed firm that failed to recognize its rivals. However, Blackberry's initial success was sufficient to deflect its focus away from its competitors.

In 1999, Blackberry released its first phone, which enthralled the business world. There was a time when wearing a Blackberry was thought completely insane, and it became a symbol of social status. It was difficult to come across someone who was using a Blackberry. And if you do, you'll find out that he's an industrialist, politician, and so on.

The Company's name was created by a marketing firm called 'Lexicon Branding.' The title came from the fact that the keypad of all the phones looked like the drupelets that make up a blackberry.

Unprecedented Growth: What's Driving It?

BlackBerry released two more cellphones in 2002, the RIM 850 and RIM 857. Some services, such as email and internet faxing, could only be utilized if you had a desktop computer at the time. However, with the introduction of these devices, people were able to use them on their mobile devices.

BlackBerry was the first company to offer push email on mobile devices.

In 2013, the company was at its pinnacle, with approximately 85 million BlackBerry customers around the world. Despite the fact that some may disagree, Blackberry was the first to enter the smartphone industry and had access to nearly half of the US smartphone market.

There must be a reason why Blackberry's growth was so extraordinary that no other company could have imagined reaching such heights.

Blackberry included a series of unbreakable security mechanisms that allowed professionals to ensure complete security. You name it, they had it, from crisis communication to vehicle security features. Blackberry was created as the ultimate solution for businesses that were constantly worried about their accounts being stolen and their privacy being compromised. Even now, hacking a blackberry phone is nearly impossible.

What Caused BlackBerry to Fail?

For a time, Blackberry was a huge success, but something else was brewing in the company's fortunes.

Here are some of the factors that contributed to Blackberry's demise.

Aversion to New Ideas

The mobile sector was fast evolving between 2008 and 2016, and many companies saw this transition positively. Blackberry, on the other hand, was adamant about not changing its philosophy.

The difference between the two BlackBerry models, for example, was almost insignificant, especially for the elites who were only concerned about their privacy. As a result, no new model was a cause for joy for them. As a result, it became increasingly difficult to expand the consumer base after a certain point.

To elucidate this further, consider two major areas where innovation has failed horribly.

Inability to expand customer base due to a lack of innovation

A fixed market share was one of the main reasons for adhering to this worldview. Blackberry had a monopoly on the IT sector of a number of large corporations. As a result, it failed to see the need for changes to appeal to the masses. The following are some of the most egregious blunders in this category.

Tablet Blackberry

The Blackberry tablet, which was designed to compete with the iPad, was a colossal failure. The user interface was not only confusing, but it also required a Blackberry phone to connect to the internet.

With Touchscreen, a Latecomer

In 2008, Blackberry introduced the touchscreen phone, one year after Apple had done so. The phone was dubbed Storm, but it failed to live up to its moniker and became a significant buzz killer among touchscreen fans.

It had no wi-fi capability and a variety of software faults. Opening any application entailed repeatedly tapping the screen, just to grate on the user's nerves.

Blackberry Torch The Blackberry Torch nearly snuffed out all of the customer interest that the company had built up since its debut phone. The phone weighed approximately 161 grams (as heavy as a stone). It also came with both touch and type, with the touch being a disaster, to say the least, and the type being a disaster, to say the least.

Using a Strictly Restricted Operating System

In 2011, Blackberry's OS had about 14.6 million users, but by 2015, it had decreased to 0.31 percent of the market share. The users' main gripe was BB's insistence on using its own operating system.

An OS that is too dull for the hyperactive user market

Blackberry's operating system was fairly limited, with customers only being able to adjust a few settings and the design of their phone. Initially, this worked for the firm, but with the introduction of popular games and productivity apps, the BBOS became outmoded.

Blackberry's competitors addressed this shortcoming by introducing a more fluid and smooth operating system.

Conclusion

Blackberry has abandoned mobile phone production entirely in favor of mobile security and software solutions. It was able to prosper in the market at first, disrupting the technological world, but it was eventually disrupted by its own incapacity to gauge the amount of market competition.

Blackberry's narrative of unprecedented success and eventual bankruptcy is a cautionary tale for tech companies that become stagnant after achieving success.