BlackBerry to stop making smartphones

We already knew it was coming and it was only a matter of time but today BlackBerry has announced it will no longer be making any smartphones.

In a statement released today, BlackBerry CEO John Chen disclosed that “The company plans to end all internal hardware development and will outsource that function to partners. This allows us to reduce capital requirements and enhance return on invested capital“.

It looks like there will still be BlackBerry phones but these will be outsourced to partners.

“Our new Mobility Solutions strategy is showing signs of momentum, including our first major device software licensing agreement with a telecom joint venture in Indonesia. Under this strategy, we are focusing on software development, including security and applications.” Chen added.

By focusing on software and applications, BlackBerry is hoping they can stop the bleeding and perhaps turn things around for the better. We’ve already seen the BlackBerry DTek50 which is basically an Alcatel handset with BlackBerry branding around it.

With this development, we might actually see more BlackBerry phones coming from different partners.

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