6 reasons BlackBerry crumbled in the smartphone market

Terrible designs, zero cool factor and more

CANADIAN PHONE MAKER BlackBerry is finally out of the smartphone market, sort of, after announcing last week that it will stop manufacturing its own devices and let third-party firms do the job instead.

The move was no surprise as BlackBerry's share of the smartphone market fell to as low as 0.3 per cent in recent months.

But few could have predicted such a dismal end to the firm's mobile story, given that it was selling 50 million phones a year as recently as 2011. Here, we put together some of the reasons why BlackBerry lost its way.

6. Slow to react to market changes
BlackBerry devices were top in their class for many years because they provided small Qwerty keyboards that made it easier to fire off emails and instant messages.

It's easy to forget, but touch screen phones were few and far between back then, and most people were far more comfortable using plastic keys and a little scroll ball.

However, eventually, led by Apple and Android devices (more on them later), smartphone users became comfortable with touchscreen devices and actually preferred them for the larger screens.

BlackBerry failed to notice the change. The firm stuck doggedly to the idea that fiddly plastic keys were not only desirable, but preferable to sleek, elegant devices, and that if it churned out enough they would still sell. This never happened.

The company did try to turn the corner with BlackBerry 10 that allowed it to create full touchscreen devices with a more modern look and feel, but by then it was too late.

What's more, the app economy had exploded around iOS and Android so that, even those who did want a BlackBerry device were left without the core services they needed.

Perhaps if BlackBerry had made beautiful, elegant phones it could have clawed something back and regrown but, as we shall see, it most definitely did not.

6 reasons BlackBerry crumbled in the smartphone market

Terrible designs, zero cool factor and more

5. Bad designs and bizarre names

We're not sure what's in the water at Waterloo but the people at BlackBerry certainly had some interesting ideas about smartphone design.

Android manufacturers and Apple had identified that it was possible to design sleek, elegant devices around an easy to hold rectangle, but BlackBerry refused to follow suit.

A case in point is the the bizarre BlackBerry Passport that was more of a square, complete with the same fiddly plastic keys at the bottom. It looked ridiculous and didn't even fit into a pocket comfortably. Who on Earth would buy that?

Then, even when Blackberry got the design right with the reasonable looking Priv, the firm did something stupid like call it the Priv. Apple has the iPhone, Samsung the Galaxy range, Sony the Xperia. BlackBerry went with Priv.

Then it unveiled the BlackBerry DTEK50. Catchy stuff guys.

6 reasons BlackBerry crumbled in the smartphone market

Terrible designs, zero cool factor and more

4. BlackBerry was never really cool

Even if BlackBerry had got the name and design right, would it have helped? It's clear with hindsight that BlackBerry was never really cool, or fashionable, in the same way as iPhones and Galaxy phones.

They were mostly forced into the hands of stressed execs, leading to the term CrackBerry, or used by teenagers for the BlackBerry Messenger platform. Hardly two great core user markets.

Of course, there were consumers who used them, but the basic plastic designs and lack of cultural cachet meant that the moment something, anything, better came along, i.e. the iPhone, they were eager to move on.

The corporate world held out a little longer, but even that fell by the wayside.

6 reasons BlackBerry crumbled in the smartphone market

Terrible designs, zero cool factor and more

3. Corporate slowdown

If BlackBerry had one market it should have been able to rely on it was the corporate space. The firm dominated the market at a time when the ability to actually do meaningful work on a mobile device exploded.

It also boasted the highly secure BES platform that ensured content was always encrypted and uncrackable. At least that was the claim until governments around the world started demanding access.

BlackBerry always said that it would never cave into such demands, but rumours abounded that it had done so in nations such as India and Pakistan, no doubt unnerving some security managers.

Meanwhile, several network problems caused many to lose faith in the firm's offering, realising that relying on a single firm's network was perhaps not the best idea.

Lastly, the bring-your-own-device trend that saw staff using personal iPhones or Android devices for work meant that many BlackBerry phones suddenly became redundant.

Some companies clamped down on this, of course, but most embraced it and turned to tools to manage it, which even BlackBerry realised by buying Good Technology last year, meaning that many BlackBerry contracts were never renewed.

6 reasons BlackBerry crumbled in the smartphone market

Terrible designs, zero cool factor and more

2. Apple exploded

Of course, BlackBerry didn't exist in a vacuum and if there are other companies responsible for its downfall Apple definitely had a part to play.

The iPhone overwhelmed everything before it. It was a slow burner for a couple of years after launch, but by the iPhone 4 and then iPhone 4S it was clear that Apple was way ahead of the competition.

The devices looked the best and the App Store was streets ahead by letting developers offer services from games to productivity tools.

Apple handsets were also easier to use. Most people adapted quickly to touchscreen technology and, of course, Apple devices had something that, as we've seen, BlackBerry's didn't - they were cool.

No-one wanted to be seen with a BlackBerry when they could pull the latest iPhone from their pocket, and no doubt many rushed to change devices after being mocked in the pub.

BlackBerry, just like Nokia and Microsoft, underestimated the challenge from Apple and realised too late just how powerful the firm had become.

6 reasons BlackBerry crumbled in the smartphone market

Terrible designs, zero cool factor and more

1. And so did Android

But perhaps the biggest effect on BlackBerry came from Google and the Android platform. Google's tactic of effectively giving away Android to manufacturers to install helped to flood the market with new devices.

This meant that all pockets were catered for. The iPhone may have been too expensive for some, but buyers could find a similar, often better specced, Android device for half the price.

It was a no-brainer for many. A plastic, outdated BlackBerry with physical keys and a small screen and barely any useful apps, or a large, svelte, Android device with access to the Play Store's huge and rapidly growing app catalogue.

As we've noted, BlackBerry totally missed its chance to respond to this threat by introducing new phones until it was too late, and even then they were bloody odd. Honestly, what on Earth was the Passport all about? µ