Blackberry has announced that it is finally ceasing support for its once wildly popular smartphone devices, rendering them effectively dead from today.
The company previously warned own its website that support for the iconic smartphone, which has not been produced since 2016 would “no longer reliably function” from January 4.
Blackberry devices were once the envy of every teenager in the country, with the iconic keyboard and messaging capabilities, however the introduction of touchscreen Android and iOS devices in 2013 was the start of the end the Blackberry smartphone, with the company posting billion dollar losses.
The tech company shipped only 5.9 million handsets in the second quarter of 2013, with Apple shifting nine million iPhones in the first few days of launch alone.
READ MORE: How Snap is helping augmented reality become a cornerstone of retail
Since the decline of its smartphone division, Blackberry has since transitioned into a security software business.
While production for the mobile handsets ceased in 2016, the company continued to maintain the software “as an expression of thanks” to its loyal partners and customers who enjoyed the use of its physical keyboard as well as its security features.
While those features may become popular again in an ever-changing mobile phone sector, the Blackberry handsets are useful for little more than recycling from today.
