BlackBerry as RIM before had commanded the smartphone business both in the enterprise sector and the consumer market. Its devices, boasting ergonomic keyboards and straightforward form factors, were easily essentials during its time that it would have been difficult to live in a connected world where the Canadian company did not exist.
However, that may change now. BlackBerry CEO John Chen said that the company would consider exiting the hardware business as early as next year if it's not as profitable.
In an interview during Code/Mobile, Chen has said that BlackBerry might quit its devices business if it isn't profitable by next year. This would likely mean that Waterloo might focus entirely on providing services to other platforms instead. After all, BlackBerry at the Mobile World Congress 2015 had revealed that it will focus on software with a suite of cross-platform apps.
The BlackBerry Experience Suite, as the company calls it, would bring deep integration of productivity, communication and collaboration, and security experiences in mobile devices that run on Android, iOS, and Windows. Furthermore, BlackBerry's Enterprise Servers are already working in harmony with both Android and iOS.
The BlackBerry Priv, a smartphone that runs on Android Lollipop with the hardware features of BlackBerry, has the potential to mark a significant turning point in the company's very own handset business. Not only will it dictate the future revenue of BlackBerry, but it will also set the direction of where the company will be heading in the future. The Priv can be considered as an 'experimental' smartphone as it is the company's first foray into the world of Android.
In a report from The Verge, Chen would not say if BlackBerry will be coming out with new BB10 devices in the future. However, customers involved in high-security businesses such as the government and hospitals will continue to be supported with new updates on the software side.
