In addition to the sinking of Nokia, the destruction of the BlackBerry mobile phone business is also a dramatic story that is hard to forget. Because like Nokia, BlackBerry used to be the dream smartphone for so many people. How did the BlackBerry collapse begin? It all started with the confusion of the top brass.
Like Nokia, BlackBerry's spectacular failure was the result of management mistakes and mismanagement. Especially Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis who at that time became CEOs with BlackBerry, formerly known as Research In Motion (RIM).
The first factor, as is the case with Nokia, BlackBerry officials failed to anticipate the arrival of the iPhone and then the line of Android phones. When the iPhone was born, Lazaridis insisted that the BlackBerry's physical keyboard was superior to the touch screen.
"Not everyone can type on a piece of glass. Every laptop and cell phone (besides the iPhone) has a keyboard. I think our design has an advantage," Lazaridis said at the time.
BlackBerry in those years actually remained competitive. In 2009, they were still the fastest growing company in the world according to Fortune magazine. But the threat of the iPhone is getting real, as is Android, which is starting to be used by several manufacturers.
iPhone challenger phones such as the BlackBerry Storm which is fully touch screen and released in 2008 arguably failed because consumers did not like it. The wearing experience is bad and the application is unattractive.
In 2010, RIM began the transition to the BlackBerry OS. They have bought the touch-screen software company QNX, in the hope that it will be implemented on mobile phones and tablets. So, RIM is actually not without preparation in facing the challenges of the times.
But the problem is, the execution is slow. A letter from a RIM employee in 2011 exposed chaotic conditions within the company. "We reacted too late to the iPhone threat when we witnessed it four years ago," the letter reads.
"We laughed and said they tried to put the computer into the phone, it wouldn't work. We should have transitioned to QNX by then. Now, we're 3 to 4 years late," he added.
The delay in transitioning to the touch screen makes RIM go awry. On the one hand, the touch screen OS which will be called BlackBerry 10 is not yet ready, and on the other hand, BlackBerry phones sold are still using BlackBerry 7. Consumers may be hesitant if they have to buy a BlackBerry because they are afraid that it will quickly get old.
Confusion in BlackBerry management has also hit again about what kind of phone model for BlackBerry 10. At first, the company planned to launch a full touch phone because sales of BlackBerry 7 phones with physical keyboards were still good.
However, in 2012, sales of BlackBerry 7 began to decline. So Lazaridis asked that in addition to a touch screen, there must be a BlackBerry 10 phone with a physical keyboard to meet the demands of loyal BlackBerry fans.
"This is our iconic device. The keyboard is one of the reasons they bought a BlackBerry," Lazaridis said as quoted by the Globe and Mail.
At that time, RIM, which changed its name to BlackBerry, was led by a new CEO named Thorsten Heins. He actually insisted that BlackBerry 10 phones had to be fully touch screen because he believed the OS was better than iPhone or Android.
In the end, as a compromise measure, management agreed to make two versions of the phone, the Z10 with a touch screen and the Q10 with a keyboard. Z10 which was launched first, to be precise in early 2013.
Unfortunately, it was all too late. BlackBerry 10-based phones launched 6 years after the introduction of the iPhone and 5 years after Android.
The launch of BlackBerry 10 was magnificent, featuring singer Alicia Keys who was lined up as Global Creative Director. BlackBerry Z10 was then widely praised in various reviews in the technology media.
However, the phone did not sell very well. BlackBerry is not as attractive as before and the Z10, which doesn't have a keyboard and has a completely different system, is thought to have taken consumers by surprise.
"People who still want to buy a new smartphone from BlackBerry is because there is a keyboard. Then they launched a touch screen phone. Consumers who want a BlackBerry touch screen are gone," said an observer from S&P.
Finally, BlackBerry phones really sink. Had licensed the brand to several manufacturers and used Android, still couldn't get up. Today, BlackBerry as the parent company focuses on security software and is still quite successful.