Blackberry, oh, Blackberry, where did you go so wrong? The company has just reported bigger than expected losses in the fourth quarter. Blackberry expected business to pick up when the company created its recent Priv Android phone. Unfortunately for Blackberry, that didn’t happen. Shares in the Canadian company fell nearly 6 percent.

BlackBerry’s Future

BlackBerry CEO, John Chen has told press that the company plans to focus more on software in the future. BlackBerry will also focus on devices that pertain to the workforce more, which is really where the company’s original market was. BlackBerry got away from the workforce market when the company tried to compete with the iPhone. While competing with Apple sounded like a good plan for BlackBerry, it turned out to be a bad way to go.

Since BlackBerry’s many failed devices, the company has been sinking steadily and slowly. Clearly Chen and team thought the problem was with the devices the company was creating under the BlackBerry umbrella, which is why the Priv phone was created. Priv faded as quickly as it came, though, leaving BlackBerry without a real core smartphone audience.

A Possible Chance

The only chance that BlackBerry now has to redeem itself is through a different focus - a more pointed one. That focus will soon be back on the business world. Why BlackBerry veered from the business crowd is clear (to compete with the likes of Apple and Android), but it was a grave mistake for the small Canadian company.

Chen has told press that the company might turn completely towards software and drop handsets completely. This might be the best way for BlackBerry to go as well. The company is not developing any new handsets that are catching on with users, and going through another company did not work out so well either.

Always a Software Company

Even though BlackBerry’s original phones were popular at one point years ago, it wasn’t really (if you take a closer look) the company’s phones that were so popular. Rather, it was the company’s messenger service, BBM. BBM is actually what put BlackBerry on the map - that and the fact that the company had the most secure software out there. Moving towards being a software only company wouldn’t be a massive stretch for the company.

A world without BlackBerry devices may seem kind of strange. Yet, it is the best way for the company to go at the moment. BlackBerry is not selling any handsets, has really abandoned the notion of creating new devices, and has to find a path out of the red. Chen has stated that he will give BlackBerry’s handset business a few more months to pick up, but after that time the company will abandon all devices.
If You Have a Priv

If you are one of the few that has a BlackBerry or Android Priv, you can still use your phone without concern. BlackBerry should still support Priv for the time being. Whether or not the company will provide support in the future remains to be seen.