BlackBerry 'Classic' No More: US Senate Drops Brand, Chooses Android Devices and iPhone
Despite the high security, and easy interface that Blackberry brings, US Senate has finally decided to ditch BlackBerry and is now switching to Android or iPhone.
According to a memo sent last week from the Senate Sergeant at Arms, Senate staff will no longer receive new BlackBerry phones due to the fact that BlackBerry had only 600 smartphone devices left and it wouldn't be manufacturing anymore. The memo reasoned out that the BlackBerry will no longer produce any of their Blackberry OS 10 devices, particularly the Q10, Z10, Z30, Passport and Classic, and that "future fulfillment cannot be guaranteed."
BlackBerry cleared the issue out, saying that there might have been a misunderstanding on the matter. They said that they had informed telecom carriers Verizon and AT&T that they will no longer produce BlackBerry Classic ONLY, but will still continue to "actively support sales of BlackBerry 10 smartphones to customers in most markets."
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The memo noted that Senate staffers can use the remaining phones that were stocked or they can switch to Samsung S6 Android phones or Apple's iPhone SE.
The recent change in policy, will enable the staff to undergo a major adjustment to a different smartphone user interface.
In trying to avoid losing customers, and as well as in order to retain the partnership with the Senate, they are urging the consumers to always keep in touch with their network providers so they would be able to know its availability and enhanced features in the future.
They also claimed that they are focusing on software updates for BlackBerry 10 with version 10.3.3 scheduled for a release next month, and another update to be released next year. They would also continue to provide handsets that would be newer than their existing devices to network providers.
BlackBerry has been an essential supply in the Congress for a decade due to its great specialization in secure communications and mobile productivity. Although President Barack Obama was an Apple fan, he was advised to use BlackBerry due to security matters. BlackbBerries were even cheaper than other phones. However, as markets of Samsung and Apple continue to rise, the public had also started ditching BlackBerry and switched to Android and iOS instead. BlackBerry's hardware limited the App experience and that caused the company to fall back.
While it is being left behind by Samsung and Apple, and is falling out of fashion for smartphones, BlackBerry says they will still remain and will also continue to support devices on its own mobile operating platform. The company also confirmed that aside from an updated version of OS 10, they will be introducing three new devices that will run on Google's Android platform.
