BlackBerry Limited (BB) was known as Research in Motion (RIM) until January 2013. It has a long history of extreme success and failure. It’s credited by many as creating the first smartphone and there were 41 million BlackBerry subscribers worldwide at its peak in January 2010.

The rise of Google’s Android platform and Apple’s iOS caused it to decline in popularity by nearly three-quarters. BlackBerry’s stock price had effectively tanked from highs of $147 to around $4 to $5 as of February 2025.

History of BlackBerry

BlackBerry became an instant darling of world leaders, corporate honchos, and the rich and famous alike when it brought email services to handheld mobiles with its trademark QWERTY keyboard. Owning a BlackBerry device was once a status symbol and 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:BlackBerry addiction was a prevalent condition.

The always-on always-connected wireless world that allowed secure and reliable access to emails turned out to be very useful for businesses. The first prominent release from BlackBerry was the Inter@ctive Pager 950 in 1998. It had a small-sized screen, 📖keyboard buttons, and the iconic trackball that allowed seamless syncing and continuous access to corporate emails. 🐼It became an instant hit and there was no looking back.

The company introduced the 850 pager in 1999. It supported “push email” from the Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) exchange server. BlackBerry launched the first smartphone, the BlackBerry 957, in 2000.

RIM’s revenues grew by leaps and bounds from 1999 to 2001. This was attributed to increased use by enterprises and governments. The company continued to exp🌱and functionality in the BlackBerry E𒅌nterprise Server (BES) and BlackBerry OS.

The golden period of 2001 to 2007 saw BlackBerry’s global expansion and the addition of new products to its portfolio. BlackBerry expanded into the consumer market after successfully gaining a foothold in the enterprise market. The BlackBerry Pearl series was very successful and subsequent releases of the Curve and Bold product lines were well received.

The Game Changer

BlackBerry’s stock price peaked at an all-time high of $147 in mid-2008. Apple Inc. (AAPL) had introduced its iPhone, the first prominent touchscreen phone, a year earlier. BlackBerry initially ignored it, perceiving it to be an enhanced mobile phone with playful features targeted at younger consumers. The iജPhone was a huge hit, however, and this was the start of Bl𝐆ackBerry’s demise.

The iPhone wasn't just aimed at individuals. It managed to penetrate BlackBerry's core market and attract business leaders. BlackBerry's market was soon flooded with many similar email-enabled smartphones from other manufacturers. BlackBerry nonetheless managed to maintain its status as a “business email device.” People carried two phones: a BlackBerry for business and a personal phone.

BlackBerry introduced Storm, its first touchscreen phone, to compete with the iPhone in 2008. Complaints began pouring in about the device’s performance after high initial sales, however. This was the first time that investors, analysts, and the media started to worry about the business prospects of BlackBerry.

The Swings

RIM secured first place in Fortune’s 100 fastest-growing companies in 2009. Comscore reported that RIM had the largest 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:market share (43%) in the U.S. smartphone market in January 2010. Its global user base stood at 41 million subscribers.

That was unfortunately the peak of market penetration for RIM in the United States. The company continued to lose ground to rival operating systems after that, including 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Apple iOS and Google’s (GOOG) Android, and it was never able to make it back.

BlackBerry continued to have success globally, however, despite declining U.S. sales. It reported 77 million users worldwide during the last quarter of 2012, demonstrating its success in global expansion.

The stock displayed high volatility thanks to these local losses versus global success. The worst year was 2011 when BlackBerry’s stock price tanked around 80% amid declining market share. Continued earnings losses resulted in further declines, most prominently the first-quarter 2014 loss of $84 million which led to a roughly 30% decline in the share price on the day after the announcement.

Corporate Comeback

The high volatility of the stock is attributed to several comeback attempts, corporate developments, associated recommendations by analysts, and competitor developments. RIM acquired the real-time operating system QNX in April 2010 which formed the basis of the BlackBerry Tablet OS. The BlackBerry Playbook tablet was introduced on the QNX platform. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a total failure due to its high price, limited features, and poor performance.

The next generation of BlackBerry phones was announced in 2011 but the eventual product, the BlackBerry 10, 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:failed to catch on. The company’s stock nonetheless saw an upswing of 46% between October and November 2012 based on interim forecasts that the BlackBerry 10 would surpass sales predictions. The stock had risen another 12% by January 2013 and the volatility continued.

Wide positive swings were observed a couple of times during the first half of 2014. They were based on annouꦐncements that BlackBerry was transforming from mobile devices to a mobile solutions company. Those plans yielded less-than-meaningful results.

Another swing came in January 2015 when it was reported that Samsung was interested in buying BlackBerry. This led to a 30% spike in the latter’s share price. The jump proved to be a short-term blip, however, as the stock resumed a downtrend through 2015 and 2016.

Hopes for a dramatic turnaround at BlackBerry have been dashed repeatedly. The stock rallied to a closing high of $14.40 in January 2018, almost doubling its value after two years of gains. The stock has lost more than half its 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:market value since that time, however, as the company’s mobile business has been decimated by the competition. It's been forced to shift its focus and its efforts toward other segments like enterprise software.

Will BlackBerry Survive?

BlackBerry Limited is a provider of cybersecurity and 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Internet of Things (IoT) services as of the mid-2020s. It's effectively given up on smartphones as a business. The company filed its annual report for 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:fiscal year (FY) 2024 on Feb. 29, 2024 and reported a total revenue of $853 million with IoT revenue of $215 million and cybersecurity revenue of $378 million. Fiscal year 2024 revenue for the company’s IoT business showed a $9 million increase in 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:year-over-year (YOY) revenue.

It's possible and often even necessary for a technology company to change its stripes. Google and Meta (formerly Facebook) (META) have blazed trails in that arena. BlackBerry won'▨t only have to morph, however. It will also have to overcome its reputation as a failed smartphone maker. Time will tell whethe﷽r BlackBerry is up to these tasks.

The Bottom Line

BlackBerry is an example of the big risks associated with the highly dynamic 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:technology sector. None of the industry rankings, predictions, or recommendations seem to fit the BlackBerry stock play. Long-term investors have been burned while only a few traders may have made money on the wide swings. This stock will likely remain a pure trader’s play unless confirmed news of a solid acquisition 💯or partnership c🐼omes in.