Known as the ‘crackberry,’ it represented a significant shift in technology and a symbol of social status. Yet, what led to the decline of the pioneering smartphone, and why were the executives blindsided by it?
Fifteen years ago, there was no more prominent symbol of prestige than the BlackBerry. Celebrities like Lady Gaga tweeted from their BlackBerries, Madonna kept one under her pillow, and Kim Kardashian owned a trio of them. Even Barack Obama, upon assuming the presidency, fought fiercely to retain his BlackBerry. In a memorable 2006 incident involving Naomi Campbell, her weapon of choice during an outburst with a housekeeper was, surprisingly, a BlackBerry. There’s no exaggeration in saying that they were ubiquitous.
However, when was the last time you actually gave any thought to BlackBerry? Was it a year ago, a decade ago, or even longer? BlackBerry now occupies an undeniably peculiar position in our culture. It burst onto the scene with such revolutionary force – offering a means to send emails and liberating users from the confines of their offices – only to be swiftly overshadowed when Apple introduced the iPhone. The abrupt and drastic rise and fall of BlackBerry are so bewildering that they are now almost impossible to fathom.
Fortunately, a new film has arrived to narrate the entire saga of BlackBerry. Adapted from the book “Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry,” this propulsive comedy-drama takes us on a whirlwind journey through the tumultuous history. It follows the adventures of two somewhat unprepared Canadian engineers, Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin, who pioneered the world’s first smartphone. With the help of Glenn Howerton’s impassioned capitalist character, Jim Balsillie, they soar to incredible heights before plummeting back to reality. In an era where movies are being made about the genesis of almost every conceivable real-life product, from shoes (as in “Air”) to video games (like “Tetris”) to snacks (as in “Flamin’ Hot”), BlackBerry emerges as one of the most thoroughly enjoyable tales.
It might even offer a fresh perspective on history. In our current vantage point, it’s simple to label BlackBerry as a complete failure, as the stopgap solution until Steve Jobs revolutionized the tech world. Effortlessly, one could lump BlackBerry together with other relics that failed to anticipate the impending transformation, such as Blockbuster Video, Friends Reunited, or traditional journalism.
Nonetheless, the film adeptly illustrates that, for a significant period, BlackBerry enjoyed a moment of glory. It precisely identifies the juncture when people grasped the device’s potential, and their lives shifted accordingly. Renowned author and tech writer Jonathan Margolis recollects, “I was in New York, working on a book, and I noticed everyone had these devices called BlackBerrys. People were telling me they could send emails, and I remember thinking, ‘No, you must be mistaken; you’re sending SMS text messages.’ But a friend sent me an email from their phone, and I had to return home to retrieve it on my PC. It was truly remarkable.
However remarkable the technology may be, the film’s genesis can be attributed to a different factor. Speaking via Zoom from his residence in Toronto, Matt Johnson, the director of BlackBerry who also co-wrote the screenplay and portrays Fregin in the film, elucidates that his initial attraction lay in the interplay of personalities at the core of the company. He states, “I felt a certain affinity with both Jim and Mike,” referring to the two characters with opposing ideologies at the film’s center. On one side, there was Lazaridis, a visionary perfectionist who fixated on every detail until it reached the pinnacle of excellence. On the other hand, there was Balsillie, whose unapologetic pursuit of wealth permeated every scene. Which aspect of Balsillie did Johnson identify with?
He chuckles and responds, “The notion of seizing as much power as possible, for no apparent reason, just to possess power. Yeah, the interplay between these two aspects, I could truly relate to it; it was quite clear to me why they were both motivated to do what they did.
The BlackBerry may now carry a touch of nostalgic charm, but its global impact was immeasurable. It’s important to remember that the iPhone was intentionally crafted to dethrone the BlackBerry. In the late 2000s, aspiring to outdo the BlackBerry was akin to challenging the toughest inmate in a prison. What’s more, it was remarkably explicit. Steve Jobs had the BlackBerry squarely in his crosshairs, even displaying an image of it dismissively during the iPhone’s launch, underscoring his intent to obliterate it. If we had still inhabited a world of flip phones and numerical texting, there’s a possibility that Jobs wouldn’t have exerted such strenuous efforts to create the perfect phone, and as a result, the world would look dramatically different.
It wasn’t merely a gadget that celebrities sometimes wielded as a weapon against their staff. The BlackBerry played a pivotal role in reshaping the way people conducted their work. Possessing a BlackBerry, and essentially any smartphone that followed, signified that you weren’t confined to a desk in a fluorescent-lit office to stay linked. It meant you could carry your workplace with you wherever you went. You could respond to emails during the night, while on vacation, or even in the restroom.
Recall the difficulty of keying in the word “fizzy” on those early brick phones. You had to press the three button three times, followed by the four button three times, then the nine button four times. After a brief pause for the cursor to advance, you pressed the nine button four more times, another pause, and finally, you pressed the nine three more times. It was an exceedingly time-consuming process. If there’s one defining characteristic of the BlackBerry era, it’s likely the immense relief of needing to press a single button just once for each letter.
If you’ve ever received an email from your boss at 11pm, you’ve probably had some choice words for BlackBerry
However, the excitement was short-lived. The moment the iPhone was unveiled, BlackBerry’s sales plummeted dramatically and never managed to bounce back. Margolis suggests that BlackBerry’s own arrogance might have expedited its downfall. He explains, “BlackBerry had grown rather complacent. There was a period when they believed that typing on a flat glass surface wouldn’t catch on, but within a year, the traditional clicky-clicky method of typing on BlackBerry seemed entirely outdated.”
Interestingly, Johnson’s film, however, hints that the decline began as soon as BlackBerry lost its vibrant and amiable co-founder, Fregin. He was pushed out as the corporate walls started to close in on the company.
“It’s a concept I hold dear,” Johnson remarks. “The notion that there’s something not immediately reflected in the bottom line but creates a harmonious, egoless, and positive environment where individuals are motivated to do more than what’s asked of them.” For Johnson, Fregin’s departure symbolized nothing less than the spiritual demise of the company.
The long-term impact of BlackBerry remains a subject of uncertainty. Echoes of its inception continue to reverberate in the real world. On one hand, the work-from-home revolution that has unfolded since the onset of COVID-19 would have been inconceivable before BlackBerry, and we are steadily progressing toward a future where many occupations can be conducted from any location. However, on the downside, this freedom to work from anywhere has given rise to burnout and fatigue, eroding the longstanding boundaries that separated work from personal life. If you’ve ever received an email from your boss at 11pm and were expected to respond immediately, the reality is that BlackBerry is probably the one deserving of your frustration.
The overarching legacy of BlackBerry, according to Johnson, is that of a company that failed to recognize the impending change. He goes on to explain, “Yet, everyone seems to have a somewhat melancholic sentiment about it. It’s quite remarkable because it’s not often that the public sympathizes with a billion-dollar corporation. They are often seen as the antagonists, but in this case, people almost view BlackBerry as a departed family member. Countless massive companies falter, and nobody spares them a second thought. However, for some reason, BlackBerry triggers a human response.”
But why is that the case? Johnson continues, “I wonder if it’s because the product had such a tangible quality. BlackBerry’s reputation is almost reminiscent of a small, family-run business, which is quite ludicrous when you consider the scale, influence, and ambition of that company. In many ways, I believe the current reaction to the company is precisely the opposite of what someone like Jim Balsillie might have desired. It’s almost as if people say, ‘Oh, you ran a company? That’s nice. I’m so sorry,’ which is rather belittling. It’s a somewhat humbling response. Yet, that’s the irony of BlackBerry in many respects.”
Johnson also underscores the point that what transpired with BlackBerry won’t be the sole instance of such events. Public preferences are capricious, and it only takes one new competitor with a groundbreaking invention to disrupt an entire industry. While we may currently look back at BlackBerry with a kind of wistful nostalgia, it is inevitable that someday something will emerge to surpass the iPhone. What an extraordinary story that would make into a movie.
