About Blackberry South Africa
We are talking about a global leader and the fifth most popular company in the world of mobile communication. The company is serving over 250,000 organizations around the world.
It has total assets of US$3.263 billion and has generated a revenue of US$1.309 billion as per the financial year report of 2017.
History
The company was founded on 7th March 1984 in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada by Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin as Research In Motion Limited. The company worked on developing connectivity products for the Mobitex wireless packet-switched data communications network.
In 2000, the first Blackberry smartphone was introduced and they further led to improve the functionality of phones by introducing features like cameras. Their first touch screen smartphone came in the year 2008 to keep in the pace of competition with the Apple iPhone.
The company followed success accumulating 79 million users by 2012 but by 2016 only 1.59 million users continued using the brand in the United States out of total 198.9 million smartphone
users.
Now it is operating in over 30 countries with IoT (Internet of Things) solutions to connect and secure hydroelectric plants, to power wind turbines, to power the International Space Station and to go for animal-free theatrical circus productions around the world.
They also have launched BBM, an instant messaging app and have an antivirus product that uses artificial intelligence for security threats.
When it came to South Africa?
In past years, the company has experienced a reduction in sales of Blackberry in the North American market but the African market is reverse in the case and the business is ripening there.
It has carved a niche for itself in the African market offering features like gaming and internet browsing. It also owns its craze in Africa to its BBM and Appworld features as it gives its user a class and belonging since the 1990s.
Aside from smartphones they also offer business in appliances, automotive, books, cameras and camcorders, clothing and accessories, computers, electronics, flowers, gifts, furniture, health and beauty products, home improvement and indoor living products, jewelry and watches, sports, toys, video games, pet supplies, musical instruments and many more.
What makes them popular in the mobile world?
On the popularity rate, they are considered as the organization with software and services to secure the Internet of Things.
As a whole they go for endpoint management, protection, securing communications, alerts and crisis communications, securing documents, applications, embedded systems, and transportation asset tracking.
Blackberry smartphones are the world’s most secure Android phones. They are designed for security from the inside out as the company is working for decades to perfect their approach in mobile security and to bring new genuine and modern smartphones.
On an innovation basis, they have 37,600+ patients with 23% of revenue invested in R&D and having 18 major development centers in 7 countries.
What’s new?
Recently in 2018 the company launched out Blackberry KEY2 that is now available in South Africa from Vodacom. The phone shares a new experience with the dual-rear camera, intelligent keyboard and also some improved privacy controls with the latest Android 8.1 Oreo operating system.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackBerry
https://www.news24.com/Tags/Companies/blackberry
https://www.businessinsider.co.za/