Terrible designs, zero cool factor and more
1. And so did Android
But perhaps the biggest effect on BlackBerry came from Google and the Android platform. Google's tactic of effectively giving away Android to manufacturers to install helped to flood the market with new devices.
This meant that all pockets were catered for. The iPhone may have been too expensive for some, but buyers could find a similar, often better specced, Android device for half the price.
It was a no-brainer for many. A plastic, outdated BlackBerry with physical keys and a small screen and barely any useful apps, or a large, svelte, Android device with access to the Play Store's huge and rapidly growing app catalogue.
As we've noted, BlackBerry totally missed its chance to respond to this threat by introducing new phones until it was too late, and even then they were bloody odd. Honestly, what on Earth was the Passport all about? µ
