The idea for the BlackBerry Classic came about when it was noted that older BlackBerry 7 models were outselling BlackBerry 10 handsets. One model in particular, the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 was outselling many of the newer handsets. When launched in 2011, the Bold 9930 was the manufacturer’s flagship model with a spectacular physical QWERTY keyboard, the best BlackBerry browser to date, and a touchscreen.
Many BlackBerry faithful had expressed their desire to own the BlackBerry 9900/9930 if only it could be offered with BlackBerry 10 running the show. Since there was no way to update BlackBerry 7 machines with BlackBerry 10, the manufacturer decided to start from scratch with a old-school model that would run BlackBerry 10. So, the BlackBerry Classic was born featuring a trackpad, function keys and a, well, classic design that harkens back to the Bold 9900/9930.
