(Reuters) – BlackBerry (NYSE:) Ltd has ceased service to its ubiquitous business phones, which were beloved by politicians, executives and large numbers of supporters in the 2000s.

This marks the end to an era. The phones had a small QWERTY keyboard and were the first to offer push email.

Barack Obama was a former president of the U.S. and one of its most prominent users. In 2016, he was forced to part with his BlackBerry in order to get a new smartphone.

Blackberry (TSX 🙂 was unable to compete with Apple (NASDAQ 🙂 and its touchscreen iPhones. The company has been focusing on embedded operating systems and cybersecurity software for automobiles in recent years.

There were many tributes on social media. Twitter (NYSE): One user said it was a “fabulous device” and expressed hope that the phones of the company would be restored.

The company published a 2020 document in which it stated that they would decommission legacy BlackBerry 10 services and BlackBerry OS operating system systems. Additional devices running on these platforms would not be supported. They may no longer receive data or make calls, and could be incapable of sending messages or receiving them.

On Monday, a U.S. Judge rejected the company’s attempt to dismiss the lawsuit alleging it defrauded shareholders through inflating success and profitability for smartphones running BlackBerry 10 OS. He also stated that the case may go to trial next fall.