BlackBerry CEO John Chen has penned a letter to customers (current and former, as he's sure to note) explaining the philosophy behind the company's upcoming BlackBerry Classic smartphone.
The Classic is a true blast from the past, with the old BlackBerry navigation buttons and even a trackpad.
It's not even clear whether the BlackBerry Classic has a touchscreen.
Chen boiled the phone down to one core adage: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
More flies with honey
Amid some serious flattery of BlackBerry users (you're all special, promise!) Chen explains in the letter that "innovation is not about blowing up what works to make something new - it's about taking what works and making it better."
"It's tempting in a rapidly changing, rapidly growing mobile market to change for the sake of change - to mimic what's trendy and match the industry-standard, kitchen-sink approach of trying to be all things to all people," he writes.
Chen is propping the Classic up as both a return to form for BlackBerry and an evolution of what many BlackBerry users like about the platform, including the physical keyboard and work-focused productivity and collaboration tools like the BlackBerry Hub and BlackBerry Blend.
He mentions few specifics, but the BB Classic was rumored on October 14 to be packing a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 2GB of memory, 16GB of storage, 8- and 2-megapixel cameras, and a 3.5-inch 720 x 720 LCD display.
Chen also let slip this week that the Classic will launch in December. He promised more details soon, and you can register online to get updates when they're available.
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