By MarketWatch
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — BlackBerry Inc.’s results for its fiscal fourth quarter may have surprised investors with an operating profit, but the larger-than-expected subscriber loss should be a concern for investors.
![BlackBerry long MW-BA809_blackb_20130327124132_MC.jpg?uuid=36149f02-96fd-11e2-9d5e-002128040cf6]()
Earlier on Thursday, BlackBerry /quotes/zigman/18534/quotes/nls/bbry [Dear Guest/Member you can't see link before click here to register] +2.42% said that while it [Dear Guest/Member you can't see link before click here to register] of its new BlackBerry Z10 smartphones, it also lost three million subscribers in the quarter, a far greater number than some analysts had expected. For example, Colin Gillis at BGC Financial, had estimated that the company would see its subscribers decline by one to two million in the quarter to a total of 77 million to 78 million subscribers. BlackBerry ended the quarter with a net total of 76 million subscribers.
Still, investors were for now mostly elated at the positive upside in the quarter and its shares jumped 2.22%. The company has still yet to introduce the BlackBerry Q10 smartphone, which will have the physical QWERTY keyboard that the company is known for. The Q10 smartphone is expected to be launched sometime in April.
[Dear Guest/Member you can't see link before click here to register]
BlackBerry earnings report surprises
BlackBerry beat most analyst's expectations today, reporting a surprise profit and strong cash standing in the fourth quarter;
What do the results say about the company’s recovery attempts so far and its new product launches? As some on Wall Street had predicted, the results are mixed. “It’s still early to draw a discernible trend for BB10 and positive early indications in Canada and the U.K. may soon be replaced with mixed uptake in other markets,” wrote Mark Sue, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets, in a note earlier this week.
BlackBerry could fare better once it releases the highly anticpated Q10 keyboard version, but the delay in launching the Q10 after the Z10 is not auspicious. The company could continue to lose pent-up demand for new products the longer it takes to launch the device. In the meantime, there are new smartphones looming in the wings from HTC Corp. and Samsung. BlackBerry needs to bring out its keyboard version of its new phones soon if it hopes to stave off any further big drops in its current subscriber base.
And even then, another new product is far from a guarantee.
— [Dear Guest/Member you can't see link before click here to register]
/quotes/zigman/18534/quotes/nls/bbry![BlackBerry long arrow-symbol-popup.png]()
US : U.S.: Nasdaq
Volume: 63.87M
March 28, 2013 12:00p
Rev. per Employee $760,500
![BlackBerry long ajax-loader.gif]()
![BlackBerry long arrow-symbol-popup-bottom.png]()
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — BlackBerry Inc.’s results for its fiscal fourth quarter may have surprised investors with an operating profit, but the larger-than-expected subscriber loss should be a concern for investors.
Earlier on Thursday, BlackBerry /quotes/zigman/18534/quotes/nls/bbry [Dear Guest/Member you can't see link before click here to register] +2.42% said that while it [Dear Guest/Member you can't see link before click here to register] of its new BlackBerry Z10 smartphones, it also lost three million subscribers in the quarter, a far greater number than some analysts had expected. For example, Colin Gillis at BGC Financial, had estimated that the company would see its subscribers decline by one to two million in the quarter to a total of 77 million to 78 million subscribers. BlackBerry ended the quarter with a net total of 76 million subscribers.
Still, investors were for now mostly elated at the positive upside in the quarter and its shares jumped 2.22%. The company has still yet to introduce the BlackBerry Q10 smartphone, which will have the physical QWERTY keyboard that the company is known for. The Q10 smartphone is expected to be launched sometime in April.
[Dear Guest/Member you can't see link before click here to register]
BlackBerry earnings report surprises
BlackBerry beat most analyst's expectations today, reporting a surprise profit and strong cash standing in the fourth quarter;
What do the results say about the company’s recovery attempts so far and its new product launches? As some on Wall Street had predicted, the results are mixed. “It’s still early to draw a discernible trend for BB10 and positive early indications in Canada and the U.K. may soon be replaced with mixed uptake in other markets,” wrote Mark Sue, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets, in a note earlier this week.
BlackBerry could fare better once it releases the highly anticpated Q10 keyboard version, but the delay in launching the Q10 after the Z10 is not auspicious. The company could continue to lose pent-up demand for new products the longer it takes to launch the device. In the meantime, there are new smartphones looming in the wings from HTC Corp. and Samsung. BlackBerry needs to bring out its keyboard version of its new phones soon if it hopes to stave off any further big drops in its current subscriber base.
And even then, another new product is far from a guarantee.
— [Dear Guest/Member you can't see link before click here to register]
/quotes/zigman/18534/quotes/nls/bbry
US : U.S.: NasdaqVolume: 63.87M
March 28, 2013 12:00p
Rev. per Employee $760,500
