Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
Tech

Priv Fails To Boost Smartphone Sales, Questions Loom On Blackberry

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Apr, 2016 11:50 AM
    WATERLOO, Ont. — BlackBerry sold about 100,000 fewer smartphones in its last quarter despite the launch of its first Android-powered device, the Priv.
     
    The company said Friday it sold roughly 600,000 cellphones over the three-month period ending Feb. 29, the first full quarter to include sales of the Priv, which BlackBerry released with much fanfare last November. It did not specify how many of the devices sold were Privs.
     
    In the previous quarter, BlackBerry (TSX:BB) sold roughly 700,000 phones.
     
    Apple sold nearly 75 million phones in its first quarter of 2016.
     
    BlackBerry has a lot riding on the Priv. Some industry watchers anticipate BlackBerry will stop producing cellphones altogether if Priv sales are lacklustre.
     
    Executive chairman and CEO John Chen admitted hardware revenue fell short of the company's expectations. But he said he remains optimistic about BlackBerry's future in the smartphone market.
     
    "I still believe that we have a shot at it," he said during a conference call with investors in Waterloo, Ont., where the company is headquartered.
     
    "Hopefully, I'm not naive."
     
     
    He partly attributed the drop in sales to lengthy contract negotiations with major cellphone carriers including Verizon Wireless that pushed new distribution deals into the next quarter. BlackBerry plans to tackle distribution, which Chen identified as the main issue, to help increase sales.
     
    The Priv is now available in 34 countries, he said — up from four since the previous quarter.
     
    As the high-end smartphone market is becoming saturated, Chen said he is also looking at creating a mid-range device, but is not prepared to make an announcement yet.
     
    Chen said the company is on track to make money from its smartphone business during this fiscal year, which began March 1, and needs to sell about three million smartphones for an average price of about $300 to break even. But he reiterated that if the business remains unprofitable, BlackBerry will have to stop making smartphones.
     
    BlackBerry's other businesses performed better in the last quarter. Its software and services revenue was up 106 per cent for the same quarter year over year.
     
    The company's priority is ramping up this segment of its business and projects it will grow about 30 per cent this fiscal year, Chen said. He suggested this could tie into hardware sales.
     
     
    BlackBerry reported a US$238 million net loss in its fourth quarter, with much of the red ink attributed to costs related to restructuring and acquisitions. The loss amounted to 45 cents US per share.
     
    After adjustments that exclude the restructuring and acquisition costs, the loss was three cents per share — less than analyst estimates of 10 cents per share.
     
    Revenue was US$464 million, including a writedown of deferred revenue associated with recent acquisitions. Without that, it would have been US$487 million.
     
    The revenue was below analyst estimates of US$563 million, according to Thomson Reuters.
     
    In mid-morning trading, BlackBerry shares were down about seven per cent at C$9.76 on the Toronto Stock Exchange and US$7.48 on the Nasdaq, a decline of nearly eight per cent.

    MORE Tech ARTICLES

    CBS News Hires Josh Elliott For Online News Service

    CBS News Hires Josh Elliott For Online News Service
    Elliott left ABC for NBC Sports a few years ago when contract talks to stay broke down, and the move sharply cut down on his visibility.

    CBS News Hires Josh Elliott For Online News Service

    Facebook's Latin American Boss Arrested In Brazil

    Police in Sao Paulo say they have arrested the vice-president of Facebook in Latin America.

    Facebook's Latin American Boss Arrested In Brazil

    WhatsApp To End Support For BlackBerry Devices By End Of This Year

    WhatsApp To End Support For BlackBerry Devices By End Of This Year
    It says it wants to focus its efforts on mobile platforms most used by consumers, which it says are Google, Apple and Microsoft operating systems.

    WhatsApp To End Support For BlackBerry Devices By End Of This Year

    Lockdown: Apple Could Make It Even Tougher To Hack iPhones

    Lockdown: Apple Could Make It Even Tougher To Hack iPhones
    Suppose the FBI wins its court battle and forces Apple to help unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino killers. That could open all iPhones up to potential government scrutiny — but it's not the end of the story.

    Lockdown: Apple Could Make It Even Tougher To Hack iPhones

    With Its New S7 Phone, Samsung Looks Even More Like Apple

    With Its New S7 Phone, Samsung Looks Even More Like Apple
    Apple and Samsung phones, which have been looking more and more alike over the past few years, are much closer to virtual twins with Samsung's latest Galaxy S7.

    With Its New S7 Phone, Samsung Looks Even More Like Apple

    Facebook's 'Like' Button Gets 'Angry' And 'Sad' As Friends, 7 Thinks To Know

    Facebook's 'Like' Button Gets 'Angry' And 'Sad' As Friends, 7 Thinks To Know
    Here are seven things to know about Facebook's latest feature, known as Reactions.

    Facebook's 'Like' Button Gets 'Angry' And 'Sad' As Friends, 7 Thinks To Know