BlackBerry CEO expects 'several tens of millions' of Q10 unit sales
Following a strong UK launch of BlackBerry's latest Q10 smartphone, CEO Thorsten Heins said he expects the trend to continue as the company prepares to tap into an installed user base for wider release.
The QWERTY keyboard-toting Q10 officially started sales in the UK on Monday, and initial sales performance appears to be high, as a number of department stores and retailers saw quick stock outs. BlackBerry's successful device launch sparked a 3.9 percent stock price spike in New York, with shares hitting $15.61 before the bell.
"We have very, very good first signs already after the launch in the UK,? Heins told Bloomberg in an interview at the Milken Institute conference. ?This is going into the installed base of more than 70 million BlackBerry users so we have quite some expectations. We expect several tens of million of units.?
Last week, reviewers lauded the new Q10's physical keyboard and respectable battery life, saying the handset is the return to QWERTY many users have been waiting for.
BlackBerry is counting on the next-generation BB10 mobile platform to resuscitate revenues after smartphones like Apple's iPhone and Android-based handsets pushed the once-dominant Ontario-based company to the wayside. The firm's slice of the worldwide smartphone market has quickly dwindled, with sluggish shipments dropping the company out of the top five earlier this year.
So far there are only two offerings using the BlackBerry 10. The touchscreen Z10, which shipped one million units since it began rolling out in January, just recently made its way to the U.S. at the end of March. BlackBerry's Q10 is expected to see worldwide distribution by the end of quarter two.
The QWERTY keyboard-toting Q10 officially started sales in the UK on Monday, and initial sales performance appears to be high, as a number of department stores and retailers saw quick stock outs. BlackBerry's successful device launch sparked a 3.9 percent stock price spike in New York, with shares hitting $15.61 before the bell.
"We have very, very good first signs already after the launch in the UK,? Heins told Bloomberg in an interview at the Milken Institute conference. ?This is going into the installed base of more than 70 million BlackBerry users so we have quite some expectations. We expect several tens of million of units.?
Last week, reviewers lauded the new Q10's physical keyboard and respectable battery life, saying the handset is the return to QWERTY many users have been waiting for.
BlackBerry is counting on the next-generation BB10 mobile platform to resuscitate revenues after smartphones like Apple's iPhone and Android-based handsets pushed the once-dominant Ontario-based company to the wayside. The firm's slice of the worldwide smartphone market has quickly dwindled, with sluggish shipments dropping the company out of the top five earlier this year.
So far there are only two offerings using the BlackBerry 10. The touchscreen Z10, which shipped one million units since it began rolling out in January, just recently made its way to the U.S. at the end of March. BlackBerry's Q10 is expected to see worldwide distribution by the end of quarter two.
Comments
I am at a loss to understand how they think such an old, obsolete phone design has any chance in hell of selling 10s of millions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogifan
Who would want this except for maybe company CEOs? I'm sorry but the guy is delusional. And this is all based off anecdotal evidence from ONE store in the UK.
Our CEO still has one but he confessed the other day that he will switch to iPhone when the next one is released, not because he doesn't like his ancient BB, but because he received a message from Chase Bank that it is discontinuing support for BB in online banking.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dasanman69
In dollars or devices? Feasible in dollars but highly doubtful in devices.
He said units
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ireland
Which CEO said it? ;-)
They just have the one now...
All they need are millions more people like you
[VIDEO]
If your 150 daily emails are as wordy as your post then I understand why you need a physical keyboard:)
Dealing with 800+ emails per day with the iPhone like a breeze.
The CEO of Same-sung
Hope springs eternal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Scrip
All they need are millions more people like you
Correction........"Several tens of millions"
That's the difference between Apple and others. Steve Jobs said he'd be happy with 1% of the mobile phone sales when the original iphone was released and now this guy, Heins, is going out on a limb to say he anticipates several tens of millions sold. Granted Apple was breaking into the phone business and Blackberry has an installed user base to upgrade and build from, but, Blackberry is still an underdog, at this point.
I'd rather invest where a CEO underestimates and over performs rather than a CEO that overestimates and underperforms....anyday.
Well, no matter, whoever they are, wherever they are.... I hope BB owns the qwerty smartphone market. I hope it integrates well with iCloud. Qwerty BB is not a threat even if it is a sizeable market. Some people will never change.
What astonishes me is that he refers to the installed base of around 70 million users, as if all of them were comparable.
A) A lot of them are on cheap Curves. None of the companies I know in India will upgrade regular managers from a Curve to a Q10 or Z10 (both roughly 3-4 times more expensive) - this is a Cxx-level and beyond price point. And our customers in Europe have moved beyond BB long ago, most of them have deployed MDM solutions that do not even support BB10.
The other problem is of course, that the Q10 by far outselling the Z10 (if that's the case) will have immediate impact on the application developers and how they will design their apps. Touch and the bigger screen will become an afterthought.
It does seem to be an antiquated style.
Banking on old technology doesn't seem very bright. I guess we'll see.
Music companies still manufacture CD's, I think.