I really feel like I’ve become the BlackBerry blog as it is the biggest news in the tech world at the moment. In any case, there are now reports that cast doubt on Z10 sales in the UK and Canada. The Boy Genius Report has posted a story that first says this:
“Checks at 40 stores in Canada indicate sell-through of the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone is strong on its launch day, with numerous stores selling out towards the end of the day,” RBC Capital Markets analyst Mark Sue wrote in a note to clients on Wednesday. “Z10 pre-orders reached record highs (for BlackBerry).”
That’s the good news. Sue tossed some cold water on the report though, noting very short Z10 inventory across all of the stores he spoke with. “Supply appears limited, with stores allocated avg. 5-10 units/store for walk-ins and est. 20-30 units/store for pre-orders,” the analyst wrote.
Sue continued, “Sell-through of the BlackBerry Z10 in the UK is exceeding RIM’s expectations, with some stores sold out as well. The Z10 now ranks #4 on uSwitch UK’s website ahead of the Nexus 4 and Lumia 920 (#1 remains iPhone 5). BlackBerry will launch the Z10 in other parts of Western Europe this week. Bear in mind however, BlackBerry’s presence in those countries combined is less than its sub base in the UK.”
The story then goes on to say this:
Fellow Canadian firm Canaccord Genuity found much of the same. “Our U.K. store surveys post the recent launch of the Z10 smartphone indicated solid initial sales. However, limited initial supply was cited as the reason for early post-launch stock-outs at some carrier stores versus overwhelming demand,” analyst T. Michael Walkley wrote in a separate note to investors on Wednesday. ”In fact, our surveys indicated most stores received less than 15 units and sold a majority of these units over a two- to three-day period, leading to initial stock-outs at a few stores and low inventory levels at others.”
He continued, “While we are impressed with the features of the new BB10 OS and Z10 smartphone, we believe BlackBerry has only closed the gap with more mature smartphone OS platforms and offers limited differentiating services or features to win back customers from more mature ecosystems.”
Well, that’s depressing. Combined with the story I wrote earlier today. I am now thinking that I may not have to eat crow about the chances of BlackBerry surviving.
UPDATE: BlackBerry has released a statement to the media (such as the Toronto Star) saying that they’re breaking sales records with the launch of the Z10. But strangely there are no numbers attached. I wonder what they have to hide by refusing to put numbers on the table?
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This entry was posted on February 6, 2013 at 2:37 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags BlackBerry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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BlackBerry Sales In UK May Not Be As Strong As Once Thought [UPDATED]
I really feel like I’ve become the BlackBerry blog as it is the biggest news in the tech world at the moment. In any case, there are now reports that cast doubt on Z10 sales in the UK and Canada. The Boy Genius Report has posted a story that first says this:
“Checks at 40 stores in Canada indicate sell-through of the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone is strong on its launch day, with numerous stores selling out towards the end of the day,” RBC Capital Markets analyst Mark Sue wrote in a note to clients on Wednesday. “Z10 pre-orders reached record highs (for BlackBerry).”
That’s the good news. Sue tossed some cold water on the report though, noting very short Z10 inventory across all of the stores he spoke with. “Supply appears limited, with stores allocated avg. 5-10 units/store for walk-ins and est. 20-30 units/store for pre-orders,” the analyst wrote.
Sue continued, “Sell-through of the BlackBerry Z10 in the UK is exceeding RIM’s expectations, with some stores sold out as well. The Z10 now ranks #4 on uSwitch UK’s website ahead of the Nexus 4 and Lumia 920 (#1 remains iPhone 5). BlackBerry will launch the Z10 in other parts of Western Europe this week. Bear in mind however, BlackBerry’s presence in those countries combined is less than its sub base in the UK.”
The story then goes on to say this:
Fellow Canadian firm Canaccord Genuity found much of the same. “Our U.K. store surveys post the recent launch of the Z10 smartphone indicated solid initial sales. However, limited initial supply was cited as the reason for early post-launch stock-outs at some carrier stores versus overwhelming demand,” analyst T. Michael Walkley wrote in a separate note to investors on Wednesday. ”In fact, our surveys indicated most stores received less than 15 units and sold a majority of these units over a two- to three-day period, leading to initial stock-outs at a few stores and low inventory levels at others.”
He continued, “While we are impressed with the features of the new BB10 OS and Z10 smartphone, we believe BlackBerry has only closed the gap with more mature smartphone OS platforms and offers limited differentiating services or features to win back customers from more mature ecosystems.”
Well, that’s depressing. Combined with the story I wrote earlier today. I am now thinking that I may not have to eat crow about the chances of BlackBerry surviving.
UPDATE: BlackBerry has released a statement to the media (such as the Toronto Star) saying that they’re breaking sales records with the launch of the Z10. But strangely there are no numbers attached. I wonder what they have to hide by refusing to put numbers on the table?
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This entry was posted on February 6, 2013 at 2:37 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags BlackBerry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.