AfterDawn: News

BlackBerry shares fall as demand for Z10 phone appears to be non-existent

BlackBerry made its return to the U.S. yesterday via carrier AT&T, but it appears consumer demand has not returned.

Shares of the company collapsed 7 percent on Friday after reports showed no demand in stores for the phone, and little excitement by AT&T employees.



AT&T locations around the nation did not even have the Z10 flagship phone on display yet, and Best Buy stores were also reporting weak demand.

Hudson Square Research analyst Daniel Ernst added (via Reuters): "This morning we visited and called stores to survey early demand for the BlackBerry Z10. We found no lines, no signage announcing the launch, and clerks told us they had very few pre-orders."

The Z10 is the first phone to feature the new BlackBerry 10 operating system, which the company hopes will let them move back into third place behind Android and iOS but ahead of Microsoft's Windows Phone platform.

BlackBerry released the Z10 in Europe in February and has seen relatively strong demand in other markets but it appears that BlackBerry is completely dead to the U.S. market.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 23 Mar 2013 17:25

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• 10 comments

• A5J4DX

  good lol
  

  23.3.2013 17:44 #1

• pcrazy99

  I hated my blackbery.

  23.3.2013 18:24 #2

• KillerBug

  There was a time when Blackberry was great...then phones got touchscreens. Honestly can't understand why these are doing so well overseas...maybe it has something to do with not needing to download anything to get secure email...oh wait, BB email isn't actually secure!
  

  
  

  23.3.2013 19:55 #3

• xtago

  lol, what were these people expecting a full on iphone or galaxy s launch?
  
  I don't think the US would have been worth while to release to anyway, too many people with iphones or android phones to want a blackberry or win8 phone or anything else.

  24.3.2013 08:08 #4

• FMS (unverified)

  Well, i have a Z10 and it works great for me! It's fast and with the BlackBerry Flow you can navigate very easy. BlackBerry is back!

  24.3.2013 16:46 #5

• ZeusAV

  Yeah the demand around here is weak. The longtime Blackberry users are disappointed that it doesn't have a keyboard and the people who like touchscreens are content with their iPhones and Androids. Too little too late for Blackberry. At least here in the US.

  25.3.2013 06:58 #6

• plazma247

  How is it the only post that defended a crack berry was an unverified new user that sounds like they are directly quoting a marketing blurb... seriously work flow....

  28.3.2013 19:09 #7

• kutulu1

  I have a BB Z10. Amazing phone. I love it.

  29.3.2013 09:45 #8

• plazma247

  @ killer lolz yeah its not like ssl/tls isnt avalible as a mail option on all other phones as a way to talk to the server, that said between servers it is always going to be unencrypted on all platforms. Thats where sha1 encrpytion on device (email its self) comes in, not sure that even the z10 has this, android does tho :-) cough cough.
  
  Although it does have bb messenger, but wait theres a ton of cross platform im's out there, so why get sold into a world of platform lock down anti competitive practices.
  
  Microsoft offered msn on most mobile platforms, and skype has always been cross platform, google talk is and has always been, where as apple and bb appear to try and brain wash their follows into thinking its ok not to be able to talk to people with other mobile operating systems, lolz
  

  29.3.2013 10:29 #9

• voyager

  Originally posted by FMS: Well, i have a Z10 and it works great for me! It's fast and with the BlackBerry Flow you can navigate very easy. BlackBerry is back! Good to hear that cuz I pretend to buy this phone

  29.3.2013 16:51 #10