Unimpressed with new BlackBerry phones, analysts cut RIM targets

By on Aug 4, 2011 at 11:50 AM
Business August 4, 2011

BGR took hands-on looks at the all new BlackBerry Bold 9900, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 and the BlackBerry Torch 9850/9860 last night, and while we were pleasantly surprised with RIM’s new hardware, several analysts were not impressed. Jefferies & Co.’s Peter Misek and Sterne Agee’s Shaw Wu each cut their price targets on RIM stock Thursday morning, suggesting that the Waterloo, Ontario-based vendor’s BlackBerry 7 phones just aren’t enough to reignite the public’s interest in BlackBerry devices. “Handset shipments will be worse than expected in the November quarter despite the sell-in of new OS 7 handsets,” Misek wrote Thursday in a note to investors. RIM said on Wednesday that the upcoming BlackBerry device releases across more than 225 carriers will be the vendor’s biggest launch ever, but Misek isn’t convinced that the handsets will get enough of a push. ”Preliminary reviews of the handsets cite improved speed but a browsing experience still inferior to Android and iOS. We do not believe carriers will put extensive marketing dollars behind the new handsets,” he wrote. Shaw Wu at Sterne Agee said the devices were “better late than never,” but like Misek, he’s still not convinced the devices will be a hit. Misek cut his price target on RIM stock to $22 from his earlier target of $24, and Wu dropped his target to $23 from $27.

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  • Arthur Lyssenko

    This article is good. And by good I mean terrible.

  • Max

    Awwwwww boo fucking hoo. You produce ancient tech made for mental midgets and keyboard clingers and this is what happens

    • Applesucksfatties

      Maxi….  You should take comfort in knowing that there are two bigger f*cking idiots on this planet than you are …their names are Peter Misek and Shaw Wu.  

    • Steve Jenkins

      if you were my dog, I wouldve put you down a very long time ago…

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ZX7I3VN423YBFEWTEQOQ5JR5ME Retro

        if he was your dog max would be humping your leg ;)

  • zacamandapio

    “but a browsing experience still inferior to Android and iOS”.
    Smartphones are used for more tasks than just “web browsing”.

  • Pcbob831

    RIM still offers superior security.  Assuming QNX launches 1H ’12 and without major problems, they should be OK.  

    The other big thing people forget: VZ and T don’t want all of their smartphone eggs in one basket so to speak. That gives the vendors too much power over VZ and T with Apple having the bigger stick if you will.  

  • My_lady_butler

    I don’t care about rim stock because i’m not dumb enough to invest in the manipulated silly stock market but i will be pirchasing the torch 2 and selling my iohone 4. I used to own the bold 9000 and i miss the physical keyboard but was waiting for rim to put some descent hardware inside their devices before i went back and it looks like they ginally did.

    • Applesucksfatties

       what?  You like the physical keyboard? How can this be possible?  According to all-knowing Scroat, NOBODY wants a physical keyboard…    I have an idea, I’m going to start calling him Analyst Scroat.. because (like all other analysts) his “analysis” of RIM contains about as much bullshit as the Calgary Stampede….

  • Rudy

    Define worse then expected…

    What was expected? I guarantee sales will be higher then last quarter.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Harold-Cho/5738326 Harold Cho

    Sad… These journalists get paid for writing stuff that everyone knows. 

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_EZVLTTP6B2FQDTG5ITY3TNEWDE Velma Mcfadden

    I just paid $22.85 for an iPhone 4-32GB and my girlfriend loves her Panasonic Lumix GF 1 Camera that we got for $38.76 there arriving tomorrow by UPS. I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $674 which only cost me $62.81 to buy. Here is the website we use to get it all from, CentHub.com

  • Anonymous

    Wish we could have an adult discussion about the strengths/weaknesses of phones/platforms.

    I will stick with BB because:

    1. I am much quicker on a physical keyboard. I had an iPad for a week. I still liked typing more on my 9780.
    2. Nobody beats their email push system IMHO.
    3. BBM
    4. I like the way all types of messages have the same seamless interface and functionality (whether it be FB, BBM, AIM, MSN, SMS, EMAIL, BB travel, alerts, appointments etc. All interlinking with for example the contact list et.). Essentially from the main messages folder I can get most of my tasks done.

    The last 1 is very much overlooked by most ppl, and yet I consider it 1 of the real strengths of the BB system.

    With the 9900 and its enhanced browsing experience AND its touch screen, the only advantage I can see the iPhone has over BB is its bigger screen…

  • http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/vendor/1111 Eric at Ebscer

    Given Shaw Wu’s track record, this is great news for RIM…

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Stuart-Pollock/510494412 Stuart Pollock

    Blackberry has followed exactly in Nokias footsteps when they were and still making their dumbphones. I couldn’t tell you what Nokia phone was what after about the 5510 I think it was. They were all the same with the tiniest of difference and they came with a different number attached. I couldn’t tell you the difference in all the Blackberries out their either, sure a Curve from a Bold from a Torch is pretty basic but then each of them seem to have so many difference numbers attached.

    RIM should just scrap everything and move to Android. A Torch running stock Android would be such an amazing device!

    • Applesucksfatties

      Hey Stuart.. .if you can’t tell the difference between a Bold and a Torch, then WTF does it matter if they are running BB7, QNX, or Android?   Speaking of the same..  ever seen an i3, i3G, i4, and soon to be i4G?   Do you like iPhones because they have “dumbed” it down for you?

  • Anonymous

    so after months of not releasing new devices, this is the best RIM can offer?
    i expected more… i’d rather wait a few months more for iphone5, nokia n9, nokia-wp7 or nexus Prime running ice cream sandwich..
    RIM is not doing its best, and it seems they are preparing to fail.

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