BlackBerry Z10

BlackBerry (BBRY) had a very short time to enjoy the spotlight this winter before the Galaxy S 4 tap danced onto the scene and now it seems that the company’s momentum has slowed in the wake of Samsung’s launch extravaganza earlier this month. Barron’s points us to a new research note from Citigroup analyst Jim Suva, who says that BlackBerry Z10 sales have “dramatically slowed” after an initial “honeymoon” and that carriers “have already shifted promotions to other products (Samsung) and moved the Z10 to less favorable in store locations.” More →

If the BlackBerry (BBRY) Z10 succeeds in the United States, it won’t be because of anything AT&T (T) has done to help. Per StreetInsider, Goldman Sachs on Monday released a new note that described a “disappointing” launch for BlackBerry’s flagship smartphone in the United States and said that there was a “surprising lack of marketing support and poor positioning of the product” in several retail outlets, including AT&T stores, Best Buy (BBY) and Radio Shack. Goldman’s note backs up another report we heard last week about AT&T stores in New York and San Francisco that didn’t feature any displays or marketing materials for the Z10 on its launch day. This reported lack of marketing support and slow launch weekend have led the previously bullish Goldman to cut its price target for BlackBerry shares to $17 while downgrading them from Buy to Neutral.

BlackBerry (BBRY) is in need of a hit in the United States, but it seems that early preorder volumes for the BlackBerry Z10 on American wireless carriers have been below expectations so far. Barron’s points us to a new note from Detwiler Fenton & Co. analyst Jeff Johnston, who says that preorders for the Z10 “have been light and well below expectations” on carriers he’s checked in with so far. Johnston says that Z10 faces a consumer awareness problem in the U.S., which has only been exacerbated by other recent high-profile launches such as the recent Galaxy S 4 and the HTC (2498) One. More →

As we’ve said before, BlackBerry’s (BBRY) goal with the Z10 isn’t to catch up with iOS and Android overnight but to simply live to fight another day. And based on some recent supply checks conducted by analyst Paul Peterson of boutique research firm BlueFin, it seems that BlackBerry has gone a long way toward achieving that goal. Per Barron’s, Peterson has written a research note claiming that it “appears that [BlackBerry] management is confident that the BB10 launches will be an unqualified success” because orders to suppliers for the Z10 handset have shown a “significant surge in orders in the past 30 days.” More →