Research in Motion, the makers of the BlackBerry, has posted even lower earnings than analysts expected. The company continues to struggle in an industry increasingly dominated by Apple products like the iPhone and iPad. RIM’s answer to the iPad, the BlackBerry Playbook, debuted this spring to tepid reviews.
The company reported that half a million PlayBooks were shipped in the last quarter. As point of comparison, in the first quarter during which the iPad was available, Apple shipped 3.27 million units.
RIM’s shares fell Thursday when the company announced that expected revenues were down to $4.2 billion, from $4.8 billion. Shares closed at $35.33 Thursday. Some investors have called for the ouster of the company’s co-chief executives, but the two men have argued that they should keep their jobs, as a change in leadership would likely only lead to greater losses.
Competition with Jobs’ juggernaut isn’t all that’s plaguing the company. A new operating system for the BlackBerry has yet to be released, and industry analysts are predicting layoffs.
Read more at The New York Times.
