It was supposed to be the phone that put Research in Motion (RIM) back on the map with a touch screen + slider smartphone using a brand new BlackBerry OS. But the new Torch, may not be selling to plan. PCWorld is already declaring, “BlackBerry Torch Fizzles: What’s Next For RIM?” in a headline yesterday, as Amazon began selling the Torch at $100 or half price.
The Torch has been on sale only a week, with an estimated 150,000 units sold in the first weekend, a meager showing compared to the iPhone 4 which blasted through 1.7 million units in its first 3 days. “The plodding start isn’t great news for RIM,” said the Wall Street Journal. But some analysts say it’s too early to judge. The BlackBerry is sold mainly through AT&T stores with no brick and mortar outlets at present. It is also aimed at businesses which work on longer procurement cycles, points out TheStreet.
The Torch is selling just fine, says analyst firm Gleacher & Company. Many AT&T stores are selling through about half their initial shipments, which is similar sell through to last year’s Bold2 launch, said Gleacher analyst Mark McKechnie in a research note cited by TheStreet. “We had not expected a consumer phenomenon à la the iPhone 4 or Motorola’s Droid X as we view the Torch as largely an upgrade for loyal Blackberry road warriors,” he said.
Still Amazon’s dramatic discounting and the level of sales is cause for concern to some industry watchers. PCWorld noted that while the BlackBerry platform is the main standard for business smartphones, “RIM is offering very little reason to continue investing in the BlackBerry culture. As the iPhone and Android platforms become more business savvy, the BlackBerry platform is less and less appealing.” Guess we’ll wait and see.
Source: PCWorld, TheStreet, The Wall Street Journal
Photo: BlackBerry Torch via Reuters
