Saturday, April 08, 2006

RIM's Blackberry growth slows

RIM announced results yesterday which reveal a slowing in it's Blackberry division. And analysts are asking themselves whether the corporate wireless email market is gradually slowing.

The BlackBerry maker reported fiscal 4th quarter net income of $18.4 million, up from a $2.6 million loss a year earlier. But it said it expects 1st quarter revenue of $580 million to $610 million and to add some 675,000 new subscribers, signs of slowing growth. And their shares fell $4.60, or 5.4% on Nasdaq.

The inevitable slowdown for Blackberry has begun. Their legal battles with NTP may be behind them - but it has dented confidence in them and their popular wireless devices. And growing competition from Microsoft and Nokia is already having an effect.

The million dollar question is whether the legal tussles have just led to a short term delay in purchases of Blackberry technology or is this the beginning of a longer term decline for the leader in wireless email. I'm afraid I think it could be the latter.

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