While there is some concern about Research in Motion’s roadmap for its BlackBerry device, sales appear to be chugging along at a healthy clip, according to an analyst.
Piper Jaffray analyst T. Michael Walkley said RIM is delivering solid sales of its Bold and Tour phones in North American while the 8520 (Curve) is selling well internationally.
Walkley’s said RIM’s February quarter is shaping up well. Wall Street is expecting RIM to report fiscal fourth quarter earnings of $1.27 a share on revenue of $4.28 billion, according to Thomson Reuters.
Also: RIM reports strong Q3, shares soar. What competition?
Here’s a look at Walkley’s findings based on his channel checks:
Verizon: Aggressive pricing for BlackBerries as well as buy-one-get-one-free promotions are propping up sales. Walkley writes that:
The Blackberry Tour (right) and the Motorola Droid were the two top selling devices in January at Verizon. Further, Storm sales remained steady with continued positive feedback from customers.
AT&T: The Bold 9700 is the second beast selling device at AT&T behind the iPhone. AT&T has been cutting prices of the Bold too.
T-Mobile: The Bold is the only BlackBerry at T-Mobile, which has cut off the Curve 8900, Pearl Flip and older-model Curve.
Globally, the low-end 8520 Curve is selling well in Western Europe and Latin America. Inventory levels remain low.
Simply put, RIM sales appear on track and Walkley expects a new browser and a 3G Pearl to be announced shortly.
