BlackBerry ships more older devices than BB10, reneges on PlayBook BB10 promise

There was a lot of depressing news from the BlackBerry Q1 2013 earnings call this morning, including that BlackBerry shipped fewer BB10 devices (2.72 million) than older BB devices (4.08 million). With a previous selling rate lagging shipping totals of about 30 percent, BlackBerry may have actually sold just under 2 million devices.

The BlackBerry Z10 was reported to ship 1 million units in the first three weeks it was available and predictions estimated at least 3 million BB10 devices would ship this quarter, which did not happen.

Related BlackBerry 10 news

The Q10 just started shipping here in the US so its impact on financials here was likely minimal. However, the Q10 has been out for over a month outside the US and has reportedly done pretty well. I do like using the Q10 , but I don't see a compelling reason to choose a BB10 device over an iOS or Android device at the moment.

After using the BB Z10 for a couple of months and then hearing the promise at the BB10 launch that BB10 would be coming to the PlayBook, I went out and bought a refurbished one about a month ago to install the update. It turns out that BlackBerry is reneging on that promise and that BlackBerry 10 is NOT coming to the PlayBook after all. I understand the OS on the PlayBook is not that much different than BB10, but they should never have told us it was coming unless they were certain. While I didn't spend a huge amount on the refurb unit, something like $130, it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I wrote an article on the underdogs , BlackBerry, HTC, and Nokia, back in April wondering which would be around at the end of a two-year contract. My BlackBerry prediction isn't looking as solid as I thought at the time, HTC made some changes in marketing leadership and the HTC One is the best smartphone I have ever used , and Nokia continues to roll out devices across the pricing spectrum while pushing Microsoft. After just a couple of months, I am inclined to change my viability order to Nokia, HTC, and then BlackBerry.