Share

BlackBerry posts fresh losses

Montreal - The struggling smartphone maker BlackBerry on Friday reported a loss of $423 million in the fourth quarter of its 2014 fiscal year, with revenues plummeting.

The company said revenues fell to $976m in the fourth quarter - down from $2.7bn 12 months earlier. Sales of smartphones fell from 1.9 million to 1.3 million in the fourth quarter, the company said.

BlackBerry said it delivered some 3.4 million smartphones in the quarter, but 2.3 million were the older models using its BlackBerry 7 operating system.

The company last year introduced the BlackBerry 10 operating system in an effort to regain ground lost to rivals such as Apple and others using the Google Android operating system.

In December, BlackBerry unveiled a manufacturing partnership with Taiwan-based Foxconn and a revamped organizational structure. The deal makes Foxconn the manufacturer and allows BlackBerry to focus on software and services.

The company also announced last year it was slashing some 4 500 jobs, or 40% of its workforce, as part of the restructuring.

BlackBerry at one point last year put itself up for sale, but later abandoned hopes of finding a buyer, and instead pegged its future on a $1bn cash infusion.

The revenue breakdown for the fourth quarter was 37% for hardware, 56 percent for services and seven percent for software and other revenue.

"I am very pleased with our progress and execution in the fiscal fourth quarter against the strategy we laid out three months ago," said CEO John Chen, who took the reins in November as the company sought to revive its fortunes.

"We have significantly streamlined operations, allowing us to reach our expense reduction target one quarter ahead of schedule. BlackBerry is on sounder financial footing today with a path to returning to growth and profitability."

The loss for the fiscal year ending March 1 amounted to $5.9bn, a huge increase from the loss of $646m a year earlier. Revenues meanwhile slumped nearly 40% for the full year to $6.8bn.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.02
+1.0%
Rand - Pound
23.80
+0.6%
Rand - Euro
20.41
+0.7%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.39
+0.7%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+1.2%
Platinum
925.50
+1.5%
Palladium
989.50
-1.5%
Gold
2,332.22
+0.7%
Silver
27.40
+0.9%
Brent Crude
88.02
-0.5%
Top 40
68,437
-0.2%
All Share
74,329
-0.3%
Resource 10
62,119
+2.7%
Industrial 25
102,531
-1.5%
Financial 15
15,802
-0.2%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders