Wall Street analysts are bullish on initial consumer feedback on BlackBerry’s QWERTY keyboard-equipped Q10 handset, with many saying that the device is selling better than expected.
BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY) ( TSE: BB) will ship more than three million units of BB 10 devices for the May quarter, compared to Wall Street’s estimate of less than three million, Peter Misek, analyst for Jefferies said. Although sales of the touch screen phone Z10 were slowing, the Q10 was selling better than expected, he said.
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BlackBerry is capable of selling as much as one million units of the Q10 phone for the first quarter of this year, according to Andy Perkin, analyst for French financial services firm Societe Generale. He also predicted that BlackBerry will sell four million Z10 phones.
Maynard Um, analyst for Wells Fargo Equity Research, said that there has been “good Q10 customer interest and demand.” Um said the Q10’s appears to have enjoyed a more successful launch than its full touchscreen sibling.
The analyst said the Q10 appears to be the keyboard upgrade that the 76 million installed base of “die-hard” BlackBerry fans were waiting for.