It took BlackBerry a long time to get to this point, and it may take them a while to get out. But while the Canadian corporation’s most recent earnings still have plenty of bleak spots, there’s enough of a change here to make investors hopeful as the company goes full bore into a long-awaited transition to a software/services/branding operation.
The company posted earnings this morning, featuring a large, if unexpected drop in handset revenue from $220 million for this quarter last year, down to $62 million – to be expected as the company moves from manufacturing its own hardware to third-party branding partnerships like the one it recently struck with Alcatel maker, TCL.
On a more positive note, the company saw a raise in software and service revenue to $160 million, a recurring profit that points the way forward for a company undergoing a profound shift. Its adjusted earnings were at $0.01 a share, a marked upgrade from the $0.02 predicted per share loss.
A mixed bag, to be sure, but overall, a seemingly positive sign as the company works to take its next step in a world that may well have a new-found desire for added mobile security in the near future. And, of course, owning a whole boatload of patents never hurt.