BlackBerry reported fiscal second-quarter sales that missed analyst estimates and said it will stop making its iconic smartphones and focus on its software business.
Fiscal second-quarter earnings per share, excluding some items, was flat, compared with analysts' average estimate of a loss of 5 cents. Revenue in the quarter was US$352 million, missing estimates of US$390m. Software revenue was US$156m, more than double what it was in the same period last year, but down sequentially from US$166m last quarter.
BlackBerry is entering a joint venture with Indonesia-based BB Merah Putih to make and distribute BlackBerry-branded devices.
Chief Financial Officer James Yersh was replaced by Steve Capelli from Sybase, a company now owned by SAP SE that BlackBerry Chief Executive Officer John Chen used to run.
BlackBerry has completely outsourced smartphone design and production, a process that Chen had been doing piecemeal since taking over as CEO almost three years ago. Analysts had been holding their breath for the news after Chen said September was his deadline for making the chronically money-losing device business profitable. BlackBerry's device business, which it calls "Mobility Solutions," will focus on developing applications and an extra-secure version of Google's Android operating system that it can license to other companies.