Despite getting a break in India yesterday, RIM took a hit from investors. One analyst, James Faucette from Pacific Crest, asserted that AT&T saw no new net additions as a result of the BlackBerry Torch 9800 launch, while research from Sanford Bernstein claimed that 74% out of 200 companies surveyed in the U.K. and U.S. allowed devices other than BlackBerrys, which could be seen as bad news since enterprise has always been seen as RIM’s final bastion.
We already know Torch sales weren’t spectacular, but when overall BlackBerry sales on AT&T have been flat despite the new device means that Bold sales have just been cannibalized. Analysts are hopeful that the Curve 3G 9300 will offer something for lower-tier customers, but I’m tempted to think that’s not going to happen, since the Curve 3G is an even smaller update to the Curve 8520 than the 9800 was to the Bold 9700.
As for enterprises being cool with supporting iPhone and Android in the workplace, I’d be curious what the historical data for this is like, and how much simply letting employees use something other than BlackBerry translates to people who take advantage of the flexibility. Tight Exchange support for multiple e-mail accounts in a familiar, stable environment is a much more attractive proposition in a work setting, but for something that will occasionally operate as a personal phone, devices with nicer screens and more application options will no doubt have their pull.
Anyway, I’ve already made my case for why BlackBerry isn’t screwed, but the glumness of these numbers aren’t especially heartening.