BlackBerry to issue latest earnings results

Newly rebranded BlackBerry will report its highly-anticipated earnings results Thursday.

These financial results, says the Globe and Mail, will include up-to-date sales figures from its January 31, 2013, Z10 touchscreen launch through until March 2. Read more.

Meanwhile, U.S. sales of the BlackBerry Z10 have been lackluster so far. There weren’t even lineups reported on the day the phone made its debut.

Read: BlackBerry struggling in India

Its launch in the U.S.— a key market for BlackBerry—came about six weeks after the smartphone began selling in Canada and the UK.

Further, its now is available through major wireless carrier AT&T.

On Friday, shares in BlackBerry closed down 8%, or $1.33 per share at $15.19 on the TSX.

Read: Pros and Cons of BlackBerry Z10

Edward Jones technology analyst Bill Kreher says he called 20 AT&T locations from New York to Los Angeles, only to find no stores were sold out and each had been given only a small quantity of BlackBerry Z10s.

He adds the company is facing a tough challenge in the U.S. market since smartphones are constantly being launched and features constantly upgraded. BlackBerry’s share of the U.S. market is less than 5%.

“We just think the company faces long-term headwinds given the marketing prowess and technical capabilities of their competitors,” says Kreher.

Read: BlackBerry taps Alicia Keys to send branding message

U.S. consumers prefer to buy Apple’s iPhone and Android smartphones. A keyboard version of the new BlackBerry Z10 isn’t expected to be available in the U.S. for another several months.