BlackBerry Ltd

One of the recent fines on Qualcomm comes from the European Union (IEV). The $1.2 billion fine is the largest for Qualcomm in the last three years.

In fiscal 3Q18, BlackBerry (BBRY) signed three important partnerships in the embedded software space.

BlackBerry (BBRY) has identified four synergistic growth areas that are poised to drive its long-term revenue.

A few days ago, BlackBerry (BBRY) announced that it would partner with Japan-based (EWJ) Fujisoft and Hitachi Industry & Control Solutions.

BlackBerry’s (BBRY) share price has risen almost 18% since the firm announced its fiscal 2Q18 results on September 28. It closed at $10.88 on November 27.

Qualcomm and iPhone X in the limelight Just hours before Apple (AAPL) was set to unveil its new slate of smartphones, Qualcomm (QCOM) published a blog post on September 11, 2017, comparing the features on the rival smartphones. In particular, the blog post stated that the new features that Apple would highlight for its new iPhone […]

Nokia (NOK) recently announced the launch of Nokia 8, its first device in partnership with China’s (FXI) HMD Global.

On Sunday, October 8, TCL Communication officially announced an all-touchscreen, water-resistant BlackBerry Motion smartphone at GITEX Technology Week in Dubai.

Apple aims to penetrate the enterprise market, having entered into a long-term partnership with IBM in 2014 and collaborated with Cisco in 2015.

With Apple (AAPL) and Samsung (SSNLF) having unveiled their new flagship smartphones, the meaning of the subtle move Nokia’s (NOK) smartphone partner, HMD Global, made earlier this year becomes clearer.

BlackBerry (BBRY) expects non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) revenue between $920 million and $950 million in fiscal 2018.

The Internet-of-Things (or IoT) market is expected to reach $4 trillion in value by the end of 2025, according to McKinsey & Company.

Blackberry is making a comeback as a software company. In this series, we’ll look at its strategy, as well as other tech news.

There’s a series of economic data coming out this week. All of the data are expected to rebound somewhat from being fairly weak in July.

Nokia (NOK) recently launched the Nokia 8, which is HMD Global’s flagship phone this year.

Apple (AAPL) and Cisco Systems (CSCO) have hatched a plot to shrink the ground on which their competitors stand.

In June, the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union (EZU), slapped Alphabet (GOOGL) with a $2.7 billion fine.

Apple (AAPL) has traditionally chosen September for the launch of its new iPhones. But that trend may change this year—at least for the company’s flagship handset that has been unofficially called the iPhone 8.

HMD Global, the company that Nokia (NOK) licensed to manufacture phones under its brand, is partnering with high-end imaging systems marker Carl Zeiss.

A few months back, Nokia (NOK) announced that it would be reentering the smartphone market. Nokia is licensing its brand to HMD Global.

In a sharp break from its long tradition, Apple (AAPL) is installing its proprietary phone repair machine at third-party repair centers around the world.

Canada’s (EWC) BlackBerry (BBRY) generated returns of -3.3% in the trailing-one-month period and 58% in the trailing-12-month period.

BlackBerry’s (BBRY) enterprise business performed well in fiscal 1Q18.

Technology stocks rose a combined 2.3% in the week ended June 23, 2017, after three weeks of negative returns. The S&P 500 Index rose just 0.2% in the same period.

BlackBerry generated returns of 53% in the trailing 12-month period and 53.4% since the beginning of 2017. It fell 28% in 2016 and 14.2% in 2015.

BlackBerry’s gross margin rose to 47% in fiscal 2017 on revenue of $1.3 billion. In fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2015, its gross margins were 43.6% and 48%.

BlackBerry (BBRY) will announce its fiscal 1Q18 results on June 23, 2017. Analysts estimate that the company will post revenue of ~$264.51 million.

Apple (AAPL) has a big dream, and it’s not just about outselling Samsung (SSNLF), Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Google, Microsoft (MSFT), BlackBerry (BBRY), or Huawei in the Smartphone market.

An ACSI survey revealed that in the US, Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone SE and iPhone 7 are the highest-rated smartphones in terms of customer satisfaction over the last year. The iPhone SE gained the top spot with 87 points.

BlackBerry (BBRY) stock rose 9.4% last week to close at $10.38. The shares rose after WannaCry’s ransomware attack last week infected several PCs.

So far, Qualcomm’s (QCOM) licensing business hasn’t been affected by the legal cases surrounding some of its licensing agreements.

Qualcomm’s (QCOM) revenue and profits will likely be hit in fiscal 3Q17 as the legal troubles surrounding its licensing business increase.

In April 2017, a binding arbitration ruling had Qualcomm pay BlackBerry (BBRY) $815 million plus interest and attorneys’ fees over licensing disputes.

Qualcomm (QCOM) has been and continues to be the preferred choice of dividend-seeking investors because of its strong balance sheet and rich cash flows.

BlackBerry expects its gross margin to reach 70% in fiscal 2018, which would be a rise of 800 basis points over its gross margin of 62% in fiscal 2018.

The stock of Canada-based (EWC) BlackBerry (BBRY) has risen 44% in the past 12 months, after falling 28% in 2016 and 14.2% in 2015.

Revenue from BlackBerry’s Software segment rose 3.6% YoY in fiscal 1Q17, 89% YoY in fiscal 2Q17, 3.2% in fiscal 3Q17, and 39% YoY in fiscal 4Q17.

For BlackBerry, a company that’s gone from being active in the handset business to being focused on just software and services, wouldn’t a name-change underline the transition?

BlackBerry’s (BBRY) shares have risen more than 35% in the past month. The stock has generated returns of 42% in the trailing-12-month period.

Ford Motor Company (F) is hiring 400 BlackBerry (BBRY) engineers, though the move isn’t meant to poach the talents of the company. BlackBerry is willingly releasing its Mobility Solutions engineers to work for Ford.

In February 2017, BlackBerry introduced the BBM Enterprise software development kit, entering the CPaaS (communications platform-as-a-service) space.

Apple has seen its share price rise 24% since the start of calendar 2017 and 30% in the trailing-12-month period.

BlackBerry’s BlackBerry KEYone device also reminds the world of the iconic BlackBerry, which pioneered smartphones featuring a physical keyboard.

Nokia returned to the handsets space after a two-year hiatus with the Nokia 6, a smartphone running Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Android operating system.

BlackBerry noted that its software revenues in fiscal 3Q17 rose 16% year-over-year to $160 million.

BlackBerry noted that its software sales grew 16% in fiscal 3Q17 and that they would grow 30% in fiscal 2017.

By opening BBM Enterprise SDK to third-party developers, BlackBerry has also unlocked a new revenue stream in its Software and Services segment.

Last December, BlackBerry entered a brand licensing agreement with TCL, one of the top ten vendors in China’s smartphone market.

Instant messaging is quickly becoming the primary mode of communication in enterprises. Blackberry has the capabilities to provide secure and encrypted messaging services.

BlackBerry (BBRY) will announce its fiscal 4Q17 earnings on March 31, 2017. Analysts estimate that the company will post revenues of ~$288.5 million.

Apple’s financial performance in recent quarters has been disheartening, but the December quarter appeared to resurrect hopes.

Stylus could come with wireless charging support As Apple (AAPL) prepares to introduce updated versions of its hardware products, there are speculations that the company could also introduce a second-generation model of its stylus pen, the Apple Pencil. The first-generation Apple Pencil, launched in late 2015, costs $100. Apple is expected to release the Apple […]

Recall costs at more than $5 billion The recall and halt in production of the Galaxy Note 7 stained Samsung’s (SSNLF) brand image. Additionally, it will cost the company ~$5.0 billion to deal with the mess. The Note 7 smartphone was recalled due to overheating and exploding batteries. According to Samsung’s internal investigations, two major […]

Apple is being secretive about its plans for the next iPhone, but the word on the street has it that the device will return the company to top-line growth.

BlackBerry’s (BBRY) fiscal 3Q17 results portrayed a company on the verge of a successful turnaround.

Apple (AAPL) and Nokia (NOK) are again headed for a legal clash over patent disputes. The last time the companies fought a patent war was seven years ago.

On December 19, 2016, BlackBerry (BBRY) announced plans to invest $76.0 million (or $100.0 million Canadian) to develop software for driverless cars.

On December 20, 2016, BlackBerry (BBRY) announced its fiscal 3Q17 results. Its GAAP revenue fell 47.0% YoY, from $548.0 million in fiscal 3Q16.

BlackBerry is pivoting away from the handset business as it tries to cut its exposure to the money-losing operation amid heightened competition in the smartphone market.

In fiscal 2Q17, BlackBerry entered into a licensing agreement and JV with PT Tiphone, an affiliate of Indonesia’s largest mobile carrier, Telkomsel.

BlackBerry will announce its fiscal 3Q17 earnings on December 16, 2016. Analysts estimate that it will post revenues of ~$331.9 million for the quarter.

Of the 34 analysts covering BlackBerry (BBRY), six have given it “buy” recommendations, 18 have given it “hold” recommendations, and ten have given it “sell” recommendations.

BlackBerry (BBRY) is ramping up its channel expansion to drive growth in the IoT (Internet of Things) space for the transportation sector.

BlackBerry (BBRY) signed a significant partnership and licensing deal in fiscal 2Q17 involving its global BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) consumer business with AMtech.

John Chen, BlackBerry’s CEO, stated that the BB Merah Putin JV, including the affiliate, accounts for almost 50% of Indonesia’s mobile market.

BlackBerry’s Software and Services revenue rose 111% year-over-year in fiscal 2Q17 to $156 million.

During the September 28 earnings call for fiscal 2Q17, BlackBerry’s (BBRY) CEO, John Chen, stated that the company’s internal hardware development will be outsourced to a number of third-party partners.

In total, BlackBerry managed to grow its customer wins from 90 to 560 in a span of one quarter. These wins are enabling the Software & Services segment grow.

However, the growing bring-your-own-device (or BYOD) trend has been hurting BlackBerry. Taking a cue from the U.S. Senate decision, other government bodies could also start adopting the BYOD trend.

In the previous part of this series, we discussed how BlackBerry (BBRY) remains in the hardware business despite declining fortunes.

In 2016, IBM acquired Optevia to strengthen its presence as an SaaS (software-as-a-service) consultant in the United Kingdom’s (EWU) public sector market.

Apple maintains that iPhone fundamentals are intact and there were a number of encouraging signs in the last quarter.

Google’s (GOOG) Android currently dominates the smartphone operating system market, with a worldwide share of more than 80%.

Things started to deteriorate for BlackBerry from 2011 onward, when Google’s Android OS (operating system) extended its reach at a fast rate.

Motorola’s Razr proved to be quite popular. But with the advent Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s smartphone offerings, Motorola quickly lost its market share.

For a while, some considered tablets to be devices capable of replacing PCs. But gradually the tablet market has started to show signs of saturation.

About 70% of mobile phones were smartphones in 2015. More than 90% of Facebook’s monthly active users worldwide now have access to apps from smartphones.

The global economy has experienced slower growth since the global recession, and mobile devices have shown simultaneous signs of market saturation.

Microsoft’s Build Conference 2016 is starting on March 30, 2016. It’s the annual event at which the company shares its software plans for the entire year.

Nokia (NOK) commands a strong presence in China due to its combined installed base of Nokia and Alcatel Shanghai Bell (ALU). In 4Q15, Nokia’s revenues from Greater China (FXI) rose 17% YoY.

Microsoft’s Xamarin’s buyout appears to be aimed at attracting developers keen on creating apps for devices that have a more extensive customer base.

Apple (AAPL) has repeatedly stated that it has a very satisfied and loyal customer base. In fiscal 1Q16, Apple experienced a high switch rate from Android (GOOG) to iPhone.

BlackBerry is working to enhance its QNX solution, which is BlackBerry’s infotainment and telematics platform used in automobiles.

BlackBerry also mentioned that it is managing to win client deals in other regulated industries like the legal industry.

BlackBerry completed the acquisitions of Good Technologies and AtHoc in the last quarter, which helped it become the leading player in the enterprise mobility management market.

CEO John Chen squashed speculation when he announced that BB10 is “far from dead,” according to a BlackBerry blog post.

Although the 60-day exclusivity period with AT&T (T) for selling the PRIV has already ended, BlackBerry hasn’t yet started selling the PRIV on the T-Mobile (TMUS) and Verizon (VZ) networks.

BlackBerry launched the PRIV on November 6, 2015, through an exclusive deal with AT&T (T) in the United States.

About 26% of users who bought the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus switched from Android. This number increased from 12% when Apple released the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in 2014.

After its fiscal 3Q16 earnings report, BlackBerry rose 10.4% to close at $8.61 per share as of December 18, 2015.

Despite a slight decline in gross margins, Apple continues to dominate the operating profits of the smartphone industry.

A higher Android switch rate bodes well for Apple, as Android currently dominates the worldwide smartphone operating system market.

During the fiscal 2Q16 earnings conference call, BlackBerry’s CEO mentioned that it is trying to focus on value-added services rather than its EMM solution.

One reason for BlackBerry’s software business revenue fall could be the pricing pressure that it faces for its Enterprise Mobility Management solution.

BlackBerry acquired Good Technology for $425 million, and the company expects to generate $160 million in revenues from Good Technology in the first year.

BlackBerry’s software and technology licensing revenues grew 18% year-over-year, mainly due to the company’s BES12 solution.