Research In Motion Prepares for Cold Winter

Evan Niu, The Motley Fool
Updated

The dread continues for besieged BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (NAS: RIMM) .

The self-proclaimed "global leader in wireless innovation" reported gloomy earnings last night. Net income came in at $329 million, or $0.63 per share, dropping nearly 59% from last year's $797 million. Top-line revenue of $4.2 billion dropped by "only" 10% from the previous year, falling short of the $4.5 billion that Wall Street analysts were looking for. Meanwhile, gross margin took a big hit, falling to 38.7% from 44.5%. If you ask me, the only thing that RIM is leading is its own implosion.

The company shipped 200,000 PlayBooks and 10.6 million BlackBerry phones. The (already reduced) estimates called for 562,000 PlayBooks and 11.8 million BlackBerry phones. The discouraging figures don't paint a pretty picture for the future of the company's QNX platform.

On the conference call with analysts, co-CEO Jim Balsillie even mentioned that RIM was planning on offering PlayBook price cuts to spur sales. RIM's overall shipments were short of the company's internal forecasts, which Balsillie attributed to "lower than expected demand for older models."

RIM is betting big on building its own platform from the ground up, while Apple (NAS: AAPL) and Google (NAS: GOOG) continue to snowball their respective network effects into thriving ecosystems.

For next quarter, RIM is expecting revenue between $5.3 billion and $5.6 billion and adjusted earnings per share in the range of $1.20 to $1.40, compared to the $5.3 billion and $1.36 analysts are modeling for.

The company really isn't heeding warning signs or addressing valid concerns expressed by employees and shareholders. It can't claim that it didn't get those respective letters since they were open letters. The company even publicly responded to an employee open letter, but has yet to make any meaningful change. Until then, RIM shareholders will need to brace themselves for a cold holiday season.

At the time thisarticle was published Fool contributorEvan Niuowns shares of Apple, but he holds no other position in any company mentioned.Click hereto see his holdings and a short bio. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, Google, and Research In Motion.Motley Fool newsletter serviceshave recommended buying shares of Apple and Google.Motley Fool newsletter serviceshave recommended creating a bull call spread position in Apple. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.

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