BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIMM) already told us its fall sales were lousy. So when the company reports Q3 results this afternoon, we'll be most interested in their Q4 guidance: How's December going? Are people really returning the new touchscreen Storm as much as we've heard? And what's on tap for next year?
RBC analyst Mike Abramsky thinks RIM will offer Q4 guidance below the Street's consensus, which makes sense to us. While the smartphone business is still growing, the economy stinks, enterprise spending is slowing, and RIM faces increasing competition from the likes of Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG).
Specifically, Abramsky thinks RIM will guide to $2.9-$3.0 billion of revenue and $0.80-$0.83 EPS, below the Street's consensus of $3.0 billion and $0.83. He also expects RIM to guide to 2.6 million to 2.8 million new subscribers -- 0% to 8% sequential growth -- and 7.1 million to 7.4 million smartphone shipments.
Join us for LIVE coverage of RIM's earnings today, starting at 4 p.m. We'll provide live analysis of their final Q3 results and Q4 guidance, and live coverage of their earnings call, which starts at 5 p.m. ET.
See Also:
BlackBerry Storm Buyers Returning Phones En Masse?
Verizon Updates BlackBerry Storm Software To Fix Bugs
BlackBerry Buyers 'Storm' NYT's Pogue, Threaten To Return Gadget
RIM's BlackBerry Storm Is No iPhone, But Should Sell Well
