OTTAWA â€" The smartphone maker BlackBerry on Friday reported a bigger-than-expected loss of $84 million for its latest quarter, although revenue rose 9 percent to $3.1 billion from the same quarter a year ago and 15 percent from the previous three months.
The loss of 16 cents a share in its fiscal first quarter was substantially more than analysts’ expectations of a 6-cent-a-share loss, according to a Thomson Reuters survey. It followed a surprise profit in the fourth quarter.
Share in BlackBerry fell as much as 20 percent in pre-market trading.
The quarter, which ended on June 1, was the first to include a substantial period of sales for phones based on the new BlackBerry 10 operating system, which the company hopes will revive its brand in the smartphone market, particularly in the United States.
During the quarter, North American revenue fell 4.2 percent to $761 million from a year ago despite the new, heavily advertised phone models.
While Thosten Heins, the president and chief executive, has been upbeat about the reception given the new BlackBerry 10 line and its prospects, the company offered a more guarded outlook on Friday, forecasting another loss in the current quarter.
“The smartphone market remains highly competitive, making it difficult to estimate units, revenue and levels of profitability,†the company said in its earnings announcement.
