A report out yesterday has what appears to be some quantifiable data that relates to Blackberry’s (TSX:BB:NASDAQ:BBRY) new device uptake in North America.
Chitika, an online ad network, examined the impact that the new Z10 has had on overall Blackberry usage in North America in the days since its release. They found that as of April 11th, the Z10’s share of overall Blackberry usage stood at 5.3%. This compared to Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone 5 share of overall iPhone traffic of 12.1% after the same amount of time had passed post its release.
These are not however directly comparable stats for a couple of reasons. 1) the iPhone 5 was available in the U.S. and Canada through multiple carriers right off the bat, and 2) Blackberry’s potentially more popular, keyboard based Q10 model has yet to hit the shelves. The iPhone 5 was the iPhone 5 right from day one.
Foolish Takeaway
Given the gap that Chitika found to exist between the new Blackberry and the iPhone 5, it’s reasonable to say Blackberry’s device has not been a blockbuster success thus far. But, it hasn’t been a total flop either. Steady uptake has been demonstrated and since being released in the U.S., the usage growth rate has accelerated.
Even though these numbers indicate satisfactory demand for the Z10, Blackberry continues to be nothing more than a gamble and its shares should be treated as such. However, Canadian investors deserve to own great businesses and the U.S. market is home to some of the best in the world. We have created a special FREE report that identifies 3 U.S. businesses that are worthy of your hard-earned investment dollars. Simply click here to receive “3 U.S. Stocks Every Canadian Should Own” – FREE!
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Fool contributor Iain Butler does not own shares in any of the company’s mentioned. David Gardner owns shares of Apple.
