BlackBerry's headquarters in Waterloo, Canada. Its latest line of smartphones, using the BlackBerry 10 operating system, has been met with indifference from consumers in important markets like the United States.
- [h=6]Bits Blog: A New BlackBerry Phone, but Maybe Too Late (September 18, 2013)[/h]
- [h=6]Bits Blog: Bad News for BlackBerry in the Microsoft-Nokia Marriage (September 3, 2013)[/h]
- [h=6]DealBook: Still Trailing Rivals, BlackBerry Seeks a Way Out (August 12, 2013)[/h]
- [h=6]Times Topic: BlackBerry[/h]
[h=3]More Tech Coverage[/h]News from the technology industry, including start-ups, the Internet, enterprise and gadgets.
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OTTAWA — BlackBerry, the embattled smartphone maker, said on Friday that it would lay off 4,500 employees and that it would report a quarterly loss between $950 million and $995 million next week. The layoffs will eliminate about 40 percent of the company’s worldwide workforce.
The loss is mainly the result of a write-off of unsold BlackBerry phones, as well as $72 million in restructuring charges. The company said that it would discontinue two of the six phones it now offers.
It’s the latest setback for BlackBerry, which was once a leader in the smartphone market.
This summer BlackBerry announced that it was undertaking a strategic review, which could lead to a sale of the company. A new operating system and phones that were introduced this year failed to revive the company after meeting with consumer indifference.
