The BlackBerry Torch, RIM's newest flagship device, was released on Thursday, August 12th to much fanfare. Now that its launch weekend has come and gone, it seems that everyone is trying to speculate just how well the device sold. The analysts at both RBC Capital Markets and Stifel Nicolaus have estimated sales of around 150,000 for the Torch's first weekend of availability. In order to explain the underwhelming sales numbers, analysts pointed to the fact that the Torch is currently only available on AT&T and that current BlackBerry users may be opting to wait for their current device to receive an operating system update rather than buying an entirely new handset.
Another explanation for the Torch's slow sales is the fact that businesses, a huge part of the BlackBerry-owning populace, are often slow to pick up on the newest and greatest handsets. I'm sure that, given some time for both consumers and business to become aware of the device, sales will grow. Hopefully we'll be seeing the Torch on other carriers in the near future, as well, because the fact that it's only available on AT&T isn't helping anything. Did any of you pick up a Torch yet?
