RIM posts good figures from Q4, but they are below expectations from analysts

With increasing competition from both the iPhone and the army of Android phones, RIM was able to hold itself together in a period where its competitors were constantly attacking the market with their handsets that aimed to please both business professionals and media enthusiasts. For their most recent fourth quarter results and overall fiscal year, RIM had some positive things to say about its business – they saw revenue increasing by 35 percent to $15 billion for the year with $4.08 billion alone in Q4. Additionally, subscriber base increased by 65 percent to the 41 million mark with 4.9 million coming in during Q4. Finally, the sheer demand of RIM's products doesn't look like it'll be ending anytime soon as they were able to ship out 40 percent more units which totaled in at 37 million – Q4 offered 10.5 million units by itself.

Everything looks really good on paper when you look at some of the other big names that have fallen off the ladder and struggling to stay afloat. RIM's stock endured a beating during after-hours as analysts expected RIM to come in at $4.3 billion in Q4 as opposed to the $4.08 they posted – it basically wasn't at level they expected RIM to announce. Even though it would seem they missed the expectations put on by analysts, Co-CEO Jim Balsillie offered some exciting news as he said during an investors conference call,  “If you could see the roadmap, you’d be blown away.” This may point to a lot of things like the rumored BlackBerry Slider, OS 6.0, or even a Concierge app that Balsillie slipped out. Despite the great demands to hit expectations, RIM still proved to be profitable and looks to be a strong force in the market as things have already begun to heat up in the mobile world.

via IntoMobile