Analyst: BlackBerry 10 builds raised from 500,000 a month to 1-2 million monthly

Can you hear it? The buzz around BlackBerry 10 is getting so loud that the carriers are beginning to respond. According to Peter Misek, an analyst with Jefferies & Company, carriers are starting to lock in volume commitments for BlackBerry 10 orders covering the first two quarters following the launch of the first BB10 model, expected to be the BlackBerry Z10. The all-touch model is penciled in to hit Canadian stores next month while a road map for T-Mobile showed a March 27th launch date for the device.

After digging around, Jefferies has found that the build numbers for BlackBerry 10 have been raised sharply from the 500,000 per month figure that was leaked in early December. The latest research shows that RIM now plans on building 1 to 2 million units a month. The analyst also said that while RIM is counting on BlackBerry App World to host 70,000 apps when the first BlackBerry 10 model is released, his checks show that developers ares supporting the new OS more than Jefferies expected.        

According to the analyst, BlackBerry 10 will support secure corporate email services on iOS and Android. He believes that investors and other analysts are overlooking this major change. He also sees RIM beating earnings estimates for the March and August quarters as BlackBerry subscribers will finally have a "legitimate upgrade opportunity."                         

So what's an investor with some extra dough in his pocket supposed to do? After raising his rating on RIM's shares from neutral on Friday, the analyst is recommending investors buy RIM. Misek also raised his target from $13 to $19.50. On Friday, RIM was trading at $15.64, up almost 5% on the day. The stock might never approach the $140 price it hit in 2008, but it is up more than twofold from the low it made under $7 back in the fall. Technicians see an "Island Reversal" in RIM's stock price which calls for higher prices ahead.

source: BGR