The smartphone maker² said it anticipated a loss of as much as $995m when it reports its second-quarter earnings³ next week.

 

Shares in the firm closed down 17% after briefly⁴ being halted following the announcement.

 

In August, the Canadian company said it was evaluating a possible sale.

 

In a statement on Friday, Blackberry's chief executive Thorstein Heins said: "We are implementing⁵ the difficult, but necessary operational changes announced today to address our position in a maturing and more competitive industry, and to drive the company toward profitability."

 

"Going forward, we plan to refocus our offering on our end-to-end solution of hardware, software and services for enterprises and the productive, professional end user."

 

 

The company said the losses were primarily attributable to disappointing sales of its new Z10 model smartphone.

 

Released in January to much fanfare⁶ after many delays, the phone has failed to enthuse consumers.

 

In June, Mr Heins said that the company had shipped only 2.7 million Z10 phones out of 6.8 million total. Many Blackberry users had instead opted⁷ to stick with earlier models.

 

Over the summer, word trickled⁸ out the company had hired a series of advisors⁹ to help it explore options.

 

In August, board member Timothy Dattels was appointed to a committee that would consider different business models, including a potential sale.

 

"We believe that now is the right time to explore strategic alternatives," said Mr Dattels at the time.

 

Analysts¹¹ have long indicated that Blackberry's trove¹² of patents could be attractive to potential buyers, but none of the large technology companies have publicly indicated interest.

 

"The company has sailed off a cliff," BGC technology analyst¹⁰ Colin Gillis told the BBC.

 

"This is the quarter where Blackberry as you used to know it is no longer."

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