BlackBerry shipments rise from prior quarter under Chen’s watch

BlackBerry’s smartphone shipments grew 15 per cent in the second quarter from the prior period, recording their first sequential gain in a year as chief executive John Chen’s turnaround plan takes hold.

BlackBerry shipped 1.5 million units, research firm IDC said in a statement, compared with 1.3 million in the first quarter. The company’s share of the global smartphone market held steady at 0.5 per cent as the overall market grew, IDC said.