After corporate restructuring, a rebrand, and new devices, things are still looking bad for BlackBerry. The Waterloo company lost one of its original co-CEOs, Mike Lazaridis, this morning, and the company is reporting some heavy losses. All of this is leaving consumers wondering whether or not a new Z10 purchase is a good idea.

Lazaridis Steps Down

Mike Lazaridis was one of the original co-CEOs of BlackBerry (back when the company was called "Research In Motion"). He stepped down from his CEO position fifteen months ago, and joined BlackBerry's board of advisors as Vice Chair of the Board. But, Lazaridis is calling it all quits.

He told press that the launch of the Z10 was his last effort, and that he feels the company is in capable hands. In other words, he's washing his hands completely clean of the flailing company. Still, you have to give credit where credit is due: Lazaridis did actually start the company (even though it went by a different name at that time). There's more BlackBerry news today too. The company's first earnings report since changing its name has arrived.

BlackBerry Loses Three Million

Last quarter, BlackBerry made $14 million. This quarter, the company reports $94 million. This sounds like a positive number until you compare it to the $2.7 billion revenue reported prior. In short, BlackBerry has lost 3 million subscribers in just one quarter. But, there might still be some hope in all the darkness.

The numbers that BlackBerry has just reported mark a quarter that ended on March 2nd. So, these numbers do not reflect any North American Z10 sales. Wall Street expects the company to sell 1.1 million Z10 devices, which falls short of BlackBerry's expectations - but the numbers aren't in yet, so it's hard to predict. There's also the Q10 to look forward to.

Will the Q10 Help?

In April, BlackBerry is expected to announce the launch of the Q10 device. The Q10 device will give die-hard BlackBerry fans that QWERTY keyboard they love so much. Quite possibly, the Q10 might save BlackBerry and boost those numbers. Most people who are behind the company like the fact that BlackBerry phones have a QWERTY keyboard, and this might just bring some BlackBerry fans back.

But, there's no doubt about the fact that the original founders of BlackBerry are jumping ship. This, my friends, is never a good sign. Lazaridis' co-CEO Jim Basille left the company and sold all of his stock in BlackBerry some time ago. Clearly, Basille doesn't have any faith in the company, and it looks like Lazaridis is heading in that direction too.

Should You Buy a BlackBerry?

I've had a chance to play around with the Z10, and it's a great phone. Plus, BlackBerry is making great advancements in the app department. If BlackBerry had Instagram, I might even change phones. But, watching original founders leave and sales drop isn't inspiring.

What happens if you purchase a BlackBerry phone and the company goes bust? You'd be left in the ocean without a lifejacket. My advice? Wait until the Q10 arrives, look at those earnings reports, and base your decision on that information.

*Image courtesy of bplanet at freeDigitalPhotos.net