BlackBerry’s hardware division may close on September 28th

Despite ditching its own OS to create Android devices in the past few years, BlackBerry smartphones still account for less than 1% of global market share. Its software division is still showing signs of life at Research In Motion, but according to Wall Street analysts, the company is poised to lose money this year and into the future.

The biggest reason for that is the company’s hardware division, which is estimated to be 65% of where BlackBerry’s money has disappeared. Last quarter the manufacturer shipped only a half million handsets, which is 100,000 less than the quarter that followed. To put that into comparison, when BlackBerry was at its height in the early 2000s, it was shipping a few million phones each month.

CEO John Chen has stated, “I Personally do not believe devices are going to be the future of any company.” He previously mentioned September as a time when a decision would be made about whether to stay in the smartphone business. Now new evidence suggests the hardware division could be winding down.

The company has also informed carrier partners like AT&T and Verizon that BlackBerry 10 devices will be discontinued. A sale on BlackBerry’s own site offers accessories for up to 40% off until September 27th, which is the day before BlackBerry’s quarterly earnings report is scheduled to be released.