UPDATE: BlackBerry shares fell steeply on Friday as the company launched its Z10 phone in the United States.

Initial reports suggested there was a lack of line-ups at stores selling the new phone, and a lack of buzz in the U.S. media surrounding its launch, MarketWatch reported.

As of 3:55 pm ET, BlackBerry shares were down 7.5 per cent on the day, trading at $14.95 (U.S.) per share on the NASDAQ.

But negative comments from market analysts also likely helped sink the stock.

"They've done a nice job in rolling out the Z10; unfortunately, I still don't think it's going to be enough to turn the company around," BGC Financial analyst Colin Gillis said on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street."

BlackBerry stock may have come under further pressure due to a rumour that the the U.S. Department of Defense was planning to ditch the BlackBerry and buy 650,000 iPhones.

The Pentagon has denied the report, according to Business Insider.

The Canadian Press reports:

TORONTO - After a delayed launch of the new BlackBerry Z10 in the United States, the touchscreen smartphone now is being sold by major wireless carrier AT&T.

Today's U.S. launch comes about six weeks after the new BlackBerry went on sale in Canada and the United Kingdom.

A keyboard version of the new BlackBerry Z10 isn't expected out in the U.S. for another several months.

The Waterloo, Ont.,-based smartphone maker has lost significant share of the tech-savvy U.S. market where consumers have preferred to buy Apple's iPhone and Android smartphones.

Shares in BlackBerry were up 13 cents to $16.65 in late morning trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Earlier on HuffPost:

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  • Alicia Keys Is BlackBerry's Mercenary

    At the BlackBerry 10 launch event, CEO Thorsten Heins introduced singer Alicia Keys as the company's new global creative director. Sure, Keys is a familiar and likable face to hawk your product -- but how has writing "Girl On Fire" prepared her for a creative director role? Adding to the awkward is that she's a <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5980200/blackberry-spokesperson-alicia-keys-tweets-from-her-iphone">prolific Twitter user from her iPhone</a> and Instagram's quite a bit, a program which isn't available on BlackBerry's new operating system yet. She claimed at the event that she'd been lured back into the BlackBerry fold by the new phones.

  • A Gimmicky Hair Cut, Less Cracking On CrackBerry.com

    Kevin Michaluk, owner of the premier BlackBerry fansite and blog "CrackBerry" had promised to not cut his hair until the release of BlackBerry 10. Considering there were a <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/business/technology/article/A-look-at-RIM-s-much-delayed-BlackBerry-10-4236058.php">few delays along the way</a>, Michaluk had a nice batch of lettuce going. Though a nice gesture of his dedication, the reaction in house was timid. <a href="http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/crackberry.com">Pageviews for Crackberry.com</a> have seen a steady dip.

  • Viral Marketing Fail

    In an effort to build hype for the announcement of BlackBerry's new operating system and phones, the company released <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MiSzaWxRUSk" target="_hplink">this video</a> one day before the launch. The video involved a cable controlled jump with Alec Saunders, BlackBerry's VP of developer relations, and BlackBerry exec Marty Mallick. During the jump Mallick lets out a barely enthusiastic "BlackBerry 10 ruleeesssss!" The video only had 6,000 views prior to the launch event.

  • RIM Is Now.. BlackBerry! But Who Cares?

    During the BlackBerry 10 launch event, it was revealed that Research In Motion or RIM, BlackBerry's creator, would be <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/30/rim-changing-name-to-blackberry_n_2581969.html?utm_hp_ref=technology">changing its name</a> to...BlackBerry. More than anything this seems to signal that the BlackBerry is all or nothing for what was formerly RIM -- they have nothing to fall back on.

  • Palm Comparisons

    Many Twitter users were quick to point out <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=blackberry%20palm&src=typd">the launch of BlackBerry 10 to another doomed launch</a>, that of the the Palm Pre for Palm. The company announced the new phone and OS in January 2009, only to be <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2010/04/28/technology/hp_palm/index.htm">scooped up by Hewlett Packard in April 2010</a>.