BlackBerry Product Roadmap Allegedly Leaks, Shows Tablet and Phablet Launches For Late 2013
By Lisa Eadicicco - LAPTOP Staff Writer 2013-04-01T12:46:18Z
BlackBerry started off 2013 by unveiling its Z10 and Q10 handsets, but the company might have more than just smartphones in its pipeline. According to an allegedly leaked product roadmap, BlackBerry plans to launch a BlackBerry 10 tablet and phablet toward the end of the year.
This reported product roadmap appeared online Friday in a tweet from @BB10Leaks, allegedly depicting BlackBerry's forthcoming devices throguh Q2 2014. The image shows a Q3 launch for an unannounced tablet labeled "B10 L," followed by a phablet called "U10 B/W/C" slated for a release between Q4 2013 and Q1 2014.
The roadmap doesn't give any further details about the devices' size or specs, and @BB10Leaks doesn't cite a source for this information. However, if this alleged document turns out to be accurate, this could represent a comeback for BlackBerry in the tablet sector. Back in 2010 the company formerly known as Research In Motion unveiled its 7-inch BlackBerry Playbook, which comes with a 1.5GHz dual core processor, 1GB of RAM, a 1024 x 600 resolution 7-inch display and BlackBerry's Playbook OS. The company has rolled out out software to the device since then, but has yet to release a successor.
BlackBerry hasn't announced any official plans to launch a refreshed tablet, but the company's CEO Thorsten Heins spoke to the Australian Financial Review about re-entering the tablet space.
"I think the profit pool is very, very thin," Heins said to the website. "Kudos to Apple, I think they really managed to own that space, so it doesn't make sense for me to just take this head on."
BlackBerry shipped one million units of its flagship Z10 in the fourth quarter of 2012, earning $2.7 billion in revenue.
via BB10Leaks
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