In 2011 the BlackBerry Playbook was launched. The tablet didn’t do well in the market and BlackBerry lost a lot of money on it. Since then the company has not returned to the tablet market. Now with new leadership in place that’s taking the company into a different direction it is possible that a new tablet might also be on the cards. When asked about the possibility BlackBerry CEO John Chen said that he is open to the idea.
Chen did clarify that the company is currently not working on a tablet, “but it’s on my mind,” he says during an interview at the Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona.
Even if the company creates a new tablet it is not going to be “bringing a tablet out for a tablet’s sake,” Chen says, adding that it won’t be the right thing to do.
The CEO wants it to be different, “I want it to be iconic,” so clearly the company has its work cut out if it ever decides to return to the tablet market.
The question is though who would buy a BlackBerry tablet at a time when the company’s smartphones aren’t giving rivals a run for their money. BlackBerry could gear it towards its core user base, the one that’s picking up all the Classics and 9900s, but its not substantial enough to sustain the company’s return to the tablet market.
For all we know it could remain an idea in the CEO’s mind and may never come to see the light of day. After a very turbulent year BlackBerry has only recently got its finances in order and returned to growth footing. Taking a hit on another flop product is something the company can do without at this point in time.
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