Ever one for giving interesting interviews, BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins has expressed doubts over continuing consumer appetite for tablets, claiming that in five years he doesn't think "there'll be a reason to have a tablet anymore."
In an interview with Bloomberg, Heins claimed slates may take the form of a "big screen in your workplace", but the tablets consumers are currently lapping up will likely be a thing of the past.
"Tablets themselves are not a good business model," he concluded.
Past form
BlackBerry's own tablet, of course, has been a notable failure to date.
The firm's PlayBook launched in 2011, but low demand forced BlackBerry - formerly known as RIM - to drastically cut prices.
The company also took a $485 million writedown on the discounted stock later that year.
As such, Heins' comments suggest that BlackBerry isn't planning to launch a PlayBook successor any time soon, although the CEO noted that if BlackBerry could develop a unique offering, it might consider re-entering the tablet market.
Clean slate
"In five years, I see BlackBerry to be the absolute leader in mobile computing that's what we're aiming for. I want to gain as much market share as I can, but not by being a copycat," Hein explained.
Heins' misgivings over tablets, and the 'tablet business model', might come as some surprise to Apple.
The Cupertino firm reported sales of 19.5 million iPads in its most recent quarterly financial report, up from the 11.8 million tablets it sold in the same quarter last year.
[source: Bloomberg]
Top Stories
News
3 hours, 11 minutes ago
Week in Views - Squads busted, Apple crushed, War zoned and Snoozin' with the Snorlax…
News
3 hours, 11 minutes ago
Week in Views - Squads busted, Apple crushed, War zoned and Snoozin' with the Snorlax…
Feature
4 hours, 23 minutes ago
Speaker Spotlight: Dubai Future Foundation's Faisal Kazim on leading Dubai's gaming charge
Feature
10 hours, 11 minutes ago
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from cartoony cats to sports stars
Events
Esports Future Summit | Middle East | Apr 27th |
Dubai GameExpo Summit 2024 | Middle East | May 1st |
The MENA Games Industry Awards 2024 | Middle East | May 2nd |
GameDev Atlantic 2024 | May 4th | |
Mobidictum Meetup Berlin May 2024 | Europe | May 7th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Israel Mobile Summit 2024 | Middle East | Jun 6th |
DevGAMM Vilnius 2024 | Europe | Jun 14th |