BlackBerry Confirmed to Launch New Third-party Built Tablet This Year
BlackBerry's physical keyboard-equipped Android smartphone, the BlackBerry KeyOne, is expected to be released next month. However, the company is reportedly readying itself for the next phase of their big comeback by announcing that it will be coming out with a brand new tablet device bearing their name.
The arrival of the mid-end BlackBerry smartphone will mark the brand's return to the highly competitive smartphone market, but this time around the company will be utilizing a different strategy to stay relevant in the game. BlackBerry has so far committed to licensing deals with third-party manufacturers, which does give them the opportunity to focus more on their software and unique features.
As per a report from Crack Berry, the company's CEO John Chen recently announced at BlackBerry's earnings call that they will now be moving to the next phase in their new licensing strategy. The company has thus far failed to make a name for itself in the smartphone hardware market, as most of its in-house built devices have failed to sell. However, the company's new strategy is seen as a way to make its brand relevant once again.
According to UberGizmo, BlackBerry is now moving forward with releasing a brand new BlackBerry-branded tablet to the market this year. This won't actually be the first time the company has had a tablet in the market as they had released the BlackBerry Playbook tablet back in April of 2011. However, unlike the Playbook, the company will no longer be getting involved with the manufacturing process.
The company's CEO had explained that they will only be involved with the software aspect of the new BlackBerry tablet this time around. BlackBerry will also incorporate its tried and tested security feature onto the device, which is also present in the company's latest offerings.
The BlackBerry tablet is expected to be a mid-range device, similar to the KeyOne. The company is likely no longer interested in competing in the high-end space, which is now being dominated by companies such as Apple and Samsung. BlackBerry has yet to reveal any details on a possible launch date for their new tablet device.
