BlackBerry Tablet- iPad Competition?
The rumors are circulating that Research In Motion, the company behind BlackBerry, is gearing up to release a tablet in November. Despite the long-standing rumors, RIM could not be reached for comment. The tablet will reportedly have a 9.7 inch screen, which is roughly the same size as the iPad. The device will feature Wi-Fi and Bluetooth options, and BlackBerry smartphone users will have the ability to use their phone as the connectivity device. Helping to give credibility to the rumors is the fact that RIM recently took over the BlackPad.com domain, suggesting a possible name for the device. Connected sources say the device will feature cameras on the front and back to enable video conferencing.
Does any of this make sense, though? RIM is currently gearing up to release BlackBerry OS 6.0 which will feature a new browser and better media options. This new OS will be great for what a BlackBerry is best for, and that’s email, instant messaging, and getting things done in general. An iPad made sense for Apple given their ecosystem of games, media content, and other entertainment. The BlackBerry ecosystem features none of these things. If we’re honest about the possible BlackBerry tablet, the best purpose it would serve is a great mobile word processor, and that’s only with the right software and screen resolution.
BlackBerry certainly wouldn’t be producing anything revolutionary. Apple’s iPad has already done that. The odds that a BlackBerry tablet would cut in on iPad sales are highly unlikely. The average BlackBerry user is a customer because of what BlackBerry does best, and that’s the smartphone technology RIM offers. RIM would have to do a serious overhaul of their applications and offer some seriously innovative new entertainment options to have even a small hope of success in the market. Personally, I don’t think it’s in RIM’s best interest at this point to branch out from their niche. The iPad is still a novel item and selling at high rates. Introducing a potential competitor could turn out to be nothing more than wishful thinking on RIM’s part at this point.
