The Speculation: BlackBerry's PlayBook was first released in 2011, an eternity in tablet years. With the company's new BlackBerry 10 OS coming in January, some speculate that RIM will update its slate. Though the old Playbook is still for sale, it has ancient specs like a 1024 x 600 screen and a dated design. If RIM wants to stay in this space, it needs to release a new model. A leaked roadmap even mentions a 10-inch Playbook code named "Blackforest."
Why it Won't Happen in 2013: Though the company shipped a surprisingly-high 255,000 Playbooks in Q3 of 2012, the tablet has never been a considered a success by anyone's standards. Meanwhile, RIM is losing market share in he smartphone space and needs to buckle down and focus on its core audience: smartphone users. If the company turns its fortunes around with BlackBerry 10 phones, we may see another tablet, but not in 2013.
More: 10 Most Anticipated Features of BlackBerry 10
December 26th, 2012 at 11:57 pm
Regarding Windows Blue – Microsoft has not denied the reports.
>So, for Windows Blue to launch even as late as Q4 of 2013, Microsoft would have to announce a developer preview or public beta at the
>beginning of the year.
They won’t be playing around with that this time around. Blue is coming as either an update or a massive service pack. Think of it this way: Microsoft is in a mad dash to converge Windows Phone, Windows Desktop, Windows RT and to some degree X-Box. To put it a more cynical way: they know their only hope in mobile is to leverage their existing monopoly (desktop) to create another (mobile), which has been the singular business tool MS has employed since the days of DOS. The OSes will be interlinked. To have a mobile phone/tablet OS that only updates once every three years is certain suicide. Windows Phone will need yearly updates and this will mandate Windows Desktop updates too.
There won’t be the giant 3+year roll-outs anymore. Think Apple and its more incremental yearly updates. This will be the new Microsoft approach. Whether it’s called a new version of the OS, a service pack, a “.5″ release, etc. is to be determined, but it is coming and there’s no way MS can finish integrating its product line without this release schedule change. Further point: Sinofsky, the Windows architect, infamous for wanting complete control of his division and anything that touched Windows, was canned a few weeks after Win8 shipped. All the reports said that his need for control was not going to work when the MS strategy was going to be to integrate the desktop, mobile and game divisions. If the next step in integrating is worth firing the man who was once talked about as the next Microsoft CEO, yearly Windows updates are hardly a major change in comparison.
December 30th, 2012 at 9:57 pm
Laptop Magazine BLOOOOOOWS
January 1st, 2013 at 9:30 pm
Please stop the slide shows. All of this could easily fit on one scrollable screen. Are you counting clicks for advertisers? This is getting annoying.
April 16th, 2013 at 8:59 am
HTC First, with Facebook Home. Get owned.