RIM Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis Shoots Down BlackBerry Tablet Idea

The afternoon sessions here at All Things Digital 7 were kicked off with Crackberry master aka RIM Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis.

When asked by Walt Mossberg if a BlackBerry tablet may be in the works – one that would function more as a PC than phone – Lazaridis did not seem excited.  “We went through this 20 years ago – we have to ask ourselves what is the purpose of the technology,” Lazaridis said. He added that the concept is “cool” but it is for a niche market.

In response to Mossberg’s heated questions as to why the BlackBerry Storm ($339.99) wasn’t a better device, Lazaridis was defensive. “We have had updates to the product, and we are going to keep making it  better and better. We want to make the best products in the world and we aren’t afraid to try new things; this was an innovative thing for us.”