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BlackBerry is making another play for a tablet. Hard on the heels of the launch of the next generation operating system BlackBerry 10, the company is planning a sequel to the disastrous PlayBook tablet — while the new Z10 has the best-selling launch the company’s ever seen.
The new Z10, first to showcase the new BB10 software, sold three times as many phones on its first day than any previous BlackBerry device. Spurred on by that success, BlackBerry boss Thorsten Heins told Reuters that, “I’ve asked my teams to build another one.”
“The architecture we have built is true mobile computing architecture,” says Heins. “It’s not a downgraded PC operating system. It is a whole new innovation built from scratch. It’s built for mobile.”
After the critical and commercial failure of the PlayBook, however, Heins acknowledges that, “I need to make money from it. If the hardware doesn’t provide the margins I need, then it makes no sense in doing it.”
BlackBerry also says that a docking station will arrive this year for the Z10 that will replace your laptop or desktop computer.
The PlayBook launched to almost universal lack of interest in 2011, failing to mount any kind of challenge to the market-leading Apple iPad. It was hamstrung by missing features — you know, just a few minor things, like email — and is now reduced to being given away free with the Z10.
It’s crucial for BlackBerry, formerly known as Research in Motion, that the Z10 does well, as market share is ground down by Android rivals. BlackBerry hasn’t shared specific sales figures for the Z10 launch, so we won’t know how good the numbers really are until we see BlackBerry’s results. It’s worth noting that they’re probably not a patch on a new iPhone or Samsung Galaxy phone, which see queues down the block. Who queues overnight for a BlackBerry?
Can a BlackBerry tablet take on the iPad? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.
