BB CEO says tablets have no future

[Islandman]

BlackBerry CEO Questions Future of Tablets
By Hugo Miller and Nadja Brandt - Apr 30, 2013

BlackBerry (BBRY) Chief Executive Officer Thorsten Heins said he sees a limited future for tablet computers, an indication he may shelve plans to build a follow- up to the smartphone maker’s ill-fated PlayBook device.

“In five years I don’t think there’ll be a reason to have a tablet anymore,” Heins said in an interview yesterday at the Milken Institute conference in Los Angeles. “Maybe a big screen in your workspace, but not a tablet as such. Tablets themselves are not a good business model.”

While Heins pushes ahead with fresh smartphones built on the new BlackBerry 10 platform to engineer a sales recovery, he’s rethinking whether to offer larger devices. The PlayBook, introduced in 2011, was panned by critics for debuting without built-in e-mail, delivering the tablet a near-fatal blow. Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry took a $485 million charge later that year to write down unsold inventory after shipping as few as 150,000 PlayBooks in the third quarter of 2012.

Heins said in a January interview he’ll only consider a PlayBook successor if it can be profitable. He reiterated yesterday that a BlackBerry tablet has to offer a unique proposition in a crowded market.

“In five years, I see BlackBerry to be the absolute leader in mobile computing -- that’s what we’re aiming for,” Heins said. “I want to gain as much market share as I can, but not by being a copycat.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/...f-tablets.html

[Islandman]

Hmmm. Well I agree that BB Playbooks have no future, but then again they have no past or present either.

[Assasin]

Tablet as it is, May not be the greatest thing in the future but it does what many people want to do and therefore has taken many people away from the computer. With microsoft coming in the game and making their product to Office it can fulfil the travelling away from office void by many laptop owners.

Also a major difference is tablets can be very cheap and as they get more powerful and more stuff or designed for them, I can't see them going anywhere. The fact is phone is too small and laptops can be too big and expensive so a 7inch or 8inch tablet will always be in demand.

[Islandman]

Agreed. Tablets are very convenient for browsing and accessing email and other personal information and that is probably 70% of what most people use a computer for. I also use mine heavily as a kindle reader.

I don't like them much for creating documents or anything that involves too much typing. But unless I am doing real work the tablet is what I use at home.

[Assasin]

True I can't imagine people want to do too much typing on the tablet but for opening up an attachment and maybe changing a thing or two, it will be great.

Yes I agree it does what many people needs to do so it will be around and if you look around you may find a few for under 150 dollars.

[Jangle]

Sass you've hit the nail right on its head. Since I got a Kindle, I have been able to sit in front of my tv and surf the web during commercial breaks, while checking out the forum at the same time. I have a home office which has a desktop and couldn't watch a match on the tv in the living room and make my astute commentaries on the forum at the same time. The Kindle has given me new life even though I hate typing on it. It is also most convenient to keep up while being indisposed in the Loo.

[OJ]

yes but you will be able to do it on a ultra book... + more. i dont think tablet in the enterprise is a sure bet.

[Assasin]

you will be able to do it on the Ultra book but that is an overkill to most personal users and the cost is a big difference. In the enterprise it might not be the best thing as you state but imagine a govt like Ja and small businesses in Ja. You can create Web Portals and have users login as oppose to using a 5 year old computer. The difference in cost is glaring.

Can't see the tablet going anywhere soon.

[T.K.]

I have a home office which has a desktop and couldn't watch a match on the tv in the living room and make my astute commentaries on the forum at the same time.

Yes Jangle we all appreciate it when your kindle allows you to "put eeen your balls" on the forum. Haha......

[Bricktop]

Can't see the tablet going anywhere soon.

Tablets are already feeling the pinch from the Samsung Note...why carry a tablet and a phone...

[Jangle]

[Mosiah]

Tablets themselves are not a good business model.

- Thorsten Heins

[Assasin]

why carry a phone and pay phone bill?

Anyway Tablets are here to stay for a little while.

[Mosiah]

And I agree!

Of course, Heins runs the risk of looking like a complete claffy 10 years from now if all our offices replace computers (laptops and desktops) with tablets. But, as it stands right now, tablets are not business tools.

[Assasin]

not good for him. He can sell a phone for 500 dollars while he can't do that to a tablet. If you notice HP tablet wasn't selling and when they planned to go out of the business the prices drop, people grab them up?

Not a good business model for him but good for the consumers. I have to be wondering about the Blackberry z10 as some companies are moving to able and not even considering the new blackberry and this is companies who normally use the blackberry

OJ and others how is the new blackberry doing in the coporate world?