No reason for tablets in five years, says Blackberry CEO
Z10 maker's Thorsten Heins says iPad-like devices not a good business model for the future
Tablets are all the rage these days, but it's just a phase, according to Blackberry CEO Thorsten Heins. Speaking with The Telegraph, the CEO of the Canadian smartphone company said the familiar devices will become far less common in the near future.
"In five years I don't think there'll be a reason to have a tablet anymore," Heins said. "Maybe a big screen in your workspace, but not a tablet as such. Tablets themselves are not a good business model."
That suggests Blackberry won't be pursuing its PlayBook tablet line very aggressively. The original device launched in 2011, and struggled out of the gate. Heins told The Telegraph that the company would only consider a follow-up if it had something different to offer in a market packed with competitors.
"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."
With the launch of its anticipated Z10 phone, Blackberry is just starting to emerge from a difficult stretch. For the fiscal year ended March 2, it reported a net loss of $646 million, compared to a net profit of $1.16 billion the year before.