10-inch BlackBerry PlayBook surfaces in Vietnam
updated 08:10 am EDT, Mon July 30, 2012
Apparently stillborn 10-inch BlackBerry PlayBook revealed
Vietnamese site Tinhte has received images of the rumored, but unreleased, 10-inch BlackBerry PlayBook leaked images tablet. The tablet gets torn down as evidence that it is authentic with its innards splayed to reveal what appears to be a device that is ready to ship. However, all reports suggest that the device was stillborn and that this production-ready example may be one prepared ahead of what appears to have turned into an aborted product launch.
RIM entered the tablet market with its 7-inch BlackBerry PlayBook, however, incredibly, it launched the product without a native email client, among other essential apps like a calendar. Although RIM rushed the product to market, it promised customers an early software update that would bring the essential native apps. However, the update was delayed by a full year and ended up being rolled into the BlackBerry OS 2 update.
Unfortunately for RIM, it was too little too late, with the 7-inch PlayBook subject to steep discounting as the company struggled to shift its stock. Compounding problems further, Amazon subsequently released its Kindle Fire, which was incorporated most of the features of the PlayBook, but running Android while also undercutting the PlayBook's price by a significant margin. While it would be intriguing to see RIM launch the device, it is unlikely to do so having shed hundreds of staff with all its resources geared towards preparing both the BlackBerry 10 OS and related devices.
