BlackBerry appears to be going full steam ahead with getting more devices running its BlackBerry 10 mobile OS. New reports say BlackBerry will release a PlayBook in 2013 that will be running BlackBerry 10 OS. The current PlayBook runs BlackBerry Tablet OS (QNX). Since BlackBerry 10 OS runs on QNX, an upgrade to BlackBerry 10 for existing PlayBooks can be easily released, according to BlackBerry.
When speaking to Emirates 24|7 , Mike Al Mefleh, director of product management at BlackBerry, confirmed to the site that BlackBerry will be releasing a PlayBook running BlackBerry 10 OS soon. He also went on to describe how BlackBerry views the PlayBook as a core focus of the company. He did not reveal a release date, except stating the tablet would be released soon.
"We have a very clear road map. The company will launch six additional new devices in 2013, and the PlayBook will be in addition to these six new devices," Al Mefleh told the site.
According to sources, BlackBerry might release the BlackBerry 10 update for current PlayBook owners and then follow up with a release of a 10-inch PlayBook that will run BB10 out of the box. Developers are already at work on creating apps for the PlayBook running BackBerry 10.
"An upgrade can easily be released to make the existing PlayBook compatible to BB10, we are developing an all-new NoteSmartly app for the Playbook, which will be released in time for the launch of the new BlackBerry PlayBook," one developer told the site.
BlackBerry hasn't seen much success with its PlayBook tablet since it was released in April 2011. It got lost in the sea of iPads and various Android tablets. If BlackBerry can breathe new life into the PlayBook with BlackBerry 10, it might attract more users to the BlackBerry 10 platform. Users are the most important piece of the puzzle in adopting a new platform, especially for a struggling company like BlackBerry, and this news could possibly work in BlackBerry's favor. Stay tuned.
