John Chen Confirms BlackBerry is Working on Tablet Concept

John Chen was in Hong Kong this week for the MIT Enterprise Forum.

At the event, Chen confirmed that BlackBerry is indeed working on a tablet.

BlackBerry patents hit at a potential slider-based tablet concept, possibly similar to Microsoft’s Surface Pro devices, only the keyboard would slide under the tablet as opposed to disconnecting entirely.

Speculation suggests the launch of a BlackBerry tablet in mid- to late-2015, but the Waterloo-based company has not released anything official.

BlackBerry’s last attempt at a tablet was the PlayBook, which was a major flop. The device, which debuted at $500, saw its price plummet to $100 at many retailers as they looked to clear out stock at a loss because it wouldn’t sell.