BlackBerry Confirms New Tablet in the Works: BlackBerry Classic to be Launched in December

BlackBerry has confirmed that a new tablet is in the works, and that it is working on a concept to address the issue of a large screen featuring a physical keyboard.

Earlier in April, BlackBerry was reported to be planning for a tablet. Although, the tablet was not a priority it is something the company believes can grab the attention of the enterprise customers. Also, the company then believed that the upcoming device could be a huge asset for their entrance in healthcare and other regulated industries. The new tablet was slated for a launch in the Q4 2015.

John Chen, BlackBerry CEO recently in the MIT Enterprise Forum held in Hong Kong announced that a new tablet is in the pipeline, reports N4BB.

As for the new concept device, Chen seems to be hinting at a slider. However, this new concept could also be the device which appeared in a patent leak in 2012, a tablet with a concealed keyboard. Given below is the extract from the patent.

"An electronic device having a concealed keyboard includes a first housing, a second housing rotatably coupled to the first housing, and a concealment cover coupled to a rear of the first housing. The first housing has a coupling edge and two sides that are substantially perpendicular to the coupling edge of the first housing. The second housing has a coupling edge and two sides that are substantially perpendicular to the coupling edge of the second housing. A receiving portion is formed on a rear surface of the first housing and is configured to receive the second housing. When the second housing is in the receiving portion, each respective side of the first housing and the second housing are co-terminal with one another. The concealment cover is exteriorly positioned with respect to the second housing when the second housing is in the receiving portion."

BlackBerry Classic

Chen, in the MIT Enterprise Forum, has also mentioned that the BlackBerry Enterprise Service 12 (BES12), a new enterprise mobility solution that is application-enabled and unifies BES10 and BES5 to one platform, will be launched on 13 November. This will be followed by the launch of BlackBerry Classic, which will arrive just a month later, in December.