The Blackpad (RIM’s Tablet) Coming In November

Artist's rendition of the expected Blackpad

A combination of leaks and rumours is “confirming” more every day that the maker of the formidable BlackBerry will be taking on Apple and its iPad with something called the Blackpad.

Expected to be announced in November, the touchscreen tablet will have a 9.7-inch touch screen, include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth tech, and bank on the many business users that use and love BlackBerry email and apps.

Why no 3G? You can access the web by tethering your BlackBerry (or available Wi-Fi, of course). So it seems that RIM expects the real users of the Blackpad to be people who are already part of the BB family.

And is the Blackpad an iPad killer? I think not, but without seeing more details later in the year, it’s hard to say definitively. My suspicion is that the Blackpad is RIM’s way of making sure it doesn’t lose BlackBerry users to the Apple ecosystem through the iPad.

The Blackpad is also expected to cost pretty much the same as the iPad.

Would you buy a Blackpad if you didn’t have a BlackBerry already?

[Bloomberg via Dvice]