The above tantalizing image comes courtesy of Boy Genius Report, which yesterday published leaked slides from RIM’s 2012 roadmap. We tend to get something like this around this time every year, and 2012 did not disappoint. We knew coming in that the RIM lineup would be light this year, so it was tough for the roadmap to miss expectations. As you can see from the PlayBook slide, things are actually looking nice. The new model looks to have noticeable improvements over the original. After the jump, the whole roadmap, plus some more commentary.
As to the 3G+ PlayBook, it does look like a viable device, especially since the 2.0 OS will be up and running by then. It’ll be faster, have a higher-res front-facing camera, and, of course, actually work on 3G cellular networks. It will work with HSPA+ networks, which means up to 42Mbps — though that will obviously be network and location dependent. It’s not groundbreaking by any means, but it’s a nice refresh to go along with the new software.
In terms of traditional BlackBerry smartphones, there clearly won’t be many in 2012. There will be a few Curve models released, but many will be bound for developing markets. IT does appear that we’ll get a few different color Curves, which, while serving a specific sector of the market, won’t be any grand revelation. There’s also the Knight, which is the Porche Design P’9981. Those who can afford that device should see it probably sometime around March. After that there’s the White Bold 9790 and then a bunch of Curve models.
The big news comes later in the year, at the end of RIM’s fiscal third quarter. It’s listed under Iconic and it’s labeled merely “Device,” but we all know it’s the BlackBerry London. It does appear that RIM is at least planning for the possibility of a delay, since it places the release on the line separating the third and fourth quarters (November / December). It could come earlier, of course, but it’s good to see that RIM is trying to manage expectations.
While the roadmap reveals little new, it’s nice to see exactly what RIM is up to in 2012. They might even have a few things to announce at BlackBerry World — in addition to the devices, RIM also has items such as Wi-Fi media server on the list. Really, though, this roadmap just reinforces the one big idea: we’ll be waiting eagerly for the end of 2012 and the release of a BlackBerry 10 device.
