RIM to unveil two new PlayBook tablets in 2012?

Okay, so maybe 2011 wasn’t a good year for the BlackBerry PlayBook but RIM isn’t giving up on the tablet market yet. N4BB claims its hearing from voices on the inside that RIM is preparing to launch not one, but two PlayBook-branded tablets this year. One will be a lower-end 7-inch model and the other will be a premium 1o-inch tablet.

The 7-inch PlayBook will be much like its predecessor. It won’t feature 4G, but instead 3G+ (otherwise known as 3.5G) which is still has more than adequate Internet speeds. I’d imagine it would also get a spec bump to handle PlayBook OS 2.0 due for a release at the end of February, according to N4BB. The tablet itself is apparently slated for release some time in April.

Not much is known about the 10-inch PlayBook other than that it will support 4G LTE connectivity, though that often comes at the price of battery life. Since the tablet will naturally be bigger than the 7-inch, hopefully RIM will cram in some more interesting features to justify a potentially higher price tag. The 10-inch tablet is due to come out in December, so we have quite a ways to go before hearing any confirmation of this guy.

The rumor of two PlayBooks is actually one that makes sense, unlike many other wacky tablet reports of yesteryear. Should Research In Motion create a line out of the PlayBook tablet, not only would it follow suit with Samsung’s strategy, but also its own for the smartphone market. RIM has historically been one to expand upon existing products and this latest report suggests the PlayBook is no exception.

[via N4BB]

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