BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins has predicted that the tablet market will be unprofitable within five years, Digital Spy said.

The company head believes that large-screen smartphones such as the BlackBerry Z10 will eventually phase out slates.

"In five years I don't think there'll be a reason to have a tablet anymore. Maybe a big screen in your workspace, but not a tablet as such. Tablets themselves are not a good business model," The Daily Telegraph quotes him as saying.

Heins's remarks appear questionable considering that tablet sales are forecast to exceed those of desktop and laptop PCs by the end of the year, but declining iPad profits could be an indication of shifting market conditions.

The CEO's stance has fuelled rumours that BlackBerry could eventually discontinue its own PlayBook tablet without announcing a successor to the device.

BlackBerry launches new hardware this week in the shape of the QWERTY-keyboard equipped Q10 smartphone.