RIM PlayBook will cost $499: Still not Interested?

On March 22, 2011, R.I.M announced the new price sticker for its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet PC. The BlackBerry PlayBook, coming on April 19, 2011, will be priced at $499 similar to the iPad 2 pricing.

Next month, the PlayBook will become available in various retail stores including Walmart, BestBuy and Staples, and Radio Shack. Best Buy will start taking orders from March 22, 2011.

However, RIM is not interested about regular users but targeting large companies where they would sell their tablet devices in bulk at discounted price.

Since its launch, RIM has been carefully building up relationships with enterprises because the PlayBook comes with a wide range of “security and control features” that are very much useful for enterprise people and government officials.

I think this is a good move from RIM because instead of getting into a direct competition with the iPad 2 it is targeting a market where it has strong hold.

Motorola Xoom failed to gain popularity due to its higher price and RIM learned its lesson from Motorola. Now, people will not worry about the price tag. If this trend continues, the Apple iPad will face serious competitions.

Related article:

The New York Times

RIM PlayBook Release to be Delayed

Today, Research In Motion (RIM) has announced the list of operators and retailers in North America for the company’s first tablet PC named PlayBook. RIM earlier announced that the device would go on sale sometimes in Q1.

However, according to Best Buy, one of the online retail shops where PlayBook is now available for pre-order, the device would be shipped to the customers in between 19 April and 26 April. That means, the tablet would be available for sales in Q2.

You may think that RIM has encountered with some problems which is contributing to the delayed release of PlayBook tablet. Well, the reality is that the company is not facing any problem from anywhere and there is no specific reason cited by RIM for this delay in PlayBook release.

Most probably, the company is trying to find a release date where iPad 2 will have less impact on PlayBook, but at the same time RIM would like to launch the device before the arrival of a number of other tablet PCs from the companies like Acer, Samsung, Toshiba, LG etc.

RIM PlayBook comes with a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen with 1024 x 600 resolution, dual-core 1GHz processor, 2.4/5GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi, HDMI out, flash storage up to 64GB, GPS, a front-facing 3 megapixel camera and a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera. The device is expected to hit the market with a price tag of $500 excluding sales tax.

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reghardware

Can BlackBerry PlayBook make an Impact in the Market?

RIM is expected to release PlayBook in April 2011 but the company has been successful in keeping a lot of information within itself until now. We hardly have any information about the price. Perhaps, RIM bosses are hoping that their success in the smartphone market with BlackBerry handsets may help them to at least influence many corporate users. BlackBerry is still a very popular smartphone in the US market.

I personally doubt that PlayBook will be able to make any major impact in the US market after it is released. I will consider it to be a success if it can put up a strong competition with Android tablets like Galaxy Tab and Motorola Xoom. However, I hardly can see any sign of its becoming an iPad killer. 

RIM to Give BlackBerry PlayBook for Free to the Apps Developer

Are you an application developer? If yes, then this is the offer you may go for. You perhaps already know that Research In Motion (RIM) is planning to release an ambitious BlackBerry PlayBook tablet PC very soon featuring its own operating system.

Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab and other tablet PCs are still struggling to compete with Apple iPad 2. Naturally, BlackBerry Playbook would have to do the same and it seems the company has understood this fact.

That is why, RIM has recently come up with a lucrative offer for the application developers in order to enrich its app store. App store is perhaps one of the biggest attractions of iPad 2 where Android could not even come very close to app store.

RIM is now offering a free BlackBerry PlayBook tablet PC to those who have their applications accepted by the Canada-based company. By doing this, RIM is attracting the app developers and motivating them to create quality apps.

Well, it is expected that RIM would release the BlackBerry PlayBook on 27^th March 2011.

Related article:

channelregister

Questions RIM Must Answer with Its PlayBook to Compete with iPad 2

Research In Motion (RIM) is going to release its first tablet PC, PlayBook, very soon and there are lots of expectations around it. There are many who are waiting for a viable competitor for Apple iPad which is continuously getting stronger. Last year, Samsung tried to cut iPad’s popularity, then this year Motorola Xoom pursued the same; but neither of them became successful.

RIM is well-known for its BlackBerry phones, specialized on unique security over data transfer. It is very popular among the corporate or enterprise users who require additional security. However, RIM saw a slump in its share in the smartphone market since the launch of iPhone from Apple in 2007.

Now, RIM has to compete with Apple in the tablet PC market where Steve Jobs has already made a strong platform for Apple products. Here are few questions RIM has to answer with its PlayBook:

First of all, as RIM is coming up with a tablet PC, many believe the Canada-based company would still keep its focus on security aiming at the corporate users. Well, there are some risks associated with it.

The existing big players of tablet PC market such as iPad 2, Xoom are providing the corporate users with satisfactory level of security and it seems RIM’s expertise on date security may not help in the tablet market. For example, SAP, a business software company, has bought 3,500 units of iPads.

Well, you may argue that RIM’s internal security based on code encryption could ensure better security for the enterprise users compared to others like Apple or Motorola. Point taken, but then how much security an enterprise user requires and to what extent RIM’s security is necessary.

There are rumors that users may discard RIM’s extensive security because most of the users do not need that much of security. In fact, competing companies are now also working on encryption to reduce RIM’s advantage in the market.

Moreover, RIM has to catch up on the hardware features of tablet PC giant iPad or iPad 2, if they are to sustain in the tablet PC market successfully. Screen, graphics, camera, RAM, processor, storage, Wi-Fi and 3G support, and some others are the features people do not generally want to compromise with. In fact, Apple and Motorola have already set the standard very high which RIM PlayBook must meet to stand a change initially.

Next comes application or software. No doubt, this is perhaps the strongest side of Apple iPad thanks to its very rich app store. Here, Android even could not come close to Apple. The good thing is that RIM has finally understood the necessity of delivering quality apps to create better user experience and recently taken some initiative to attract the app developers to join RIM and start developing apps. For example, RIM has dropped the entrance fee for the application developers.

The problem, however, is that for creating more quality apps, RIM coders must not write complex codes, and if needed they have to compromise with security, at least to some extent. Otherwise, developers would find it difficult to rewrite the codes to make attractive applications, and thus, failing to add value to customers.

Overall, RIM PlayBook has to offer something which its competitors like iPad 2 and Xoom are missing to ensure a sustainable business in the tablet PC market.