BlackBerry® PlayBook™

[LionelSchotter]

A very succint and insightful contribution. Although it is probably veering off the topic of the availability of the OS 2.0 update it does speak to RIM's strategy. I believe RIM's biggest failings are exactly due to the fact that they do not meet any of the criteria you put down. Their veil of silence approach is old school and is exactly the lesson that the Big Blue learned in the 80s that led to the rise and dominance of the modern PC and now we have the rise of the i devices and Android for exactly that reason. Consumers are provided with great marketing and communication on products and services. Whether they are superior or not is irrelevant as the consumer feels engaged, informed and most important they feel like the corporations value them. RIM is stuck in stone-age mentality and approach. I am a fan and avid used of the RIM products but I do not appreciate the labyrinthian process you have to follow in order to get anything of value out of them in terms of support and response. The only time I have ever received anything close to excellent service from RIM was in the 90 day official Support they give you with the purchase of your PB, thereafter you have to pay out a fee to obtain anything resembling service from them, unlike other vendors whereby the cost of support is included in the purchase of the device. I just find it hard to understand how RIM expect to survive and yet still maintain their pure arrogance and basically contempt towards the customer.

[jecsc620]

I agree. RIM has an excellent opportunity (IMHO) to recapture a lot of customers that they have lost in the last year by takinng advantage of product pricing and capability for the tablet with their rumored update of version OS2.

Apple customers paid much more for thier product and had significant issues at the initial roll out...(Remember they had issues turning customers up on day one because they were over whemled), yet it did not lessen their ability to capture significant new customers.

Based from what I know of the new release I would give a date and let people line up to get it... the caveat is they have to deliver what they say....

And you are right we are probably a little of topic...Patiently waiting for the new release...

[Arthurwang]

RIM has a really great tablet, not at its first release last year, it is after the coming OS2 release, but RIM lacks marketing strategy to attract customers and create public image of its products. As I observed and compared to the fruit stuff.

[sideshowstanley]

---

Arthurwang wrote:

RIM has a really great tablet, not at its first release last year, it is after the coming OS2 release, but RIM lacks marketing strategy to attract customers and create public image of its products. 

---

Exactly! From a pure hardware standpoint the PB makes the iPad look like an etch-a-sketch, but nobody save for a few enlightened understands this. The PB with OS2.0 would be a bargain at the same price as the iPad, at $150 (or whatever they are giving it away for now - I try not to look as I paid full price) it's a complete steal.

Hopefully RIM will give marketing free reign - or hire some new, fresh marketing people -  to show the world that this is not a silly tablet but a milestone in portable computing. And when the BBX phones come out to go with it (and there had better be some sexy LTE handsets), the marketing people had better build a buzz akin to the second coming ... Not only will the technology put RIM in a position to regain their share of the North American market, this probably their last chance to do so.

While it might be fine to have good earnings for selling millions of phones in emerging markets, being the goto device for security (for now) and to have massive market penetration everywhere else, there is a cachet to pwning the NA market - and their stock price reflects the lack of it.

I'd hate to see RIM striped down and sold off so hopefully a few million north Americans can get as excited about PB2.0 & BBX as I am. Even a fraction of that excitment would do!

Cheers,
Chris

[varick]

lets be patient to see how the new OS2 rolls out then we can make a comment, but look at it this way, BB is updating the PB instead of rolling out a new tablet ever year like Apple ipad 1,2,3 (that is expensive) i hope the update keeps going

[sideshowstanley]

Good point. And it either confirms my belief that the original PB is a serious piece of kit, or they know consumers would totally LOSE it if they came out with another version. I'm faithfully sticking to the former. Hardware wise the PB is tight. They just loosed it too soon software wise.

Thankfully February is the shortest month of the year but sitting here waiting for that update is seriously stretching thing out. While they are being very consistent in sticking to a Feb. release date, I swear if they suddenly change it to March, I may have to cry.

[Arthurwang]

We count it day by day, minute by minute! If not Feb 17, it would be a huge disappointment for PB owners. But if it is before that anticipated date, it will be an enormous happiness for us and give us more confidence for RIM's future.

[taylor96]

SO... we have 27 comments on when it will arrive or won't arrive.. yet we are still do not know when it will come out.. just a lot of guessing on everyones part..

Is it Feb 17th or by the end of the month.. WHAT friggin month or what year.. this is getting to be an old old song with no ending.. IS it going to be released or NOT.. RIM get real and let the world know what is happening.. I fear we are going to get a new BBT with all new systems and we oldies will be left in the dark. its happend before in this electronic world....

[JSanders Resident Expert]

---

taylor96 wrote:

Is it Feb 17th or by the end of the month.. WHAT friggin month or what year.. this is getting to be an old old song with no ending.. IS it going to be released or NOT.. RIM get real and let the world know what is happening.. I fear we are going to get a new BBT with all new systems and we oldies will be left in the dark. its happend before in this electronic world....

---

omg, February 2012. That's clear.

What's so old about it, RIM stated as early as last October, it would be in February 2012. They have not backed off this window and as recently as last week, their official word was still "this month".

BBT?

[varick]

man someone had or is having a bad day lol BBT i am assuming Blackberry Tablet