[M--Canuck]

This is A harsh comment but from seeing all the negative comments here about RIM and all the talk about them failing it seems that the so called loyal blackberry customers that most of you sometimes claim to be is nothing more than an opportunistic mask that you put on when you snatched playbooks at write off value. Shame on all of you trolling crackberry people.

It is so funny that truly because its priced over your cheap budgets you are talking so much smack.
RIM will successeed whether with your cheap contributions or without, if you do not like prices go buy yourself a cheap nexus and be Happy otherwise shut the flip up cause you cant expect a company that is trying to survive to sell top notch solid quality built tablets at cost price so that you are content with, otherwise you whine and call it a fail

Sent from my Playbook using tapatalk

[bdegrande]

This is A harsh comment but from seeing all the negative comments here about RIM and all the talk about them failing it seems that the so called loyal blackberry customers that most of you sometimes claim to be is nothing more than an opportunistic mask that you put on when you snatched playbooks at write off value. Shame on all of you trolling crackberry people.

It is so funny that truly because its priced over your cheap budgets you are talking so much smack.
RIM will successeed whether with your cheap contributions or without, if you do not like prices go buy yourself a cheap nexus and be Happy otherwise shut the flip up cause you cant expect a company that is trying to survive to sell top notch solid quality built tablets at cost price so that you are content with, otherwise you whine and call it a fail

Sent from my Playbook using tapatalk

I am not buying a 4G Playbook regardless of price (I have a 4G iPad and a wifi Playbook) so I have no personal stake in what the pricing is.

Pricing decisions are made every day by companies, and pricing your product higher does NOT mean that you will necessarily make more money. A large part of the Playbook's failure in the marketplace was due to its original pricing at $499. At $349-399 it would have done much better, both for RIM, which probably wouldn't have had to drop the price to $199, and for the owners, who would have had a bigger software base because of increased sales.

No, someone disagreeing with you doesn't mean they hate RIM and doesn't mean they're a troll. That is just pure egomania.

[SnoozerBold]

My original pb works fine and I can use bridge when I'm not on wifi
I'm a huge rim supporter. I've bought and upgraded early at full price so I don't mind spending $ on rim products. But personally I feel the new tablet is over priced when compared to the original pb after the price drop. I can't seenspecial ding 350 and locking into 3 years contract. Maybe some are correct that it's priced a geared towards the corporate world. I just see anything compelling at that price range to make me upgrade.

It just doesn't make any sense to me. Aside from 4g lte is there really any major upgrades to the new pb that make it compelling enough to upgrade? That's a serious question. I fear rim won't sell a lot of these at these prices

Not: I love my pb and use it every day. And my bold 9790. Love.rim products but this one has me scratching my head

[moss27]

I am not apologizing nor am I ashamed for being a smart buyer who is not blindly loyal to any company.

[Spencerdl]

WOW OP, takin this a little personal are we .....its not that serious...is it??

[JR A]

The off contract price is overpriced in my opinion.

Everything is the same except LTE and a faster CPU; it's basically a 1-1.5 year old tech with LTE and bump in clock rate. Screen resolution is the same (not to mention its the same EXACT screen), RAM is the same (both capacity 1GB and the type of RAM), GPU is the same, speakers are the same, casing is the same, and most importantly the OS is the same as the non-radio PlayBook. Okay, I'll give RIM that one on the OS since they're good about OTA updates...

I'm not looking at the carrier-contract prices since they have more say so with that, but even the off-contract price doesn't justify getting LTE and a faster CPU, especially since I can bridge for free.

And those who are saying that bridge is slower than LTE, yes that is true, but in the off chance I need something faster than what HSPA+ through Bluetooth can provide (bridge), I can just use wifi. And in very off chance I need to download a LARGE file or need LTE speeds and I'm not near wifi and bridge won't cut it, even in those rare instances, is the price justified? Not just for the PlayBook, but for data plan you pay the carrier for? If I really needed dedicated speed, it'd be more cost effective to turn my phone into a wifi-hotspot and pay the $20-$30 month to allow that feature. By doing this, you don't have to commit yourself to a 1-2-3 year contract and you can use the mobile hotspot/wifi add-on to your phones plan on a monthly basis.


So I guess I'm trying to say that due to BB offering Bridge for free, having the ability to turn my phone into a mobile hotspot (wifi), and being in a wifi-rich area 80% of my day, a 4G PlayBook is unnecessary (at least for me and most BB users), especially when you factor in the cost of the tablet and the data charges that carriers will rob your pocket books with...

[cattonb]

the off contract price is fine when compared to other LTE tablets. its just to rich for my blood.

the problem most have is with the contract price. if i am committing to dropping at least 360 bucks to Rogers over 3 years, i want a better subsidy on the tablet. why is the galaxy 8.9 priced at 199 and the playbook 349? the specs are very ver comparable

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[sportline]

galaxy 8.9 is a lot more productive than PB...bigger, thinner, lighter. and the apps..playstore vs appworld? so it is not comparable at all.

if only this 4g playbook runs OS7...with all the apps..

[THBW]

Well, I certainly agree with you. The sheer level of stupidity that comes out of the comments has been bizarre. So let us hit a few of the highlights of the so called geniuses

1) Playbook price 549 vs iPAD or Galaxy 749 to 800 dollars.
Genius comment. How can RIMM price their products exactly the same or more than their competitors.
My response to the geniuses. I thought 549 is less than 800 (like 250 dollars). Maybe up is down and down is up. Maybe it is the new math everyone was taught.

2) Nexus vs the playbook.
Genius comment. But the Nexus 7 is exactly the thing as the playbook.
My response to the geniuses. Well perhaps that would be correct if you removed the two cameras, tossed half the memory and RAM, downgraded the screen, ran a stripped down version of Os and had no cell connection. I guess these things don't cost any money.

3) The market argument.
Genius comment. I don't need it and therefore nobody else does.
My response to the narcissistic geniuses. I don't need it either but I think someone does. How about a salesman using saleforce.com to stay in contact with the office, place orders and keep track of inventory. That took 3 seconds to think of.

Look all sarcasism aside, buy what you need. It is not hard to understand. The cell connection will be important for a group of professionals that need constant contact with a home base. Wi-Fi connections don't do the trick and it is not practically to be bridged all day. A different product for a different market.

[smartie88]

This is A harsh comment but from seeing all the negative comments here about RIM and all the talk about them failing it seems that the so called loyal blackberry customers that most of you sometimes claim to be is nothing more than an opportunistic mask that you put on when you snatched playbooks at write off value. Shame on all of you trolling crackberry people.

It is so funny that truly because its priced over your cheap budgets you are talking so much smack.
RIM will successeed whether with your cheap contributions or without, if you do not like prices go buy yourself a cheap nexus and be Happy otherwise shut the flip up cause you cant expect a company that is trying to survive to sell top notch solid quality built tablets at cost price so that you are content with, otherwise you whine and call it a fail

Sent from my Playbook using tapatalk

why don't you tell us why it is reasonably priced?

[M--Canuck]

well said pal

Sent from my Playbook using tapatalk

[M--Canuck]

[/b] ;7549917]Well, I certainly agree with you. The sheer level of stupidity that comes out of the comments has been bizarre. So let us hit a few of the highlights of the so called geniuses

1) Playbook price 549 vs iPAD or Galaxy 749 to 800 dollars.
Genius comment. How can RIMM price their products exactly the same or more than their competitors.
My response to the geniuses. I thought 549 is less than 800 (like 250 dollars). Maybe up is down and down is up. Maybe it is the new math everyone was taught.

2) Nexus vs the playbook.
Genius comment. But the Nexus 7 is exactly the thing as the playbook.
My response to the geniuses. Well perhaps that would be correct if you removed the two cameras, tossed half the memory and RAM, downgraded the screen, ran a stripped down version of Os and had no cell connection. I guess these things don't cost any money.

3) The market argument.
Genius comment. I don't need it and therefore nobody else does.
My response to the narcissistic geniuses. I don't need it either but I think someone does. How about a salesman using saleforce.com to stay in contact with the office, place orders and keep track of inventory. That took 3 seconds to think of.

Look all sarcasism aside, buy what you need. It is not hard to understand. The cell connection will be important for a group of professionals that need constant contact with a home base. Wi-Fi connections don't do the trick and it is not practically to be bridged all day. A different product for a different market.

well said pal

Sent from my Playbook using tapatalk

[_BB10_]

On an apples-to-apples basis the comps on the market would suggest that $550 is a fair price. Its definitely geared to the enterprise customer as its common knowledge that 4G tablets in the consumer markets will soon completely die out (yes, that includes 4G iPads too).

The only 2 reasons I think its over-priced is:

1) I really wanted one for $400; not for the 4G (because that's useless and stupid to pay for on a monthly basis), but for the 1.5 ghz processor! Honestly, I know $400 is below fair value though and that's just me trying to save money. Sigh.

2) Its my personal opinion that given RIM's current situation, the goal should not be to increase the bottom line here, but to move so many PB's as to put 1-2 in every home in America. I know that's unrealistic, but it would naturally drum up demand for BB10 and also lead to increase app sales, further encouraging devs to jump on board. Not to mention all the positive press it would create; something RIM could use as they mount a come back.

All that said, there are smart individuals at RIM and they must have the bigger picture in mind as it relates to how they want to brand BB for the future, BB10 marketing, sales goals, etc. They also know the stakes. I can't pretend to know how to run the company any better.

Tipping points are unpredictable phenomena and we'll only be able to evaluate the price in hindsight. I'll trust the process.

[anson1331]

Sorry, I gotta save my money for BlackBerry 10

[sportline]

the galaxy 8.9 3G i bought cash, off contract, costs me ~$450..certainly not 750 or $800. closest to pb is nexus 7 and galaxy 7.7 (which is around $700).
but as a package - no BBM, no social feeds and laggy buggy apps as in the wifi pb - the only benefit is BIS push service ($10/mo) and we are yet to see how the battery cope with BIS service/push.

[_BB10_]

Sorry, I gotta save my money for BlackBerry 10

I hear that. And perhaps the 4G will come down in price by then. At which point I'll by them both. Do I see a bundle-to-save type package for the duo? That would be, simply, beast.

[richardat]

You know...there really is no such thing as a reasonable price...of course comparing it to it's rivals can be problematic, and even if a rival were EXACTLY the same, one would then have to ask if the rival were "reasonable" in price!

The reality is, the right price is:

1.for consumers: what they are willing to pay for the product

2.for business: what maximizes their profits (both current and FUTURE)

I think this product will be a complete failure on both counts. Though we will have to wait to be sure if #1 will be satisfied. I think it is not, and as a result, #2 will also be a failure. One could argue that BB needs to keep the price up to make any money on the product, and that may well be true, but i think at that price point, they will sell so few, so as to end up at a loss anyways. I also think that another poor selling/overpriced item will only tarnish their reputation, potentially hurting future profits as well.

In any case, we shall see if the product sells at that price. Apparently (can it really be so? or is there more going on?) the bean-counters at RIM think so.... given the generally negative feedback out there, and my own visceral reaction, it's hard to believe management at RIM could truly believe this will be a winner. It's very odd.

In the meanwhile, it doesn't make sense, nor is it fair to berate people on here for thinking it overpriced. It is absolutely right their right to make their own value judgment and decide for themselves if they want to relinquish that amount for this new product. I think sales will show their judgments to be correct, but again, we shall see.

[TNNurse]

This is A harsh comment but from seeing all the negative comments here about RIM and all the talk about them failing it seems that the so called loyal blackberry customers that most of you sometimes claim to be is nothing more than an opportunistic mask that you put on when you snatched playbooks at write off value. Shame on all of you trolling crackberry people.

It is so funny that truly because its priced over your cheap budgets you are talking so much smack.
RIM will successeed whether with your cheap contributions or without, if you do not like prices go buy yourself a cheap nexus and be Happy otherwise shut the flip up cause you cant expect a company that is trying to survive to sell top notch solid quality built tablets at cost price so that you are content with, otherwise you whine and call it a fail

Sent from my Playbook using tapatalk

Let me start by saying I strongly disagree with your statement "RIM will succeed whether with your cheap contributions or without". RIM has lost huge market share over the past two years because people have went and bought droids. That is exactly why they need to bring BB10 to market, to bring those people back.
As far as price point goes I think it is spot on if the target audience is Enterprise users. The problem is the software isn't there to support it yet IMOP. Again IMOP the 4G should not have been released at all until the release of BB10. The two biggest reasons for an enterprise user to have have a tablet is video conferencing and office applications.
I am in the medical field and work for the largest corporation in the USA, the Federal Government. Security is a huge in IT for the government even more so in the medical field and RIM has that covered but when it comes to video conferencing Cisco is the gold standard. The Veterans Hospital I work in just installed an extensive Cisco system and without WebEx the playbook is worthless to them. I also retired from the Army not long ago and the same thing applies there. As far as video conferencing goes for small businesses Skype is king and we all know where that stands.
I hope I am wrong but the price point for the average consumer is going to be high. RIM is going to their own worst competition. The average consumer isn't going to buy a product at twice the price with virtually the same capabilities when bridge is factored in and the additional cost of another data plan. A poll done right here on Crackberry shows exactly that.

[merlin29]

Hi, just seen playbook price, is it good value?, I have playbook from day one, here in UK
Price was expensive at the time, but it is good quality and reliable, and continues to receive updates, does all I need, no 4G. here but faster processor would be useful,
If you want quality it Costs money, nexus tablet is stripped down to save costs,
And has no flash player, for myself no device without it is of any use to me,
Just bought 32GB version need more Storage, my 7 year old granddaughter likes using playbook, so Have Given my first playbook to her, a future BlackBerry customer?.

[thelink74]

I sure hope when it's releases on AT&T it doesn't go for more than $250 on a 2 year contract. Plus AT&T has now joined Verizon in the "shared Data" wars so I believe that would be a better deal and still I'm hoping to only pay no more than $250 at AT&T...

[_BB10_]

I think its just such a shame that the mass consumer market has not been, and maybe won't be, exposed to this product. The current PB and certainly the 4G PB are both such elegant products and quite impressive pieces of hardware. IMO, the PB has what it would take to be the #1 tablet on the market, but given worldwide smear campaign against RIM uniformed buyers naturally stay away from it and opt for an iPad to fit in with the crowd.

Frank Boulben is much smarter than me, and I truly hope he has a genius marketing campaign up his sleeve to turn the tables. Either way, I'll be buying a 4G PB whenever its available in the states.

[beavertail2]

I truly don't understand how some can bash on the LTE Playbook price when it is not even officially announced. Guess you guys can't wait.

Even if you were talking about the rumor price of $550, no contract pricing. It is cheaper than all other LTE tablets in Canada. One poster points out $550 is less than $700.

Your bashers are no-brainers.

[johnenglish]

The 4G Playbook was announced on Friday by RIM.

Research In Motion Introduces the New Ultra Powerful, Ultra Portable and Ultra Fast 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet

My problem with the pricing is that you can by a 32 GB WiFi Playbook for $229.99 at Staples. Sure you can get the 4G LTE model for $349.99 but that's on a 3 year contract.

Look at how RIM has struggled to sell the regular Playbook. I don't see how simply adding 4G LTE and a slightly faster procesor will make it fly off the shelves. The problem never was the hardware. Read all the early reviews of it. Everyone talks about how it's well built and has very good specs but the device was let down by the software and lack of an ecosystem. While OS 2.0 is a dramatic improvement it's still missing things like BBM.

The hardware was never the problem and I don't see how simply adding a 4G LTE radio set and a slightly faster processor justifies a $549.99 price tag. Once you cut the price on a item like RIM did with the WiFi Playbook it's almost impossible to raise them back up like they're doing with the 4G model.

The good news is that I guess those "new 4G LTE chipsets" that RIM has been waiting on in order to launch BB10 devices are finally in production.

[zethaaron]

This is A harsh comment but from seeing all the negative comments here about RIM and all the talk about them failing it seems that the so called loyal blackberry customers that most of you sometimes claim to be is nothing more than an opportunistic mask that you put on when you snatched playbooks at write off value. Shame on all of you trolling crackberry people.

It is so funny that truly because its priced over your cheap budgets you are talking so much smack.

You see the problem with this is, you just sound like one of those people who waits 3 years for their favorite band's new album, and when It comes out and turns out to suck says "True fans love it no matter what!". No, true fans evaluate it instead of blindly saying they like it and so are not unwilling to speak up when they think something is crazy.

As per your budget assumptions, would there really be anything wrong with someone not being able to afford it? Personally I think that a person probably isn't evil because they can't afford a tablet. Where did you even come up with that?

[KOOLWATER]

The off contract price is overpriced in my opinion.

Everything is the same except LTE and a faster CPU; it's basically a 1-1.5 year old tech with LTE and bump in clock rate. Screen resolution is the same (not to mention its the same EXACT screen), RAM is the same (both capacity 1GB and the type of RAM), GPU is the same, speakers are the same, casing is the same, and most importantly the OS is the same as the non-radio PlayBook. Okay, I'll give RIM that one on the OS since they're good about OTA updates...

I'm not looking at the carrier-contract prices since they have more say so with that, but even the off-contract price doesn't justify getting LTE and a faster CPU, especially since I can bridge for free.

And those who are saying that bridge is slower than LTE, yes that is true, but in the off chance I need something faster than what HSPA+ through Bluetooth can provide (bridge), I can just use wifi. And in very off chance I need to download a LARGE file or need LTE speeds and I'm not near wifi and bridge won't cut it, even in those rare instances, is the price justified? Not just for the PlayBook, but for data plan you pay the carrier for? If I really needed dedicated speed, it'd be more cost effective to turn my phone into a wifi-hotspot and pay the $20-$30 month to allow that feature. By doing this, you don't have to commit yourself to a 1-2-3 year contract and you can use the mobile hotspot/wifi add-on to your phones plan on a monthly basis.


So I guess I'm trying to say that due to BB offering Bridge for free, having the ability to turn my phone into a mobile hotspot (wifi), and being in a wifi-rich area 80% of my day, a 4G PlayBook is unnecessary (at least for me and most BB users), especially when you factor in the cost of the tablet and the data charges that carriers will rob your pocket books with...

AGREE, these reasons are why I'm not in the market for ANY carrier supported tablet. The wifi PlayBook Kicks booty!.......... All while being budget friendly