[skline2]

Will there come a point in time when the Playbook is considered functionally obsolete, and when will I know that that time has finally arrived? (Yes, I know that it is only a couple of years old now since it first came to the marketplace.)

[jgenn3]

Will there come a point in time when the Playbook is considered functionally obsolete, and when will I know that that time has finally arrived? (Yes, I know that it is only a couple of years old now since it first came to the marketplace.)

When it no longer does what you need it for you will know. That could be web browsing, playing games or watching movies/listening to music. If it wont run the apps you require and cant live without it might already be functionally obsolete now for you. It depends on the user and their needs.

[cinder0008]

Like any technology, it will be overcome by the latest and greatest. BBRY has already stated there will be no further "major" updates to the software. It is still a great product. I have one, it works great for many things. I personally am selling mine because I want a more of a media experience when I travel (Dish Anywhere, HBOGO, NBCSports) and apps like these aren't available. You would be hard pressed to find a tablet that sounded better for streaming radio though IMO.

[Gooseberry Falls]

For me, these types of devices are first limited in web browsing. Web designers do not care about legacy devices. You will eventually start to get "you need to upgrade your browser" messages. You won't be able to upgrade the stock browser and the only hope will be that a third party developer still updates theirs. But chances are they will have left the platform, too. PB may be a little different if sideloaded android apps work. Same with the apps. They will continue to function until the website servers logins change and you can't login anymore. Standalone apps, like Docs to Go, will always function. So does email, usually. I can still access POP3 email, play a few games, and look at some simple webpages on a Windows CE PDA device of 15 years ago. You'll have to backup the PB if you want any AppWorld apps after a security wipe because they will have shut that down. Believe me, you will know...but the frustration point is different for everyone.

[ChrisMay]

I don't really understand the question. What do you mean by functional obsolescence? (in this context. I understand the general meaning of the phrase)
As long as your Playbook continues to do all (or at least the majority) of the things that YOU want it to do, then it is surely not functionally obsolete...?
Once you find there are functions or apps that you really must have, and which the Playbook is not able to perform or run, then that is the time to move on and find a device that is more suitable for your needs.

From a personal point of view, my PB is perfectly functional and I can't really see this changing within the next year or so. My needs are not particulary demanding though, some web browsing, emailing, media consumption (reading books, and watching films/listening to music both on and off line) and a little bit of simple gaming...

EDIT: GooseberryFalls makes a good point about things such as web features moving on, and leaving the PlayBook behind, but again, the latest browsers can cope with the latest standards, so I can't see any wholesale changes that would leave the browser lacking in the immediate future. Ok, over the coming year or two, some 'cutting-edge' websites might start using features that the browser can't cope with, but the vast majority of the web will continue to work fine for some time to come (IMO)

[Kevin Walker6]

As long as we manage our time using calendars, use address books to keep track of people of interest, take notes on things that are important to us (such as recipes or a list of instructions, take photos and video to commemorate the significant moments of our lives, and record "notes to self", the Playbook will not become functionally obsolete, only functionally inefficient.

We would not be having this conversation if it were not for the "tyranny of the urgent" and the "false freedom of choice". We rush our decision making, therefore we think we don't have time for due diligence. We value freedom so much that we fail to realize that too many choices can become a prison of our own making.

[skline2]

Perhaps third party developers will keep updating their apps out of loyalty to all of us, including some of us who have apps we purchased expecting a long run with them and the Playbook?

[Gooseberry Falls]

Perhaps third party developers will keep updating their apps out of loyalty to all of us, including some of us who have apps we purchased expecting a long run with them and the Playbook?

If we pay for app updates, maybe. But loyalty does not pay the developers' bills. By that time, the user base will most likely have dwindled anyway that even that won't be profitable. The ability to sideload android apps will extend PB usefulness somewhat as long as android 2.3 remains popular and developers write to support that. But that's why we wanted BB10 in some usable form. That would have kept it viable much longer. These devices are pretty much disposable these days, like phones where you upgrade every couple of years, or faster if you are a gadget freak.

[skline2]

Will we receive automatic updates to sideloaded android apps, or does the fact that they were sideloaded preclude automatic updates on the Playbook?

[Gooseberry Falls]

Will we receive automatic updates to sideloaded android apps, or does the fact that they were sideloaded preclude automatic updates on the Playbook?

Remember to sideload you have to convert android .apk file to PB .bar file to install on the PB. You would have to do the same to the updated .apk file and it would not happen automatically. I suppose an app could be made like that but, since it hasn't been made yet, it would likely be made for BB10 and not OS2.1.

[Gooseberry Falls]

[QUOTE=ChrisMay;8929862]I don't really understand the question. What do you mean by functional obsolescence? (in this context. I understand the general meaning of the phrase)
As long as your Playbook continues to do all (or at least the majority) of the things that YOU want it to do, then it is surely not functionally obsolete...?
Once you find there are functions or apps that you really must have, and which the Playbook is not able to perform or run, then that is the time to move on and find a device that is more suitable for your needs.

From a personal point of view, my PB is perfectly functional and I can't really see this changing within the next year or so. My needs are not particulary demanding though, some web browsing, emailing, media consumption (reading books, and watching films/listening to music both on and off line) and a little bit of simple gaming...

EDIT: GooseberryFalls makes a good point about things such as web features moving on, and leaving the PlayBook behind, but again, the latest browsers can cope with the latest standards, so I can't see any wholesale changes that would leave the browser lacking in the immediate future. Ok, over the coming year or two, some 'cutting-edge' websites might start using features that the browser can't cope with, but the vast majority of the web will continue to work fine for some time to come (IMO)[/QUOTE]

That's right. It won't happen for a while yet. If you think about IE, you will get prompts to update with IE6 (released in 2001). IE is now up to IE11 so a new version every two years or so. It is more likely that flash/HTML5 support will get behind. By that time, your battery will probably be on its last lap so you will be ready for a new device.

[dazzleaj]

If you can use it, keep it. If you don't like it or can't put up with it anymore, just get the best fit for your needs.
I don't want to lose what is good in the bridge or the BBness of interface with Outlook. I wont upgrade from Office 2010 and loose the ability to have access to almost thirty years of work either. What I have now does what I need now. Perhaps that will change. Things usually do.

[8820man]

This is a very good thread folks. The discussion is right on the money with many different points.