[omniusovermind]

Bear with me here, this isn't a blind fanboy thread. First let me make it clear that tablets for my family are just media consumption devices. The Playbook currently meets all our requirements for that:

Plays movies (stored on PB or streamed off PC)
Web browsing / email
Music
Great game selection
E reading

Like I said, media consumption and entertainment. I don't really have a demanding app selection requirement. Even my Android phone only has a small number of apps on it. But more to the point, here's why I don't see the point of any other tablets right now,

No other $200 tablet has features or specs or quality that are clearly superior, not even the Nexus 7 (which actually costs slightly more). I also fail to see the point in spending $600 or more on any tablet, period. Tablets are now in a stupid race to make each other outdated within months of purchase. For $800 I can buy a good quality Toshiba or Asus full fledged laptop with a 15" HD display, 8 GB of RAM, a full version of windows, full windows programs, nearly a terabyte of internal storage, AND that laptop will stay relevant for years, and not at the mercy of OTA updates to the OS.

Is it as portable as a tablet? Nope. But it has a longer lifespan, more features, and powerful enough be used as a home PC. Tablets are changing way too rapidly for me to justify spending more than a couple hundred bucks. Call me cheap if you will, but I'm done allowing gadget marketing strategy to entice me into chasing high priced new releases every year. So I've decided it's more economically sound to stay in the $200 range for tablets and none of the other current offerings have impressed me as being any better than my current PB. Which I've had for a year.

[Bold_until_Hybrid_Comes]

I hear ya. I agree

[Andrew4life]

The new Ipad is faster than the playbook and has a bigger screen. Some people value these things and would kindly throw money at Apple to get it.

Not me though. I love my Playbook. Though I do wish it would have a larger battery, a faster processor, and more memory. For $200, it was a steal for me.

[FF22]

That's why, when the thread asked if we were waiting hoping for BB10 - it does not matter since I'm not going out and spending more money on another tablet platform that is either waiting for its OS update or a newer model just around the corner.

That does not mean I'm satisfied by the pb - it definitely has its poor points (I again just got incredibly frustrated replying to an email and wanting to attach a photo and not being able to find it in my 3,000 photos!) but I'm not going after another tablet at this time.

I'd like bb10 earlier and hope it addresses some of the glaring flaws but I don't expect it early.

My loyalty is not toward rim but my bank account!

[taz323]

I like advancement in technology, I look forward to the updates and new products like waiting for BB10. I have a laptop and a desktop and use them all, PB most of all. I don't care about the competition angle just the fact that tech is going forward not backward or just settling for what's now.

[Kandoo-BB]

Although the PlayBook is a 200 $ tablet it was not built as a 200$ tablet. I believe it was priced at 499 599 and 699 for 16, 32 and 64. If they sold like RIM planned on them doing, we wouldn't see the prices we do now. I'll add that it wasn't the PlayBook's fault it was pretty much bare bones for the launch and many months after. We are only beginning to see what it should have been from the start.

[sputneek]

Although the PlayBook is a 200 $ tablet it was not built as a 200$ tablet. I believe it was priced at 499 599 and 699 for 16, 32 and 64. If they sold like RIM planned on them doing, we wouldn't see the prices we do now. I'll add that it wasn't the PlayBook's fault it was pretty much bare bones for the launch and many months after. We are only beginning to see what it should have been from the start.

And that's a little closer to the truth. there's a lot of guys around here that paid those prices back at the start.

[taz323]

And that's a little closer to the truth. there's a lot of guys around here that paid those prices back at the start.

Me for one.

[James Nieves]

HDMI out for the win. Playbook was ahead of its time. They shoulda released it with 2.1 stock and done so during Q4 of THIS year. Albeit they needed a device to beta test for BB10 and now they've gotten millions of people to buy into that test, because as the OP has said. The PB is a damn good device. Apple leaves their first tablet hanging in terms of ios6 yet years after launch Playbook gets BB10 and the beta test is over. Early belivers benefit not only with the PBs current offering but we help build a better BB10 for tomorrow!

[thecsman]

As an earlier poster said, the PlayBook good quality build reflects its initial price. We just got lucky it didn't sell well and bought many of these devices at more than bargain prices!

[Sonic-NKT]

Good for you
i miss a few apps and functions but i still hope these will come. I got mine cheap as well so i cant really complain i guess... well i still do :P
The hardware is great but the os sometimes still feel like a first beta version...

but i dont wonder why the playbook with 1.X at a price for 500 failed... lets face it, with 1.X the playbook was kind of useless besides browsing without a BBphone and the app selection was minimal. Now compare that to a device like the ipad which offers much more for the same price.
i wouldnt buy a ipad or playbook at that price... but well if i had to decide i would have taken the ipad i guess, atleast at that time.

Well lets see how bb10 turns out.

[kbz1960]

I agree OP. Even with the little frustrations I'm not looking for another tablet any time soon.

[smartie88]

for what you try to do on tablet(media), i guess PB does it work,especially at this price. Doubtful any other tablet can beat it. But on the other hands, a lot people wants to do far more than that, that is where IPAD is. For example, I want to have some educational apps for my son(2 yrs old) and except IPAD, no other tablet can do as good and many as IPAD can do. even Android is far behind, basically no alternative.

[mhw100]

I agree with the OP but I see that changing rapidly. Two years ago I was in a room of ~ 300 lawyers and accountants and it was all laptops. Same group this year they all had ipads. I was the only one with pb.

[Thunderbuck]

Although the PlayBook is a 200 $ tablet it was not built as a 200$ tablet. I believe it was priced at 499 599 and 699 for 16, 32 and 64. If they sold like RIM planned on them doing, we wouldn't see the prices we do now. I'll add that it wasn't the PlayBook's fault it was pretty much bare bones for the launch and many months after. We are only beginning to see what it should have been from the start.

I agree whole-heartedly. I don't think it's oversimplifying to say that the Playbook's disastrous launch was the biggest factor in RIM's current precarious situation. It was the height of arrogance to believe that the Blackberry brand alone justified pricing on a par with Apple's.

That said, where they're priced now is a steal.

[Xopher]

I partially agree. If there were apps like Skype, Netflix, Square, and a few others, I would agree stronger. The lack of a few high-profile apps makes other tablets that have those apps a little better in the consumer space.

I like the fact that the PlayBook can run Android apps, but hate that those apps don't support predictive text. Some apps that get used all the time, like Tapatalk, only have an Android port, and I misspell on the PlayBook all the time when trying to type replies on it.

For some basic functionality, there are times I grab my Nexus 7 instead of my PlayBook. Tapatalk for sure, using QuickOffice (which had better Dropbox and Box integration), having BeWeather widget where I can see current conditions in the widget instead of having to open the app to see the current weather, even better capabilities in sharing content.

As much as I love my PlayBook, there is still as lot of room for improvement. Hopefully, as BB10 arrives, it will address some of the missing capabilities, and high-profile apps will show up.

[Thunderbuck]

I partially agree. If there were apps like Skype, Netflix, Square, and a few others, I would agree stronger. The lack of a few high-profile apps makes other tablets that have those apps a little better in the consumer space.

I like the fact that the PlayBook can run Android apps, but hate that those apps don't support predictive text. Some apps that get used all the time, like Tapatalk, only have an Android port, and I misspell on the PlayBook all the time when trying to type replies on it.

For some basic functionality, there are times I grab my Nexus 7 instead of my PlayBook. Tapatalk for sure, using QuickOffice (which had better Dropbox and Box integration), having BeWeather widget where I can see current conditions in the widget instead of having to open the app to see the current weather, even better capabilities in sharing content.

As much as I love my PlayBook, there is still as lot of room for improvement. Hopefully, as BB10 arrives, it will address some of the missing capabilities, and high-profile apps will show up.

The PlayBook will essentially be "reborn" with the BB10 upgrade, and I don't think I'm reaching too much to say that application support from big vendors is going to be much better. Why? Because the numbers will be a lot better.

Remember that there probably aren't even 2 million PlayBooks in use right now, and that represents a miniscule market. I don't know what RIM's projected sales are for BB10 handsets, but I'm pretty comfortable saying that they'll do better than 2 million units in the first quarter of GA. Bottom line, while there's >2mil QNX devices out there by now, it's not unreasonable to say there could be as many as 8-10mil out there a year from now (hopefully more!). Suddenly, QNX/BB10 is considerably more attractive to developers.

[ryder4587]

Most of you sound like the Romney campaign blaming their debate loss last week on the moderator. If you think Skype and netflix is going to bring hoards of people to playbook, I want the same potent drugs you are taking.

Jessica

Jessica wow we should be friends lol. You are so spot on ha ha ha ha. There is certainly a lot of deluded folks in this forum

Sent from my LG-E617G using Tapatalk 2

[GreyGhostRos]

Well everyone has different needs and different uses.. So different tablets..
And a point to remember is that the PlayBook is not a $200 tablet.. It is at that price only because it wasn't getting sold at higher price.. And I seriously doubt if RIM can keep a tablet with such specs in production and sell them at $200..

But I'm happy with mine which I got a few months ago.. I didn't really get it at the present throw away price.. But I got it a bit cheaper than the launch price..

[sputneek]

I agree OP. Even with the little frustrations I'm not looking for another tablet any time soon.

Yep I'll go along with that, the playbook does everything I need to keep me amused and does that well, can't really think of things to beetch about other then the bookmark and picture/video management thing, really don't understand why that could'nt have been addressed yet though, seems such a simple thing.

[taz323]

Well everyone has different needs and different uses.. So different tablets..
And a point to remember is that the PlayBook is not a $200 tablet.. It is at that price only because it wasn't getting sold at higher price.. And I seriously doubt if RIM can keep a tablet with such specs in production and sell them at $200..

But I'm happy with mine which I got a few months ago.. I didn't really get it at the present throw away price.. But I got it a bit cheaper than the launch price..

I paid full price for my first 16g PB, and less than a half a year later my 64g for half the price and don't regret ether one. I had more compliments on this tablet than some people I know with the ipad, rim has kept up with the updates and maybe it didn't come out with everything at the start but it has it now. apple idea of an update is to sell a new tablet.
I do believe BB10 will bring a great update to this tablet.

[Chrysalis1156]

I paid $549 plus tax for my 64G a little over a year ago and don't regret it. There are a few annoyances (like photo & browser bookmark arrangement) but I've found 3rd party apps for some of them and put my fav web pages in a folder on my home screen. I've tried other tablets and wouldn't trade my pb. I did my research and even a year ago was able to find out that it didn't have certain apps that some feel are necessary. I didn't need them and still don't but that's me. Feel bad for those who made impulse purchases without knowing what they were getting and are now unhappy.

[Mr.Willie]

HDMI out for the win. Playbook was ahead of its time. They shoulda released it with 2.1 stock and done so during Q4 of THIS year. Albeit they needed a device to beta test for BB10 and now they've gotten millions of people to buy into that test, because as the OP has said. The PB is a damn good device. Apple leaves their first tablet hanging in terms of ios6 yet years after launch Playbook gets BB10 and the beta test is over. Early belivers benefit not only with the PBs current offering but we help build a better BB10 for tomorrow!

Millions??? Try a few 100,000. HDMI out ??? Cables are so 2000. Apple leaves their first tablet hanging ???? RIMM is leaving my 9810 hanging with BB10. Come on, be realistic.

Well everyone has different needs and different uses.. So different tablets..
And a point to remember is that the PlayBook is not a $200 tablet.. It is at that price only because it wasn't getting sold at higher price.. And I seriously d oubt if RIM can keep a tablet with such specs in production and sell them at $200..

You're only partly right. It wasn't selling at a higher price, because it really isn't a pricier tablet. But the problem is, it really isn't selling well at $200 either.

RIMM does make a good, solid handheld device that also makes phone calls though.

[CairnsRock]

Not really a good time to be in the tablet market. What with kindle, nexus, ipad mini, ms all trying to kill each other.

Best to let the dust settle. Get bb10 out and established, see how bb10 works on the pb and bridge.

Fall of 2013 may be a good time for a new bb tablet.

It should be renamed and relaunched. The pricing by that time should be self evident.

[texazzpete]

No other $200 tablet has features or specs or quality that are clearly superior, not even the Nexus 7 (which actually costs slightly more). I also fail to see the point in spending $600 or more on any tablet, period. Tablets are now in a stupid race to make each other outdated within months of purchase. For $800 I can buy a good quality Toshiba or Asus full fledged laptop with a 15" HD display, 8 GB of RAM, a full version of windows, full windows programs, nearly a terabyte of internal storage, AND that laptop will stay relevant for years, and not at the mercy of OTA updates to the OS.

Is it as portable as a tablet? Nope. But it has a longer lifespan, more features, and powerful enough be used as a home PC. Tablets are changing way too rapidly for me to justify spending more than a couple hundred bucks. Call me cheap if you will, but I'm done allowing gadget marketing strategy to entice me into chasing high priced new releases every year. So I've decided it's more economically sound to stay in the $200 range for tablets and none of the other current offerings have impressed me as being any better than my current PB. Which I've had for a year.

Very soon, for $800 you should be able to buy a Windows 8 tablet with an x86 processor...which would be able to do real work, not just media consumption.

Unless you plan to hold on to your Playbook forever, most new tablets will never debut at the $200 mark. you can be sure RIM's next tablet will not debut at that price. So how long will you cling to your Playbook with it's now ageing hardware? How long will you reject hardware advances like better battery life, much higher screen resolutions, improved build materials, better screens, more powerful SoCs etc?