Playbook is an amazing tablet - but it sucks because of lack of apps

I can accept early adopters of the PB to continue to complain about their perceived PlayBook shortcomings (though it gets so it becomes a chronic obssession with some), but I believe the overwhelming number of PlayBook owners to date bought their's when the prices started creeping down, AND, most should have done their due diligence and researched the product before purchase. I knew beforehand the lack of apps, which the superb browser made up for, and in spades. I knew there was no native message app, I knew there was no Pandora, I knew there was no skype or netflix, but I bought anyway. What some classify as deficiencies, I found an easy workaround using the browser. With 2.0, we got some nice goodies that while I do appreciate the OS upgrade, and its inherent stability, I would not have whined if the OS remained 1.0 whatever, since the older OS worked fine for me.

If one did their research and still bought, then one of 2, maybe 3 things should happen...

1. You did your research, and found the PB to be exactly what you discovered in your research; therefore, you should be a happy camper.

2. You didn't do your research (early adopters not included), knew there were some missing fatures, bought anyway, and yet you find you cannot live with the missing apps or whatevers. You, as a normal person, then sell or trade it, or perhaps donate it to a family member, buy something else, and move on to another forum.

3. You are like number 1, and you bought anyway, and choose to spend the rest of your life complaining about how the PlayBook sux. Some of you have kept the PB, some have 86'd theirs, but still choose to tell the supporters how bad the PlayBook is...that's not normal.

So, in a nutshell, the choice is yours. Are you a happy camper, or are you a normal ex-PlayBook owner, or are you not normal?

Originally Posted by Mark-ab

That's one of the things that drove me nuts with the PB. The browser would crash 2-3 times a day. I've had my new Android tablet for two weeks. It's crashed once!!!

How's that Android site working out for you, not so good huh? I really don't understand why people find the need to come to Crackberry and talk negative about a product they no longer use, own or never owned. Just simply amazing

tbh, i almost put a disclaimer that the very early adopters who purchased at high price and on faith, a wing and a prayer did have some level of reason for grievance, but at the end of the day, as a consumer, we can (read should) only purchase based upon what is advertised and already proven to exist.. software updates are not a contractual guarantee or obligation from the manufacturer, and while they are a consumer expectation, they certainly are not a right... So, market success (or the lack thereof) is the measure of the company doing the right thing with regard to those customer expectation

and believe me , i know about that latter point, being the *proud* owner of a $2500 synthesizer workstation that the manufacturer refused to bother to update to fix major bugs and meet its own specs in the users manual... predictably, said synth was not the success it was expected to be.

p.s... how you enjoying the Note?.. I use one as my mini-tablet.:D

Originally Posted by Ynomrah

Does the same go for me who purchased this device on DAY 1 with constant lies of "the apps are coming" via the manufacturer?

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So spencerdl, former users aren't allowed here, current users aren't allowed to express frustration...who and what IS allowed on Crackberry according to you? Also congrats on the moderation team promotion.




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Tapatalk

If we start comparing the Playbook to other tables in the same genre instead of full size Android tablets and iPads we'll see the same complaints.
The people that bought the Playbook at it's introductory price have a legitimate reason to complain. RIM brought the Playbook to the market as direct competition for the iPad just by the pricing structure. The rest of us got more than what we paid for.

7" ~$200-$300 tablets.
Nook, Kindle Fire and IdeaPad all run limited versions of the Android OS and have limited or no access to the Android market. Less onboard memory but some have have memory expansion slots.
The Acer Iconia uses a full version of Android but has a poor screen and poor battery life.

The 7" Samsung Galaxy and HTC Flyer are both priced above the $300 range.

I didn't buy the Playbook because of the name (RIM). I am not a fanboy of any brand, they are all junk with a two year life span.
I bough the Playbook because of price and features. The only close competitor (at the time) was the Samsung Galaxy 8.9 which was much more expensive.
I researched before buying and knew there would be limited apps available. I would like to see more support from developers and RIM but that is up to RIM.
In comparison, I own a full sized truck that I use to tow a large trailer. I could have bought a small truck for a lot less money. Would it make sense for me to start a post at a Toyota forum saying the Tacoma is an amazing truck - but is sucks because of it's lack of towing capacity?

I think complaints are health to be made. You have frustration, you let it out and feel better. Just that simple.

People makes impulsive mistakes all the time, why asking them to be different on purchasing PB? Just so we see less complaints? That sounds a little ridiculous, doesn't it?

Trolls thrive on replies, just don't response to them once you identified them as trolls, and don't read them if they make you angry.

We are the minority in this market place and we don't even have enough collective power to influence big app developers to join this ecosystem, that's why we need more users to join us, not to drive them away.

Originally Posted by MartyMcfly

So why won't RIMM market their browser?


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Because RIM understands how monumentally insane it is to tell people "we have no apps... all you need is the browser."

Say what you want about dem boyz in Waterloo; they are not that crazy.

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Originally Posted by aha

We are the minority in this market place and we don't even have enough collective power to influence big app developers to join this ecosystem, that's why we need more users to join us, not to drive them away.

I've had a few developers now question me on why I'm interested in PB and BB10 development. Their perception is that most BB users don't understand apps and are therefore not worth developing for.

Originally Posted by mystic205

tbh, i almost put a disclaimer that the very early adopters who purchased at high price and on faith, a wing and a prayer did have some level of reason for grievance, but at the end of the day, as a consumer, we can (read should) only purchase based upon what is advertised and already proven to exist.. software updates are not a contractual guarantee or obligation from the manufacturer, and while they are a consumer expectation, they certainly are not a right... So, market success (or the lack thereof) is the measure of the company doing the right thing with regard to those customer expectation

and believe me , i know about that latter point, being the *proud* owner of a $2500 synthesizer workstation that the manufacturer refused to bother to update to fix major bugs and meet its own specs in the users manual... predictably, said synth was not the success it was expected to be.

p.s... how you enjoying the Note?.. I use one as my mini-tablet.:D

I can agree to that. But to touch on the point of "software updates are not a contractual guarantee or obligation from the manufacturer"...that may be true, but neither should a company coax potential buyers into making a purchase based off their statements in that case. It may not be obligated, but it looks very bad on the product and the company, hence the reason why threads like these are made & why people say "the Playbook sucks". I never even returned or sold my Playbook in anticipation that RIM can somehow get this thing going (that and I don't like selling for less than half I paid for it). Its just an all around shame and its no one fault but RIMs. & honestly I feel like most these thread are justified.

As far as the galaxy note is concerned, I f-n love it. To me this thing has everything I need and does everything I could imagine all in one. And i really enjoy android os alot. Its like a mini-tablet PC that as a bonus makes my phone calls & can fit in my pocket lol.

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Originally Posted by amro

if posters stopped complaining about the same things that we already know about, it wouldn't have to be pointed out time after time. we could all move on to something more productive, like my previously mentioned rum, beer, and bikini apps.

if no one raises these issues, it becomes easier for RIM to ignore issues and assume they no longer matter.

I sold my PB some time ago, but I keep watching the progress in the hope that some time soon, the PB will mature enough for me to jump back on the bandwagon.

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Originally Posted by app_Developer

I've had a few developers now question me on why I'm interested in PB and BB10 development. Their perception is that most BB users don't understand apps and are therefore not worth developing for.

It really is a chicken and egg type of problem: developers wont comit/invest resources to develop apps for the Playbook as they think users wont buy them and/or the market is simply to small while the market for the Playbook will remain small until the app ecosystem expands.

I do think threads such as this are useful - despite what the blind fanboys think - for it does show an interest, need, and want for apps. Hopefully developers take note. Having said that, I think we as a Playbook community need to be substantially more active in contacting developers to let them know there is interest in their product(s). I sometimes wonder if people on here have really done so.

For example, some time ago, I posted a request to Zen Pinball Studios about bringing their game over to the Playbook. I then posted a thread on these forums asking people to write an email to Zen to let them know if they would be interested as well. Sadly only 4 people posted on an official thread in the Zen forums indicating their support for this game. Granted, Crackberry is not a representative sample of the entire Playbook community, but obviously those numbers are not nearly enough to warrant the time and expense to bring the game over.

In a second example, CourseSmart has an app for Iphone/Ipad/Android that makes it substantially easier for accessing textbooks on a tablet device then going through their website. When their representatives came to my work to talk about their platform, they indicated that they have only received a few hundred requests for a Playbook app and that the demand is simply not there to warrant the development of a native Playbook app.

If developers are simply waiting to see if Playbook users will actually purchase and are intersted in apps; then we need to be better at expressing this support.

Originally Posted by reeneebob

Did I miss where you said there's a gun to your head forcing you to read the thread?

No?

You earned the 20 points because you are choosing to be ignorant to other posters. PK isn't on the wrong here...

and if nothing is said about it the only threads there will be here will be the ones whining about what we don't have. or the coddling that will just get unbearable. it's almost there now.

i am not ignorant to other posters. if i was i wouldn't be reading what they have to say before commenting that it's been said before, and before that. i'll take 40 and 60 points before i stop doing it. it sure beats having a dreadlocks and beads kumbaya hold hands love in.

someone on the outside, viewing this forum would see something like this:

"i just got a playbook and i can turn it on!"

this post liked by 28479 people

"way to go! welcome to the AWESOME world of playbook!"

"but there is no skype app. how do i use facetime like on an ipad?"

if i saw this while contemplating buying a playbook i'd run away as fast as possible.

Originally Posted by Darlaten

I do think threads such as this are useful - despite what the blind fanboys think - for it does show an interest, need, and want for apps. Hopefully developers take note. Having said that, I think we as a Playbook community need to be substantially more active in contacting developers to let them know there is interest in their product(s). I sometimes wonder if people on here have really done so.

Oh, definitely noted on my part. I'm looking forward to jumping in when we have Cascades.

However, when I see people say "well if you want apps so bad, just go buy an iPad or Android tab and leave us alone", it reminds me of something my partner and our advisor say about Blackberry users: "If those people wanted apps they would have just bought an iPad or Android tab to begin with! The real market there is even smaller than it seems."

I disagree with both statements of course.

Originally Posted by raremage

if no one raises these issues, it becomes easier for RIM to ignore issues and assume they no longer matter.

then these issues need to be taken up with rim, not an unaffiliated fan forum.

a thousand posts on a site rim has nothing to do with about a lack of this or that won't get anything fixed.

emailing rim's support teams will at least have issues logged and potentially dealt with.

here's your analogy:

i worked for years as a network admin. when i got trouble tickets, i went out and fixed the problems. if i couldn't, i called my supervisor and we worked together to solve the problem. if the two of us couldn't rub two brain cells together and get things done, we escalated to our boss, or called in our vendor product support. but it all started because someone filed a ticket.

it just so happens that a good friend's girlfriend was a client of ours. she had major issues with our product. she didn't like the interface. she was constantly losing info after input on our forms. she couldn't get search to retrieve historical data. she was extremely frustrated with the product and told my friend constantly. like whining and crying about it. oddly, she never once filed a trouble ticket with my company or went to a user support meeting with comments and suggestions. she'd just complain to my friend at dinner. so what got fixed or improved? nothing.

so you can see that the constant whining and complaining here will do nothing but waste bandwidth and seriously annoy people who take 5 seconds to think things thru. i am in the latter group. are you in the former?

Originally Posted by MartyMcfly

So why won't RIMM market their browser?


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Why would they? Is it the only browser with Flash? Last I heard 40-45% of all other tablets had Flash support and much more feature-rich browsers. The PB browser is hardly a selling point.

Angry birds is on pb. And i usd a twitter app that came with my pb. Is that not the correct app

Originally Posted by chrisy520

http://forums.crackberry.com/general...-users-716757/

Thanks for posting that link. It's so nice to read something positive amid all this negativity. :)

http://forums.crackberry.com/general...-users-716757/

While I'm happy with my pb beside the bugs that need to be ironed out. I could be fine without many apps but there are some I would really like and no they aren't even the usual ones talked about on here.

I however see and hear that I am in the minority. The reason is never the PB itself. It is always apps.

Hopefully it isn't too late in 6 months? when BB10 is out and hopefully getting to BB10 brings most of the apps people want.

Hey guys, if you wouldn't mind taking a few minutes to read my post about apps on the PlayBook and beyond it might clear up some of the confusion and frustration you have. Cheers.

http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...d-here-716775/

I'll admit. PB has less apps. I doubt any company makes tablet purchases based on apps since if need be they could have them made for their tablet of choice. But for me, I have 168 apps, none sideloaded. There are plenty of apps for the PB and theres only going to be more to come.

So saying the playbook has no apps is wrong, but some may see it that way, but for the naysayers just imagine how amazing it will be once it has them. I only see good things to come for my PB and its already awesome.

Originally Posted by kbz1960

While I'm happy with my pb beside the bugs that need to be ironed out. I could be fine without many apps but there are some I would really like and no they aren't even the usual ones talked about on here.

I however see and hear that I am in the minority. The reason is never the PB itself. It is always apps.

Hopefully it isn't too late in 6 months? when BB10 is out and hopefully getting to BB10 brings most of the apps people want.

I'm with you, although I can understand the frustration on the part of some others. It makes me sad to come in here and read some of the terrible things that sometimes get posted. Hopefully things will get resolved and we'll all be able to move forward (although I know it's virtually impossible to please everyone). :)

Originally Posted by The-Teacher

You'll be happy to know I took your advice 5 weeks ago and picked up an iPad 2. Thanks for the help!

Hey so now you can Skype .. good for you!:p

Actually the PlayBook doesn't suk because of the lack of apps, it may suc for some that there is a lack of some apps that some expect or think should be there, but the PlayBook is an amazing tablet with a great build quality, especially in the 7" form factor.

Originally Posted by mickeyboat

BS. Too hard to put twitter.com in your bookmarks I guess. With the power of the PB you need few apps.

What power?

No doubt PB is a great piece of hardware and OS, combined together a great package. Yet, not only lack of apps, but lack of "polish" in general is really getting in the way of unleashing the "power". There's "Tons" of potential, as people speak everyday about it, but it has been always the "potential" that is yet to be realized. OS 2.0 update brought great features like PIM and print to go, but still well short of making it a "great" product, period.

Honestly, I don't really care about additional apps, and it could still be a great product.