1. NFLPLAYBOOK's Avatar
    I have to be honest here. Apple just crushed the 7" tablet market. The saving grace for us BB lovers is Bridge. Having the ability to directly link to a phone and use it to text and message as well as email makes the PlayBook the only other tablet with enough inovation to withstand this new launch. There are also a lot of other Bridge features that help make the PlayBook different but I feel sorry for all the other smaller tablets on the market.
    im3arl likes this.
    10-23-12 01:19 PM
  2. Saiga's Avatar
    With or without Bridge the PlayBook is a total failure of a product. The BlackBerry diehards are comparing the two devices as if it matters. Lol I've seen people mention Bridge or say that the PlayBook's screen is better, the PlayBook has better speakers. Blah. As if it any of it matters.

    The PlayBook can be a great produt, but commercially it was a disaster. Apple will sell more 7 inch tablets than RIM has the very first couple of days of availability. Apple will make more profit from their 7 inch tablet from pre-orders alone. Kinda sad to see
    10-23-12 01:36 PM
  3. jonty12's Avatar
    They didn't crush anything. The web is loaded with people saying, in effect, "are you kidding??" 1024X768 for $329? Compared to a Nexus7 at $199. The specs are decent (not great) but its $100+ over priced. They're up to $650 for a 64GB LTE model. In a vacuum, fine, but the competition in this area is intense now and 50% more is a lot.
    10-23-12 01:38 PM
  4. cgk's Avatar
    The playbook wasDOA - what do you think that massive write-down was for?*


    * if you want to tell me it's a great device, I believe you, that's nothing to do with it's success in the market.
    10-23-12 01:40 PM
  5. 00stryder's Avatar
    I don't think I agree with your assessment. In fact, after quickly browsing iOS blogs, not too many people are particularly impressed with the hardware or price of the iPad Mini. Not saying it's bad, because it's not, but it doesn't really add anything to the 7-inch tablet scene. And, for $329 STARTING price, it's not exactly competing with the Kindle Fire, Nexus, or even the PlayBook (the LTE version is more comparable in price). So no, although Apple faithful and a ton of regular consumers will flock to buy this on day 1, I don't see it doing much to the overall landscape of the 7-inch tablet war.

    And your comment on Bridge is moot, in my opinion. The PlayBook wouldn't exist if it didn't have Bridge. The only reason RIM even released it without native PIM services was because they were banking on people being content with using their handsets for email, contacts, calendar, etc. In addition, at the time of its release, the PlayBook had some pretty nice hardware specs. It wouldn't be priced well if there was no bridge (I think it wasn't competitive in price to begin with, but that's subjective), but it still offered something to what was then an immature 7-inch tablet war.
    bdguru likes this.
    10-23-12 01:42 PM
  6. CrackedBarry's Avatar
    Nonsense...

    The Playbook is already dead, dead, dead. It's a year and a half old, and fairly outdated in terms of hardware.
    Last quarter RIM could only sell a little over one hundred thousand of them, despite retailers throwing them at people for 99$ and 199$. The Playbook just isn't competitive anymore.

    And as for Bridge? The reason why that hasn't become more popular is cause Bridge is so meh...

    Other tablets, iPad as well as Android have the same features, but just don't market them under a fancy name.

    And really, some of the features in Bridge are just so plain out dumb and irrelevant, that its no wonder it didn't take off.
    (like typing an email on your cellphone keyboard. What... The... Hey... What sort of problem does that feature solve, that can't be done better and easier by either typing it on the tablet, or using a Bluetooth keyboard?)

    As for the rest of the 7 inch market , I suspect there's still a little left of it for other manufacturers. I guess there is a little market of people who are either deeply invested in the Android ecosystem, or don't care enough about their tablet to spend an extra 100$.
    10-23-12 01:47 PM
  7. westcoastit's Avatar
    The PlayBook was DOA because of Bridge, they skimped on essential features because of it. If you didn't have a BlackBerry phone then the PB was an awful tablet until 2.0 and by then its reputation was ruined.
    shupor likes this.
    10-23-12 01:47 PM
  8. lnichols's Avatar
    So an small iPad2 with lower ppi display compared to all the 7" tablets and a pricepoint higher than the 7" tablets is going to crush? I don't think it is cheap enough to crush the cheap tablet market, and the processors and graphics in both the Nexus and KindleHD should own the iPad Mini. I'm sure they will sell well because most people will buy anything Cupertino plops out, but this device isn't a good value for the money IMHO.
    10-23-12 01:49 PM
  9. NFLPLAYBOOK's Avatar
    Well I think the screen size difference will play a big part in its success. Having that much extra viewing area on a portable device is huge. The other tablets don't even offer a back camera. What are people to do take a picture with the front camera without looking. The others don't offer an LTE upgrade and at $130 it's a good price. Wait until you see this side by side in the stores next to a 7" tablet.
    Enri69 and aniym like this.
    10-23-12 01:51 PM
  10. johnenglish's Avatar
    The iPad Mini will sell like crazy. LOL if you think otherwise.
    10-23-12 01:51 PM
  11. pythons's Avatar
    I would have to agree that with or without Bridge the Playbook was a total failure......
    ...Think about it, they called it the Playbook and it couldn't play Netflix, Hulu or use Skype?
    ...For the most part worthless for most business uses due to not having serious business Apps.

    The only think RIM has to do is deliver Netflix and Skype - that alone will get people addicted to the U.I. and in turn SELL BB10 Phones.....
    ...Not only that if RIM can deliver those two things and keeps bridge they will get back into the game of selling devices w/out a fire-sale!
    10-23-12 01:58 PM
  12. NFLPLAYBOOK's Avatar
    Nonsense...

    The Playbook is already dead, dead, dead. It's a year and a half old, and fairly outdated in terms of hardware.
    Last quarter RIM could only sell a little over one hundred thousand of them, despite retailers throwing them at people for 99$ and 199$. The Playbook just isn't competitive anymore.

    And as for Bridge? The reason why that hasn't become more popular is cause Bridge is so meh...

    Other tablets, iPad as well as Android have the same features, but just don't market them under a fancy name.

    And really, some of the features in Bridge are just so plain out dumb and irrelevant, that its no wonder it didn't take off.
    (like typing an email on your cellphone keyboard. What... The... Hey... What sort of problem does that feature solve, that can't be done better and easier by either typing it on the tablet, or using a Bluetooth keyboard?)

    As for the rest of the 7 inch market , I suspect there's still a little left of it for other manufacturers. I guess there is a little market of people who are either deeply invested in the Android ecosystem, or don't care enough about their tablet to spend an extra 100$.

    The only thing that is nonsense is your lack of understanding how relevant the Bridge feature is. No one is going to want a Nook or Nexus 7 next to a Mini. They might settle for it but it won't be what they want.
    10-23-12 02:04 PM
  13. Rello's Avatar
    I agree. I love my Playbook and hardware wise, I actually think it's still pretty comparable spec wise with many newer tablets but it simply can't compete software wise and who knows if BB10 will change this. I hope it does but I can't bet my money on it simply because RIM has no good track record with software. For the money, I think apple did over price it. It's not a great value compared to something like the nexus 7 but that's okay. It's Apple. They can do that lol because people still know they are going to get a great experience out of it...even with a lower resolution screen and their last gen processor.
    10-23-12 02:11 PM
  14. lnichols's Avatar
    Well I think the screen size difference will play a big part in its success. Having that much extra viewing area on a portable device is huge. The other tablets don't even offer a back camera. What are people to do take a picture with the front camera without looking. The others don't offer an LTE upgrade and at $130 it's a good price. Wait until you see this side by side in the stores next to a 7" tablet.
    I bet if you look at the usage statistics for the rear facing cameras on tablets that have them, they would be used very little. I used mine a couple times to test when I got my Playbook, and I took one video with it, but the camera in most smartphones now are much better than 5 MP in the iPad2/mini or Playbook, and more portable. The devices are simply too big to carry around for most normal situations and take pictures. The front facing camera for VTC like functions is much more important. I think that if I was going to go the iPad route I'd pay the extra $170 and get the full size retina display, the A6x processor, etc. But I'm just going to keep watching my Playbook get better and better with every update and see how much better it gets with BB10 too.
    Pdinos3 likes this.
    10-23-12 02:12 PM
  15. Saiga's Avatar
    The only thing that is nonsense is your lack of understanding how relevant the Bridge feature is. No one is going to want a Nook or Nexus 7 next to a Mini. They might settle for it but it won't be what they want.
    How is Bridge a relevant feature when the PlayBook is completely irrelevant? Look around, we got RIM employees on Twitter asking BlackBerry bloggers to mention the PlayBook's specs because none of the other tech sites are comparing the iPad mini to the PlayBook. Why do you think the other sites aren't mentioning it? Because in the world of 7 inch tablets the PlayBook is completely irrelevant. It isn't an iPad mini competitor because it simply isn't a competitive product. Even at the fire sale price, people aren't buying it. Anyone that thinks the PlayBook is relevant at this point needs to wake up.
    Shlooky, Darlaten and Wasp14 like this.
    10-23-12 02:15 PM
  16. NFLPLAYBOOK's Avatar
    I don't think I agree with your assessment. In fact, after quickly browsing iOS blogs, not too many people are particularly impressed with the hardware or price of the iPad Mini. Not saying it's bad, because it's not, but it doesn't really add anything to the 7-inch tablet scene. And, for $329 STARTING price, it's not exactly competing with the Kindle Fire, Nexus, or even the PlayBook (the LTE version is more comparable in price). So no, although Apple faithful and a ton of regular consumers will flock to buy this on day 1, I don't see it doing much to the overall landscape of the 7-inch tablet war.

    And your comment on Bridge is moot, in my opinion. The PlayBook wouldn't exist if it didn't have Bridge. The only reason RIM even released it without native PIM services was because they were banking on people being content with using their handsets for email, contacts, calendar, etc. In addition, at the time of its release, the PlayBook had some pretty nice hardware specs. It wouldn't be priced well if there was no bridge (I think it wasn't competitive in price to begin with, but that's subjective), but it still offered something to what was then an immature 7-inch tablet war.
    I have a feeling that most of negativity is coming for iPad users who have the retina display. Plus some of them aren't very happy right now with the upgrade to the iPad 4 version 6 months later. Some are a little ticked off.
    00stryder likes this.
    10-23-12 02:18 PM
  17. NFLPLAYBOOK's Avatar
    How is Bridge a relevant feature when the PlayBook is completely irrelevant? Look around, we got RIM employees on Twitter asking BlackBerry bloggers to mention the PlayBook's specs because none of the other tech sites are comparing the iPad mini to the PlayBook. Why do you think the other sites aren't mentioning it? Because in the world of 7 inch tablets the PlayBook is completely irrelevant. It isn't an iPad mini competitor because it simply isn't a competitive product. Even at the fire sale price, people aren't buying it. Anyone that thinks the PlayBook is relevant at this point needs to wake up.
    Because the PlayBook actually has features that Apple cannot top and they don't want to have to point that out. The only thing the PlayBook needs is some apps. If you think there is anything else to it then I think you need some sleep.
    10-23-12 02:22 PM
  18. Saiga's Avatar
    Because the PlayBook actually has features that Apple cannot top and they don't want to have to point that out. The only thing the PlayBook needs is some apps. If you think there is anything else to it then I think you need some sleep.
    So you think if PlayBook got Netflix, Skype and whatever else must have app RIM would be able to raise the price of the PlayBook and it would all of a sudden start selling? Just because of Bridge? Lol
    Shlooky likes this.
    10-23-12 02:26 PM
  19. madman0141's Avatar
    The PlayBook was dead the minute RIM put it out on the market and the leadership at RIM left everyone who bought it high and Dry. High priced and Dry of Apps.
    I have to keep using it because I paid full price.
    It doesn't matter if it bridges or not RIM did not see development through and failed to take action.
    10-23-12 02:29 PM
  20. 00stryder's Avatar
    I have a feeling that most of negativity is coming for iPad users who have the retina display. Plus some of them aren't very happy right now with the upgrade to the iPad 4 version 6 months later. Some are a little ticked off.
    This is true, a lot of the discontent came from the announcement about the 4th gen iPad. But I think the price of the Mini is also turning a lot of people off. Uninformed consumers aside, what does this 7-inch tablet offer that the Nexus 7 or Kindle Fired HD cannot at $130 cheaper? Is the "iOS" experience worth $130? You can almost buy two of those cheaper tablets for the price of the mini.

    I'm not delusional though; I know these things will fly off the shelves. I just don't think that it will revolutionize or dominate the 7-inch tablet arena at that price and the current hardware features. Apple's going to have to bring something better to the table to achieve that.

    Disclaimer: I own a PlayBook, but have only used friends'/family members' Android-based tablets and iPads.
    10-23-12 02:32 PM
  21. NFLPLAYBOOK's Avatar
    So you think if PlayBook got Netflix, Skype and whatever else must have app RIM would be able to raise the price of the PlayBook and it would all of a sudden start selling? Just because of Bridge? Lol
    I think in todays mobile world a complete ecosystem is a must. People want their content. If the ecosystems were on equal ground then the Bridge feature would be a bonus.
    00stryder and Stump3r like this.
    10-23-12 02:32 PM
  22. cgk's Avatar
    The only thing that is nonsense is your lack of understanding how relevant the Bridge feature is. .
    We can measure relevance by the value that consumers assign to it via their purchasing habits - that the playbook was response for a write-down and the devices have had to be heavily discounted tells us bridge has no 'relevance'.
    10-23-12 02:40 PM
  23. Saiga's Avatar
    I think in todays mobile world a complete ecosystem is a must. People want their content. If the ecosystems were on equal ground then the Bridge feature would be a bonus.
    It would only be a bonus to the very small market of consumers that currently own and use a BlackBerry phone. All things equal, Bridge would probably just cause confussion. Remember all of the comments about the PlayBook requiring a BlackBerry phone? That confussion would still exist

    At the end of the day, some people think of Bridge as a super cool, feature. Others see it as a crutch that RIM made because they had no choice. Bridge more than likely wouldn't even exist if PlayBook 1.0 was finished. Honestly, why would RIM create a feature that excludes the majority of their potential customers if they had a choice in it?

    I honestly think the PlayBook would have done better at launch if it had real PIM and email and it didn't have to depend on Bridge. But again, RIM had no choice but to use Bridge only at launch.

    Disclaimer: I have PlayBooks, but they were all free from RIM, I have never paid money for a PlayBook or any other tablet.
    10-23-12 02:42 PM
  24. NFLPLAYBOOK's Avatar
    We can measure relevance by the value that consumers assign to it via their purchasing habits - that the playbook was response for a write-down and the devices have had to be heavily discounted tells us bridge has no 'relevance'.
    Or you could look at it as the Bridge is keeping it relevant while the ecosystem matures and it's the ecosystem that is causing the write-downs.
    10-23-12 02:49 PM
  25. randall2580's Avatar
    It will forever be the epitaph of the PlayBook that it was here first and if RIM had only given folks what they wanted - there was a market ready willing and ready to spend on a 7" tablet. "Give the people what they want and they'll show up"
    10-23-12 02:58 PM
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