[araskin]

I would like to hear people's opinion on why RIM would release a PB 4G?

Is there some sort of market gap that RIM has identified

Please share your thoughts.

[James Nieves]

They plan to seed 4G Playbooks to enterprise users, with the presuable promise of BB10 upgrade, a 4G LTE Playbook running 2.1 would be a work-horse of a tablet in my opinion. I'm sure Blackberry wants to maintain the enterprise coustomers, and if they can release a 4G with NFC and better internals it will further future proof them for BB10 etcetc

[JDukeOSBB]

Mainly because it introduces NFC, constant connectivity, and a 1.5 Ghz processor.

[ajst222]

Mainly because it introduces NFC, constant connectivity, and a 1.5 Ghz processor.

Yes he NFC would be a big feature in PB 4G

[Saiga]

Honestly, I think RIM even knows the 4G PlayBook is a bad idea at this point. RIM never intended this huge of a gap between the wifi only and the 4G PlayBook.

Other tablets have released as wifi only with a radio connected version 1-3 months later. RIM probably thought the same would happen with the PlayBook. RIM has spent money and effort on releasing a product that should have been out a year ago and now that they have finally finished it they are gonna release it. Even though they know full well that it will not be a successful or even profitable product.

4G PlayBook is more evidence that RIM takes way way too long to accomplish things that other companies have no problem doing.

[tmelon]

Judging by the past, it's not going to sell well, but I'm sure that PlayBook users will appreciate the additions of NFC, LTE and the faster processor. The assured BB10 update would also be a selling point.

[saalnaz]

i think its a huge disaster if they release a failed product (i have the PB by the way) but how many more have it outside certain zealots? not many..

the only value it would have if it would give you a similar data package where you can use it all over the world for the same rate which we know wont happen. other than that it would be madness to release another playbook!

it is sad when you see websites/magazines/news sites dont even mention the play book when they speak of the 7 inch tablets and thats serious stuff..
whatever marketshare PB had is actually gonna get smaller and smaller with the release of new great 7 inch tabs by competitors.

ipad has 73% of the tablet market i was reading today...the rest are fighting for the remainder and apple is about to jump into the 7 inch game!!!

a great product but lacking some very very essential things, especially for someone like me from international market..

i went into an electronic store the other day...they had 15 tabs on display and there was a section for ipad and everyone was at the ipad section..nobody even considers another tab. i just bought the ipad 2 which i find to be great and it gives me things the PB could not:

-one of the most important thing it has the arabic keyboard out of the box
-it has skype which my family uses alot
-it has unbelievable apps (not fart apps) but actually quality apps which can enhance and make your life more efficient


the rest of the tabs even the new google one and the future MS tab with built in office will have to build their app library fast as the ipad has such a huge head start over the MS atleast..

people here like to joke about fart apps on other platforms but interestingly i find the PB to have the lowest quality of apps around...
there are some advantages with PB ofcourse like the camera hardware..being able to transfer files from PC easily but other than that the ipad beats it down easily..

the nexus tab looks interesting but again, its a 7 inch and i have found out in the last 2 weeks how much more convenient it is to read on a 9.7 inch screen and to watch videos.. the apps look more useable also on a larger screen..i would consider a nexus perhaps if it comes out in a 9.7 inch and with a back camera as it seems to have great specs in general..samsung tabs are out there which have the size and camera but the app library is nowhere near the ipad which i believe is the main strength for apple products. the new google search though looks fantastic for google though which can attract many people to it.
MS surface will probably be introduced with the main apps which people use but it will take time to build up a library and i will try to convince my work to get me one for my work use (the one which has the full MS range)..
i think after owning a 9.7 inch and a 7 inch im swaying more to a 10 inch tab due to what it can offer. yes, the portability of a 7 inch is nice but nowadays you can get cases for a 10 inch like a bag and you can carry your tab easily around.

but with the new nexus, it will make the PB even less desirable..so its a bit strange for RIM to jump to another version of PB while the original being a failure (excuse me for saying it as i know there are some PB zealots around here who like to believe in the product they own and i used to be like this where i used to say there is no way i would buy an apple product)!!!

i think RIM should keep the tab game on hold in order to try to save themselves in the area where they used to excel. build the app catalogue with the new phone to a level where its worthy to compare to IOS and Android then you can slowly re-integrate into the tab area where apps could be portable and you have built a base around the BB10..

[Superfly_FR]

Nfc + bbm (?)

[kbz1960]

Why? Because everyone else has the option. Many do not buy cell radio tablets as shown by the wifi versions selling much more than the cell radio versions. Businesses are the ones who buy the majority of cell radio versions.

[Ben1232]

For me the extra features won't benefit me. 4G may be faster but costs more rather than bridging over 3G. I don't see what uses NFC on a PB will bring but would like the extra speed of the larger processor.
Even though my PB's speed is plenty enough.

[Crisdean]

To be honest I've got no idea. A tablet as a workhorse seems more like a dream than anything else. I yet have to see a user who uses a tablet for business use. Neither in IBM nor anywhere in any of our customers would I know anyone who uses one. This is based on the user profile

Hyperion, Outlook, Office suite etc. Are laptop apps and it's easier to work on. A tablet is a night gimmick but nothing more. Unless you show me a VP etc. That uses a tablet only.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9780 using Tapatalk

[PineappleUnderTheSea]

They plan to seed 4G Playbooks to enterprise users, with the presuable promise of BB10 upgrade, a 4G LTE Playbook running 2.1 would be a work-horse of a tablet in my opinion. I'm sure Blackberry wants to maintain the enterprise coustomers, and if they can release a 4G with NFC and better internals it will further future proof them for BB10 etcetc

Makes sense that enterprise users would be a main target. I opted to pay more for the 3G iPad, and I have not once--not once!--used that feature (this is my own iPad, not enterprise). Thought I'd be using in on road trips, etc, but I end up doing the driving. Would come in handy sitting at an airport, but then I can just pay a few bucks for Wifi if it's not free, I'm not about to burn through precious data watching Netflix or something for a few hours.

As for NFC, it was predicted a year ago that it would explode in popularity, but we're still quite a ways away from consumer acceptance. It's main feature--contactless payment--is one of the most boring aspects, imo. There's a lot of cool things you could do with NFC, but all you hear about is how cool it'll be to swipe your phone to make a payment--after entering pin codes after pin codes after pin codes so that everything is secure...

[otacon]

Constant connectivity is the key here. I have a 3G iPad 2. Use it every day even though I'm in the office and my laptop is there and wifi is available. It's just the convenience of just switching the iPad on and being able to instantly browse a site, reply a mail or even speak on Skype without needing to bridge to another device.

I have contemplated of purchasing the Playbook but am holding off until the 4G Playbook is launched. I can't imagine having a tablet with wifi only as I prefer to have my tablet constantly connected to the internet.

[kbz1960]

To be honest I've got no idea. A tablet as a workhorse seems more like a dream than anything else. I yet have to see a user who uses a tablet for business use. Neither in IBM nor anywhere in any of our customers would I know anyone who uses one. This is based on the user profile

Hyperion, Outlook, Office suite etc. Are laptop apps and it's easier to work on. A tablet is a night gimmick but nothing more. Unless you show me a VP etc. That uses a tablet only.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9780 using Tapatalk

You know when I was first considering a tablet and the pb there were many on here that saw no use for a tablet and many who said tablets are luxury items with little work use. Now I do see a place for them but not as a replacement, they are getting closer and maybe a win8 tablet will be there or even make it closer to being a replacement or someone else will get there.

[araskin]

OK. The enterprise angle makes sense. I doubt that the new PB 4G will have much of an impact on the consumer market.

I hope they know what they are doing....

[Crisdean]

You know when I was first considering a tablet and the pb there were many on here that saw no use for a tablet and many who said tablets are luxury items with little work use. Now I do see a place for them but not as a replacement, they are getting closer and maybe a win8 tablet will be there or even make it closer to being a replacement or someone else will get there.

If a tablet would feature an i5 llike the Samsung one and a real Windows maybe. However laptops are still the preferred method as they're the most practical devices for the travelling and non travelling business man.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9780 using Tapatalk

[Majestic Lion]

Two reasons. One, to release a proper business-grade tablet with a solid hardware/software platform going forward, and two, as a sop to carriers who feel they've been missing out on potential revenue on the consumer end with the first Playbook.

The middlemen will always demand their pounds of flesh.

[janeka]

Honestly, I think RIM even knows the 4G PlayBook is a bad idea at this point. RIM never intended this huge of a gap between the wifi only and the 4G PlayBook.

Other tablets have released as wifi only with a radio connected version 1-3 months later. RIM probably thought the same would happen with the PlayBook. RIM has spent money and effort on releasing a product that should have been out a year ago and now that they have finally finished it they are gonna release it. Even though they know full well that it will not be a successful or even profitable product.

4G PlayBook is more evidence that RIM takes way way too long to accomplish things that other companies have no problem doing.

Why they took longer for this 4G playbook? Let's see a new platform that has never had lte coding before. Compared to a companies like Google, Sony & ZTE who's had lte running devices on a 5 year old os hope you know apple has yet to introduce a lte iphone and the lte ipad was released before it so what's your point. You making yourself look crazy.

[manofice1]

everyone at my office sees the playbook and asks if it has 3G like the ipad... I say no but you can hotspot your phone or tether it and they say forget it..that's to much work. they like the ability to just flip that switch and have 3G anywhere without relying on your phone.

[Ben1232]

everyone at my office sees the playbook and asks if it has 3G like the ipad... I say no but you can hotspot your phone or tether it and they say forget it..that's to much work. they like the ability to just flip that switch and have 3G anywhere without relying on your phone.

People are always more likely to have their bb phones with them and playbook second, so they always will have 3G connection.

[addicted44]

There is no reason for RIM to release a 4G PB. The current PB has cost them a ton in losses, and has sincerely damaged their reputation. The only purpose for this that I can see is a limited release to test the 4G capabilities widely. But if that is indeed the purpose, why not add 4G capabilities to the Alpha device and seed that to devs for a nominal fee? (ie allow them to purchase it for $200, which is what they sell the PB for). This will mean RIM loses less money on the device (smaller screen. Smaller battery, not a consumer device so it doesn't need a high quality finish, doesn't need high levels of customer service, etc) and you get to test it in a device which is a much closer approximation of upcoming BB10 phones than the PB.

[janeka]

There is no reason for RIM to release a 4G PB. The current PB has cost them a ton in losses, and has sincerely damaged their reputation. The only purpose for this that I can see is a limited release to test the 4G capabilities widely. But if that is indeed the purpose, why not add 4G capabilities to the Alpha device and seed that to devs for a nominal fee? (ie allow them to purchase it for $200, which is what they sell the PB for). This will mean RIM loses less money on the device (smaller screen. Smaller battery, not a consumer device so it doesn't need a high quality finish, doesn't need high levels of customer service, etc) and you get to test it in a device which is a much closer approximation of upcoming BB10 phones than the PB.

Correction bad marketing killed the wifi playbook. The first os wasn't as bad as sites like BGR made it out to be. Like I said bad marketing killed the playbook. Even a year later its still a competitive 7 inch tablet.

[addicted44]

Correction bad marketing killed the wifi playbook. The first os wasn't as bad as sites like BGR made it out to be. Like I said bad marketing killed the playbook. Even a year later its still a competitive 7 inch tablet.

Even if we assume that is true (I don't buy it, but will play along for argument's sake) why do you think the 4G PB will not suffer the same fate?

Also, at a time where RIM staffers are cutting back on holidays and weekends so they can deliver BB10 phones in the next 6 months, how does it make any sense to burden them with releasing another device in the interim?

[addicted44]

Correction bad marketing killed the wifi playbook. The first os wasn't as bad as sites like BGR made it out to be. Like I said bad marketing killed the playbook. Even a year later its still a competitive 7 inch tablet.

I am not sure what you were correcting in my post, since I never claimed a reason why the PB "failed". What I did claim is
1) The PB lost RIM money. This is not even counting the opportunity costs of having developers spend time on the PB rather than BB10, and the cost of development.
2) The PB hurt RIM's reputation.

Both of the above are pretty much indisputable facts at this stage. My question regd. the 4G PB is why does anyone think the release of the 4G PB will pan out any differently?

[manofice1]

People are always more likely to have their bb phones with them and playbook second, so they always will have 3G connection.

While I agree with u, my users don't lol. I'll say to them what u said and they say what if...

A 4g playbook will definitely be easier to push in the enterprise.