[sad_old_man]

Well don't blame me for this, blame the fine upstanding member, rossjackson01, he made me do it.

Anyway we are all here for one reason, we believe the pb works for us. The problem being that it could potentially have been great and IMHO far better that the ipad so then in its basic form why do you think it failed?. Now it's time to find out for real.

Please do not try this at home without an adult present and a safety net.

[slparry]

Blackberry appear very poor at selling itself, Apple et al are are well oiled marketing machines but for some reason Blackberry don't seem to have grasped the marketing nettle. It's the same with the Z10 it's hardly being pushed hard via ads etc

[ChrisMay]

I voted for Lack of apps, and BB as a company, but I think this is more that people don't associate tablets with Blackberry, rather than they think Blackberry is a bad company.

I would also have given 'Lack of awareness' as an option though. I don't think many people even know about the PlayBook. When I was looking to get a tablet, I only found out about it beacuse I tend to research things quite a bit. I think a lot of people would just think the only options are Apple or Android...

[RazzBerry]

I think price should have been listed as an option and here's why; when the PlayBook first came out the price was outrageous.
The ASUS transformer pad was much more reasonable priced and the iPad was touted for apps.
As bot the iPad and the PlayBook pair with the phones seems you had to have both to get full and best functionality.
So with that said, if you had an ASUS or a iPad then you probably went with a Droid or iPhone.
Economy is too rough right now to try to swap out once prices came down on the Playbooks and that is why I think price should have been added as an option on the poll.

[joshua_sx1]

The PlayBook doesn't outsell the other tablets simply because it doesn't bear that fruit which Eve gave to Adam that cause everyone to be kicked out from paradise... other than that, I cannot think of other valid reasoning... not sure if that snake can make difference either...

Posted via Z10

[sad_old_man]

Blackberry appear very poor at selling itself, Apple et al are are well oiled marketing machines but for some reason Blackberry don't seem to have grasped the marketing nettle. It's the same with the Z10 its hardly being pushed hard via ads etc

I agree with everything you say and I don't know the answer to this but don't Apple (wash my mouth out) treat their customer base a little better than blackberry do? As I say I have no experience of their customer relations.

[El Platanero]

...incomplete. If it was made like the Z (ie bb10) then I can still see pushing people to get it.

Feel free to add me 24EFEB55

[robsteve]

I don't think there is any proof that the PlayBook has not outsold any other individual model of the competitor's tablets with the exception of Apple products. For example, in the Apple/Samsung lawsuit, Samsung had to release actual sales numbers for their Galaxy tab (400k ?) and at the time it was much lower than how many PlayBooks had been sold at that time.

As Thorsten Heins has said, there really isn't a tablet market, with there being one major player; Apple.

[sad_old_man]

All comments are great so far. I tried to keep the options simple because I am simple but if you think about it they all mean the same thing? There was a mention of price in one post but who would disagree that if BlackBerry as a company had produced the pb that was promised, price would not be a complaint. You get a Ford at Ferrari cost you complain. You get a Ferrari at Ford cost your over the moon?

[sad_old_man]

I don't think there is any proof that the PlayBook has not outsold any other individual model of the competitor's tablets with the exception of Apple products. For example, in the Apple/Samsung lawsuit, Samsung had to release actual sales numbers for their Galaxy tab (400k ?) and at the time it was much lower than how many PlayBooks had been sold at that time.

As Thorsten Heins has said, there really isn't a tablet market, with there being one major player; Apple.

This thread has nothing to do with my personal opinion. It is for the members to speak and tell us.

I must say though IMHO I find your comments of "I don't think there is any proof that the PlayBook has not outsold any other individual model of the competitor's tablets with the exception of Apple products. For example, in the Apple/Samsung lawsuit, Samsung had to release actual sales numbers for their Galaxy tab (400k ?) and at the time it was much lower than how many PlayBooks had been sold at that time." don't bear any real relevance to this thread. That's only MHO.

[Coach57]

The question isn't why doesn't the playbook outsell (i.e. in the present tense) other tablets. As most people have pointed out, the issue was primarily a deeply fumbled launch. The list is long... product not quite mature, somewhat late to market, poor promotion, and in my view, the worst example of pricing strategy I have ever seen.

I mean, the tablet is smaller, does less, and has no ecosystem, so let's price it the same as Apple. Price was the biggest card BB had to play and they fumbled it. Only too late they were forced to slash prices again and again to keep the tablet on life support. This should be a business school case... of how NOT to do it!

Oh... and of course there's the persistent media bias that jumped on every weakness, but that's life. Be ready for it next time Blackberry.

[tonyrenier]

Crappy advertising.

[anon(2757538)]

PlayBook OS being a beta.

Plain and Simple.

[Gooseberry Falls]

Apple just has consumers brainwashed. They need apps, gotta have a "back/home" button, they don't need flash, they don't need to customize because Apple says it is already a perfect product. Hitler, anyone?

[kupfernigk]

I think price should have been listed as an option and here's why; when the PlayBook first came out the price was outrageous.
The ASUS transformer pad was much more reasonable priced and the iPad was touted for apps.
As bot the iPad and the PlayBook pair with the phones seems you had to have both to get full and best functionality.
So with that said, if you had an ASUS or a iPad then you probably went with a Droid or iPhone.
Economy is too rough right now to try to swap out once prices came down on the Playbooks and that is why I think price should have been added as an option on the poll.

The price was high, but in fact when the Transformer came out it too was pretty crappy, on Android 3.2, and it drove me nuts. You couldn't even type into a webpage like this one. I was pretty cross with Asus for releasing something that cost as much as a good notebook and was of little use. On the other hand, the Playbook worked well if you knew what it was supposed to do.
Since then both Transformer and Playbook have had updates. In the end I gave the Transformer away because, despite the keyboard and the bigger screen, it just is not as real world usable.
BlackBerry's problems were multiple, but the main one was coming out too early before the market for non-Apple tablets had started to evolve. As Samsung demonstrated with the Note, the answer was to offer something that did things the iPad didn't do at all, like fit into a pocket and have a pressure sensitive pen. I'd buy a Note myself if it wasn't for the fact that QNX is still much better than Android as a UI, and I don't want yet another GSM contract. Three should be enough for anybody.

[Dave Bourque]

Lack of apps, lack of support

Posted via CB10

[sad_old_man]

...incomplete. If it was made like the Z (ie bb10) then I can still see pushing people to get it.

Feel free to add me 24EFEB55

I reply to this post only because I don't understand it. I like you have the pb and the Z10, well I have two Z10s but that's besides the point. If you removed the phone functionality away from your Z10, then please tell me what would be the difference between the two apart from one of them having a very small screen. Answer, NOTHING! I got berated for saying that people were returning Z10s in great numbers but just read the Z10 threads on this very site and you make your own mind up if they are?.

As I have stated, this thread is not about my views regarding the company or its product but about your view of the complete entity.

[sourlash]

lack of usable apps. . Need instagram, pinterest, square, skype, etc.
also apps like movie maker. all these are really take the functionality of the tablet from just a play toy to a productive work horse with multiple utility.
Unfortunately playbook lacks a simple app like kindle. (Side load doesn't count as average consumer is not tech savy). thats why iphones and ipads are used as cash registers and payment devices now. despite them lacking NFC. BBY has had NFC for 2 years now (not on playbook, but the tech is available to them), but no practical payment app yet. next i phone will have NFC and i can see you will be able to use your iphone like a Credit card via itunes... and Apple will make more money processing these transactions.

Blackberry should link that app world with nfc through an app and start making money on this nfc... that will switch people to bby phones, and businesses to playbook if playbook can scan their bby for payment. ... just a thought

[keypad]

I believe that as well as marketing the Playbook to business users, which was flawed because of the lack of vital launch native/on board software, Blackberry should make a much greater effort in positioning the playbook as a "Creative Media Tool" aimed at, Musicians, Video/Photo editors, Graphic designers and Writers.
Other than iOS, all other mobile platforms seem to have neglected the segment of the market and with the playbooks compact size, great build quality and multitasking abilities, I think this llittle battler could have a very productive future ahead of it.

[sourlash]

I believe that as well as marketing the Playbook to business users, which was flawed because of the lack of vital launch native/on board software, Blackberry should make a much greater effort in positioning the playbook as a "Creative Media Tool" aimed at, Musicians, Video/Photo editors, Graphic designers and Writers.
Other than iOS, all other mobile platforms seem to have neglected the segment of the market and with the playbooks compact size, great build quality and multitasking abilities, I think this llittle battler could have a very productive future ahead of it.

agreed. the success of apple seems to be because they focus in on a particular segment and really cater to them.

[vwarp]

Apple just has consumers brainwashed. They need apps, gotta have a "back/home" button, they don't need flash, they don't need to customize because Apple says it is already a perfect product. Hitler, anyone?

No, because you can�t do much customisation in BBOS either. Back/Home is another form of navigation as are gestures, and Flash on Mobile sucks everyone knows that. Apple has most customers comfortable, and a few fanboys brainwashed. A geek jailbreaks his iOS devices to unlock the hidden potential and a grandmother uses it as is to call her grandkids. Catering to everyone or as many as possible is a good thing. Sell a product that people like, know how to use and like using it, and they will be back. Samsung seems to be doing that these days too, and their philosophy is quite different to Apple�s. I see many older people using Samsung devices now. My mom, who doesn�t even have a smartphone uses a Galaxy Tab. So I think fans and companies needs to get the job on and try to make their product a success instead of blaming another companies success on brainwashing. That is just being lazy.

I am hanging around Crakberry because the Z10 intrigues me and it is in the running when I am up for renewal. I want to see the app progress, the problems people have and why they love the phone. But not many typical customers think that way.

[ComfortablyNumb8]

I voted like, everyone else it seems, for the first 2 options.

Blackberry never really advertised it, nor what it can do when connected to a OS7 device. It was as if they only wanted present BlackBerry owners to buy it not get people buying a PlayBook then looking at buying a BlackBerry phone. I know when I bought mine I was the only person looking at them tucked away in the corner of the CPW store. Everyone else was looking and seeing what the iPads and various Android tablets could do which had taken centre stage of the store. Also the original bloated price didn't help and even when they reduced the price they still didn't really advertise it. I learnt of all the price decreases through Crackberry not the press or TV adverts.

I'm no expert and not a big App user, but I understand some people are. Why BlackBerry didn't offer to build those Apps that people want, like Skype or Netflix as I've seen mentioned a lot, for the companies is a miss. (Its alright being able to sideload Apps but I would prefer an official App.) You still have an App deficit compared with the others but you have the main ones that buyers want.

After owning mine for over a year the only people I know with PlayBooks are family members. Any of my friends who have tablets, some with BlackBerry mobiles, either have an Android OS one or have bought an iPad as they know very little about the PlayBook. Only one friend discounted it because they hated the swipe gesturing as they were so used to the menu button of IOS. Lately I have to admit my experience with the PlayBook is that I wonder if BlackBerry have totally forgotten about. No OS updates..... nothing. Its FaceBook App has been crap for over a year and not even an update to remedy it.


Someone said about it shows how not to do a launch and they are correct. A multi tasking tablet which I believe was the first to do that. The first to my knowledge 7 inch tablet, which others are migrating to about 2 years later, yet still not everyone is even aware of it. Worryingly now I have a Z10 and because of the bridge omissions my PlayBook has become less useful to me. If there was an award for a company that shoots itself in the foot time and time again it seems BlackBerry would be the undisputed champions.

[dmlis]

Poor marketing.
Grave mistake to launch it "half cooked" in 2011.
Lack of some popular applications - as Skype.

[mmarco]

They don't give to people what most of people want - apps

Lack of apps is the problem.

The Playbook, with bb10, or the most wanted apps in the market, and this price, would be a BIG success

[Cynycl]

Playbook did outsell other tablets. There is none available in any retailer.

Trick to sucessfully selling out .............. stop manufacturing them and put the existing stock on fire sale with promised future and non-existent support