1. sleepngbear's Avatar
    BlackBerry PlayBook: 250,000 Sold So Far, Sales "Steady," Says Analyst

    RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook tablet -- not loved by reviewers, but potentially interesting to BlackBerry fanatics -- is seeing "steady" sales, RBC analyst Mike Abramsky writes in a research note.

    He estimates that RIM has sold 250,000 PlayBooks since launching in mid-April, and may sell 500,000 in its first quarter, including 100,000 units of channel inventory.

    This would be better than early sales of Motorola's Google Android-powered Xoom tablet, he notes. And PlayBook returns are "nominal to date," he says.

    "Checks at 180 Best Buys show 14% of the 16GB sold out, 71% of the 32GB sold out, and 84% of the 64GB sold out; however, 32GB/64B stockouts appear allocation-related."

    RIM is no challenge to Apple and the iPad at this point, but as nearly half of survey respondents say they are interested in buying a 7-inch tablet, and RIM does have a strong enterprise presence, it's worth watching to see how the PlayBook does.

    It's not like anyone has high expectations for RIM here.
    Of course they've got to get their digs in and this writer comes across as a complete noodnick, but at least there's some positive news that's not being ignored.
    grover5 likes this.
    05-18-11 08:10 AM
  2. pkcable's Avatar
    Slow and steady won the race!
    05-18-11 08:17 AM
  3. _StephenBB81's Avatar
    Slow and steady won the race!
    unfortunately tablet sales are sprints, not marathons!

    Though there does not have to only be 1 winner in this market, RIM is going to prove to app developers QNX is worth developing for,

    AND! hopefully the strong Playbook sales, accelerates RIM's move to QNX on the handheld
    05-18-11 08:22 AM
  4. BBThemes's Avatar
    bear in mind the playbook is only really available in 2 countries currently, so as more markets are opened up so sales would potentially increase. interesting to note its outdone anything android has brought to the table thus far
    05-18-11 08:41 AM
  5. _StephenBB81's Avatar
    05-18-11 08:52 AM
  6. lnichols's Avatar
    Those sales numbers are excellent considering it was bashed by so many "tech reviewers" (had to put that in quotes because I think most of these so called "tech reviewers" have little to no technical background). Also I think that once the Native PIM/e-mail gets added in you'll see sales increase, which will get even more devs interested. I've been seeing a lot of Playbook commercials on during the hockey playoffs.
    05-18-11 10:09 AM
  7. djbango's Avatar
    Blackberry had enough time to make sure that this product when it came out would be perfect...they decided to come out to market with a product that needed tweaking. Knowing how reviewers are, and the perception that would linger in the mind of the consumer, wouldn't it have made more sense to delay it a few more weeks, work out the kinks, and get raving reviews.

    I'm no CEO, but that's just common sense. I bet you if they did that sales would be double what they are now
    05-18-11 10:17 AM
  8. BBThemes's Avatar
    Those sales numbers are excellent considering it was bashed by so many "tech reviewers" (had to put that in quotes because I think most of these so called "tech reviewers" have little to no technical background). Also I think that once the Native PIM/e-mail gets added in you'll see sales increase, which will get even more devs interested. I've been seeing a lot of Playbook commercials on during the hockey playoffs.
    interesting how the majority of the "tech reviewers" (airquotes are mandadtory when including the engadget site which has seriously dimished in both insight and content since josh and nilay left) havent had the face to blog this. i`ll write the headline for them:

    BlackBerry PlayBook outsells ALL android tablets in early sales (read below just how wrong we were).

    think thats a fitting headline
    Last edited by BBThemes; 05-18-11 at 10:31 AM.
    05-18-11 10:27 AM
  9. Economist101's Avatar
    Like pretty much every other bit of sales news a company receives, this is both good and bad. Good in that the PlayBook has so far been a lot more successful than Android tablets. Bad in that the sales rate thus far is below what they need to hit their sales goal, though there are other models coming which will presumably increase demand.
    05-18-11 10:50 AM
  10. Snipperdo17's Avatar
    Nvidia CEO weighed in on poor Android tablet

    Nvidia CEO: Why Android tablets aren't selling | Nanotech - The Circuits Blog - CNET News


    He also thinks Android Tablets will over take Apple in 30 Months

    Nvidia CEO: Android tablets will overtake iPad in 30 months - TechSpot News
    Well obviously Android will eventually take over when there are 150 hardware makers all throwing Android on them. They will flood the market just like they are doing phones. There are so many phones that no one can even keep up with them all. Pretty soon, no one Android is going to outsell another one because they will all look the same and people are going to play eeny meeny miny mo at the store when deciding on a new Android device.
    05-18-11 10:52 AM
  11. BBThemes's Avatar
    Like pretty much every other bit of sales news a company receives, this is both good and bad. Good in that the PlayBook has so far been a lot more successful than Android tablets. Bad in that the sales rate thus far is below what they need to hit their sales goal, though there are other models coming which will presumably increase demand.
    as nobody knows their sales goal (they declined to give speculative figures on earnings call) thats kinda false. plus if the `intended sales` that analysts believe are their target is the 3.3m figure (analysts figure not RIM figure) then they are pretty much on target as 250,000 x 12 is 3million. factor in wifi only sales and only (offical) distribution in USA and canada for that 1 month and even adding a speculative 25% rise in sales for worldwide and carrier models would give you 3.75million which is over analysts expectations.
    05-18-11 10:59 AM
  12. rollingrock1988's Avatar
    BLACKBERRY RULES WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

    F the competition.
    gravymonster likes this.
    05-18-11 11:11 AM
  13. sleepngbear's Avatar
    Slow and steady won the race!
    I'm just pleased to see it selling respectably. Considering the beating it took in review after review in the days leading up to release, I was really concerned that potential buyers would ignore it, and anybody who wanted something without an apple on it would just wait for a suitable Android tab. The best part is this thing is just a baby, and improvements that will make it more universally desirable should be coming like voting in Chicago -- early and often.

    ('Noodnick'? I didn't notice that in the thesaurus! Point taken. )

    unfortunately tablet sales are sprints, not marathons!

    Though there does not have to only be 1 winner in this market, RIM is going to prove to app developers QNX is worth developing for,

    AND! hopefully the strong Playbook sales, accelerates RIM's move to QNX on the handheld
    True ... and the more traction QNX can get in the next year, hopefully the more interest will be drummed up for when it does finally hit the handhelds.

    All very much needed positive signs. And the stock is up a buck and a half today.
    05-18-11 01:34 PM
  14. rollingrock1988's Avatar
    Android is going to cannibalize itself. I think much faster than windows has. People today are getting more fickle with technology, so android and windows phone 7 are going to fall behind in sales eventually because their phones and spec requirements will all be the same and look the same.

    Plus there is no quality control on the hardware manufacturers that make the phones. This is a problem because people perceive android and the phone makers as one in the same- for the most part.
    05-18-11 02:01 PM
  15. anon(257429)'s Avatar
    Android is going to cannibalize itself. I think much faster than windows has. People today are getting more fickle with technology, so android and windows phone 7 are going to fall behind in sales eventually because their phones and spec requirements will all be the same and look the same.

    Plus there is no quality control on the hardware manufacturers that make the phones. This is a problem because people perceive android and the phone makers as one in the same- for the most part.
    Very analytical of you.

    Thats something a analysis would say.
    05-18-11 10:18 PM
  16. dorbit's Avatar
    Sorry, but these numbers come from RBC's Abramsky. He is the consummate RIM bull and has been wrong time and again. I just wouldn't trust his channel checks. I'm not saying he's wrong. I just wouldn't trust him based on his track record.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    scorpiodsu likes this.
    05-18-11 10:54 PM
  17. Coffee Addict's Avatar
    I think the 250k figure is respectable considering PB is only available in US until now. Better adoption rate than Xoom, I suppose.

    Would be very interesting, coming quarter end, when actual figures are released by RIM.
    05-19-11 06:22 AM
  18. T.roy's Avatar
    I think these numbers are for retail sales only. RIM also sells them directly to enterprise and government customers. I'd guess these numbers are on the low end of what they've sold.
    05-19-11 11:12 AM
  19. Economist101's Avatar
    as nobody knows their sales goal (they declined to give speculative figures on earnings call) thats kinda false. plus if the `intended sales` that analysts believe are their target is the 3.3m figure (analysts figure not RIM figure) then they are pretty much on target as 250,000 x 12 is 3million. factor in wifi only sales and only (offical) distribution in USA and canada for that 1 month and even adding a speculative 25% rise in sales for worldwide and carrier models would give you 3.75million which is over analysts expectations.
    RIM didn't get into the tablet game to sell fewer PlayBooks in a year than Apple sells iPads in a quarter. With 4.7 million iPads sold last quarter, I have to believe RIM's target is at least 5 million for the year, which would be a 400K+ monthly run rate.
    05-19-11 11:56 AM
  20. scorpiodsu's Avatar
    How come when "analysts" makes predictions and they are negative everyone goes out of their way to discredit them and then when comparable analysts make positive predictions, every is great with what they said? I don't get it. In most cases the analysts are no more reputable than the other but depending on how well a likes the prediction they refute or support the estimates? I don't get it.
    05-19-11 12:06 PM
  21. _StephenBB81's Avatar
    RIM didn't get into the tablet game to sell fewer PlayBooks in a year than Apple sells iPads in a quarter. With 4.7 million iPads sold last quarter, I have to believe RIM's target is at least 5 million for the year, which would be a 400K+ monthly run rate.

    RIM can't honestly expect to sell 1/4 of apples sales as their first attempt at a consumer electronics device.

    RIM in a year should be looking to recoup development costs with the playbook.

    A realistic Goal for RIM would have been north American sales of 1.5million units in 2011, and Global sales of 2.8 to 3 million

    The market is new to them. The OS is new, and they are in a media slump

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    05-19-11 12:49 PM
  22. papped's Avatar
    Android is going to cannibalize itself. I think much faster than windows has. People today are getting more fickle with technology, so android and windows phone 7 are going to fall behind in sales eventually because their phones and spec requirements will all be the same and look the same.

    Plus there is no quality control on the hardware manufacturers that make the phones. This is a problem because people perceive android and the phone makers as one in the same- for the most part.
    They are making a lot of the same progressions (and mistakes)... It's strikingly similar to WM.

    The only major, obvious difference is that WM performance was pretty much always terrible. I think the manufacturers are going to cannibalize each other... There are too many handsets, too often, too fragmented, and too similar... Not to mention the battle of the "skins" is kind of dumb because a lot of them really suck.
    05-19-11 01:13 PM
  23. BaconMunch's Avatar
    Media slump for sure.

    Other headlines that cite Mike Abramsky are titled as...

    RIM sells just 250000 Playbook tablets‎

    Who is Buying the BlackBerry PlayBook?

    And the negativity that stems at the root is that the PlayBook is not an iPad..no sh*t Sherlock.
    05-19-11 01:16 PM
  24. rollingrock1988's Avatar
    They are making a lot of the same progressions (and mistakes)... It's strikingly similar to WM.

    The only major, obvious difference is that WM performance was pretty much always terrible. I think the manufacturers are going to cannibalize each other... There are too many handsets, too often, too fragmented, and too similar... Not to mention the battle of the "skins" is kind of dumb because a lot of them really suck.
    Pretty much what I was saying. Glad someone else sees it. I can't believe people are this short sighted. Aka analysts.
    05-19-11 01:31 PM
  25. Economist101's Avatar
    RIM can't honestly expect to sell 1/4 of apples sales as their first attempt at a consumer electronics device.

    RIM in a year should be looking to recoup development costs with the playbook.

    A realistic Goal for RIM would have been north American sales of 1.5million units in 2011, and Global sales of 2.8 to 3 million

    The market is new to them. The OS is new, and they are in a media slump

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    I agree with you. I just think that RIM has two figures: an expectation (x), and a goal (x + y). So, while RIM's expectation may be right in line with what you're saying, I think we'd also agree that their goal is to be a large scale player in the market.
    05-19-11 01:37 PM
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