[bk1022]

The biggest problem RIM has now is that they might be launching during a recession. Fiscal cliff or not, negotiated budgetary changes will likely put a damper on purchasing this March in the US -- a make or break market for RIM this time around.

[silversun10]

The biggest problem RIM has now is that they might be launching during a recession. Fiscal cliff or not, negotiated budgetary changes will likely put a damper on purchasing this March in the US -- a make or break market for RIM this time around.

the fiscal cliff talk is way overdone, it is true it is not good for the economy and for tax payers, however it will improve the financial position of the US.
and predictions of the Cliff are a reduction in the economy of 1 or 2 %, not exactly all that much, so RIM might sell a few %'s less of BB10's, big deal........

[qbnkelt]

The playbook was not a failure at all!

Until sales increase Rim is not going to manufacture more playbooks until the demand is there.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk

You do realise that if the PB had not been a failure the demand would be there?

How many PBs were sold, and under what circumstances?

RetAilers had to hold fire sales to move them.

Sent from my SEXY HOT RED SGIII using Tapatalk 2

[JeepBB]

The playbook was not a failure at all!

I'd be interested to understand your criteria for "failure".

On a personal level, I still like both of my Playbooks enormously, but I reckon the fat lady has sung, showered, and is in the taxi on the way home when it comes to deciding whether the PB was a commercial success.

RIM wrote off their entire inventory of PBs... not a typical characteristic of a successful product.

Fewer than 2M (by various estimates here on CB and elsewhere) were ever sold, and RIM couldn't seem to persuade more than a vanishingly small percentage of that oft-quoted 80M BB phone base to buy what must surely be the obvious and natural partner for any BB phone given the beauty that is "Bridge".

Other than give PB's away in boxes of breakfast cereal, RIM tried almost everything to clear the PB inventory. And it took long-term product give-aways at close to (below?) cost to shift PB's from the shelves.

[kill_9]

Fewer than 2M (by various estimates here on CB and elsewhere) were ever sold, and RIM couldn't seem to persuade more than a vanishingly small percentage of that oft-quoted 80M BB phone base to buy what must surely be the obvious and natural partner for any BB phone given the beauty that is "Bridge".

You could not possibly be more correct in your assessment of the situation. Research In Motion had an opportunity to sell the BlackBerry PlayBook to a ready-made market of approximately 70 million BlackBerry smartphone users, most of when were subscribers to BIS or BES. You will recall BlackBerry Bridge was not released until a month or so after the launch of the tablet. The complete failure of marketing and a fumbling management team and inept development team destroyed the BlackBerry brand in the blink of an eye.

[omniusovermind]

I'd be interested to understand your criteria for "failure".

On a personal level, I still like both of my Playbooks enormously, but I reckon the fat lady has sung, showered, and is in the taxi on the way home when it comes to deciding whether the PB was a commercial success.

RIM wrote off their entire inventory of PBs... not a typical characteristic of a successful product.

Fewer than 2M (by various estimates here on CB and elsewhere) were ever sold, and RIM couldn't seem to persuade more than a vanishingly small percentage of that oft-quoted 80M BB phone base to buy what must surely be the obvious and natural partner for any BB phone given the beauty that is "Bridge".

Other than give PB's away in boxes of breakfast cereal, RIM tried almost everything to clear the PB inventory. And it took long-term product give-aways at close to (below?) cost to shift PB's from the shelves.

Yup, pretty much sums it up. I enjoy my PB as a nice little $200 media consumption device that has good portability. But the problem I that I don't believe putting a brand new OS on 2 year old hardware is the proper and professional solution for someone shopping as a first time tablet buyer.

2 years is pretty aged when it comes to phones and tablets. If I were to go looking for a first time tablet tomorrow I'd want something that I know is considered current and also highly supported by the developer community and manufacturer for the next couple years to come