[BBNation]

Article on techcrunch site.

RIM
I must admit I wasn�t expecting much from RIM, and I guess in the end they didn�t have that much to offer: a hands-on with the PlayBook 2.0 update. But I�m really glad we stopped by, and I think RIM showed that they are still a force to be reckoned with in some respects. The PlayBook, whipping boy of the tech blogs, is made far more complete by the addition of the email, contacts, and calendar features. If they had released this, and perhaps at a slightly lower price than they were selling it for at launch, I think the tech world would have been genuinely enthusiastic. In our interview with them, I wasn�t just buttering them up when I said I would certainly recommend the PlayBook over an iOS or Android device for the purposes of day-to-day productivity, enterprise, and so on. The PlayBook, I said, was a breach birth, its non-critical consumer-facing functions emerging foremost, and its essential business and productivity functions delayed dangerously. Now that they�ve been delivered (so to speak), I can safely say the PlayBook is a far better tablet than it was, and that Google and Apple should take a look at some of their clever and powerful gesture and UI work.

Losers
Apple
People have been saying that the shadow of Apple would fall darkly on CES, that everyone would be spooked about the imminent presence of the new iPad and the rumored iTV, that it would be a show of Apple clones. The truth is that no one really seemed to be thinking much about Apple one way or the other. We saw phones taking design in interesting directions, tablets with diverse uses, business models that move beyond iTunes, and smart TVs that the companies seemed pretty excited about, not defeatist or pathetic. The only place Apple showed up was in the accessories area, and the new items we saw, more often than not, were careful to accommodate Android and other devices as well. CES just isn�t Apple�s show, which isn�t much of a surprise to some, but others want to believe that Apple has a presence even where it isn�t. CES showed this year that, news coverage patterns notwithstanding, the tech world doesn�t revolve around Apple; it revolves around a weird and splendid panoply of overly specific gadgets, raw components, and foreign niche markets

[Knightcrawler]

interesting that it was a techcrunch article....very interesting

[drjay868]

Thanks for posting... I have no desire to give that site another hit.

Very surprising tho. A TC piece that is actually unbiased... wow.

[Rickroller]

CES showed this year that, news coverage patterns notwithstanding, the tech world doesn’t revolve around Apple; it revolves around a weird and splendid panoply of overly specific gadgets, raw components, and foreign niche markets

What exactly does this author think CES is, if it's not a "weird and splendid panaply of overly specific gadgets, and raw components"? It's certainly not to showcase Apple products, and if he went there thinking Apple would have a huge presence or even a "shadow", then I guess he's never been to CES before.

I don't even like Apple..but to call them losers in an event they don't even generally participate in, is funny.

Of course hindsight is 20/20, but I think if RIM had held off on the PB until this year, and had demo'd it at CES with "2.0" (which should have just been standard for launch), and then released it a month after..it would have been a completely different "birth" of it. Looking back, there really wasn't much released in 2011 that was overly impressive tablet wise imo, and even if they had held on to it til this year, it would still be competitive in todays hardware landscape. They most likely could've saved themselves 1/2 billion dollars in losses, not to mention negative press.

[brucep1]

Rickroller,

I think the article suggests that Apple is a loser of CES because of the lack of imitation. If you remember, how many tablets were showcased last year? Like 50? My estimate, but this year there weren't nearly as many.

Instead of companies trying to directly to compete with Apple as a lot expected, these companies sort of did their own thing and tried to innovate on their own without Apple.

[bbqkid8]

Chalk one up for RIM. I am pleased with the positive press that came out for them at CES. The Playbook will undoubtedly be more complete, but one can't help to think that the timing of the release was a tad early. I personally don't think that there would have been anything wrong with waiting an extra 10 months for the Playbook. On the flipside, I can't imagine not using my Playbook for the last 10 months I've had it.

[Rickroller]

Rickroller,

I think the article suggests that Apple is a loser of CES because of the lack of imitation. If you remember, how many tablets were showcased last year? Like 50? My estimate, but this year there weren't nearly as many.

Instead of companies trying to directly to compete with Apple as a lot expected, these companies sort of did their own thing and tried to innovate on their own without Apple.

Good point! Perhaps that was what he was referring to the Apple "shadow".

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Rickroller,

I think the article suggests that Apple is a loser of CES because of the lack of imitation. If you remember, how many tablets were showcased last year? Like 50? My estimate, but this year there weren't nearly as many.

Instead of companies trying to directly to compete with Apple as a lot expected, these companies sort of did their own thing and tried to innovate on their own without Apple.

But that is a stretch to say that Apple is the looser... I think manufactures have realized that Apple is just to hard to beat in the tablet category. The only one that has been successfully is a tablet that is much cheaper, but it still offers the user a complete experience by providing an ecosystem that will "feed" them content. The tablet market isn't just about the HARDWARE and the OS! I think that as RIM's offerings mature that the PlayBook line has a chance of being a good product for RIM.

But for Apple there is Big difference between being a loser and scaring all the competition away...

[louzer]

As far as the April launch of the Playbook os concerned, let's not forget that April was a delay from the originally announced date which would have been late 2010. The April release was a scurry to get something on the shelves before the launch of the iPad2. It was a risk that, in hindsight, didn't really matter. Fact is that Playbook OS 2.0 features makes the Playbook an even better device than it is. It is now getting favorable reviews. The concept of the iPad took a while to catch on. And so will the Playbook. Should it have launched last April? Probably not. Am I glad that I've had it to use since last April? Absolutely.

[phonejunky]

Apple doesn't really even participate in this event how are they a loser lol.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S II

[jd914]

apple never participates at CES because they don't have to. Now RIM on the other hand at CES introduces a software update to a year old playbook and another curve device that looks exactly like its predecessors? How does RIM win over apple?

BTW Apple stock is at $419 and RIM is at a measly $16. Apple is doing just fine and losing to no one especially RIM.

[anthogag]

Great article. This reviewer would recommend the OS2 pb over the other tablets

Apple's arms-length approach with its competitors will get old...soon

[sosumi11]

The concept of the iPad took a while to catch on.

True. Everyone laughed when the iPad was announced. But once it shipped, the laughs stopped.

Apple sold 3,270,000 iPads in the first quarter the iPad went to market.

[dandbj13]

I think the article suggests that Apple is a loser of CES because of the lack of imitation. If you remember, how many tablets were showcased last year? Like 50? My estimate, but this year there weren't nearly as many.

Instead of companies trying to directly to compete with Apple as a lot expected, these companies sort of did their own thing and tried to innovate on their own without Apple.

If that's what the writer meant, I don't know which CES he covered. The one I read about had TV makers openly trying to compete with the rumor of an Apple branded television. Computer makers were putting Windows on Macbook Airs, and calling them Ultra Books. Even iCloud was reintroduced by Acer who went as far as to KIRF a recognizable slide used when Apple introduced it a few months ago. I can point to all that without ever mentioning the latest crop of iPad killers. Apple was all over CES.

[Blacklac]

If that's what the writer meant, I don't know which CES he covered. The one I read about had TV makers openly trying to compete with the rumor of an Apple branded television. Computer makers were putting Windows on Macbook Airs, and calling them Ultra Books. Even iCloud was reintroduced by Acer who went as far as to KIRF a recognizable slide used when Apple introduced it a few months ago. I can point to all that without ever mentioning the latest crop of iPad killers. Apple was all over CES.

Panasonic, Samsung, LG, Sony, Sharp, etc are trying to copy a "product" that doesn't exist? How so? I can kind of see the other claims, maybe, but not that one.

[dandbj13]

Panasonic, Samsung, LG, Sony, Sharp, etc are trying to copy a "product" that doesn't exist? How so? I can kind of see the other claims, maybe, but not that one.

Apple’s pervasive and invisible presence at CES - The Next Web

AppleInsider | CES: Apple's Siri prompts competitors to push their own voice controls

Sony Looks to Trump Apple in Race for Next-Gen TV, CEO Says | PCWorld

...and a number of other articles and podcasts that talk about Apple's influence on this year's crop of smart TVs. I could have also included a couple of articles about the AirPlay feature being cloned by a couple of manufacturers. One went so far as to call theirs AllPlay. Yep, Apple was certainly influential at CES.

As to the other part of the topic, I am not sure how RIM was the winner at CES vs. Apple being the loser. How would you even logically juxtapose those two without some sort of agenda? RIM had a beta software update to partially show, while Apple wasn't officially there. Where is the logical connection?

As for being a winner at CES, I would hesitate to celebrate even if it were true. Consider the real CES Best of Show winners. Last year, the Xoom. Before that, the Moto Backflip and some 3D TV that is probably not on the market anymore. Before that, the Palm Pre. See the pattern. Though Apple was not at any of those events, they redefined markets and had to create new banks just to hold all of the new money coming in. "Winning at CES is what the losers in the market can brag about. I wouldn't make too much of it.

[sosumi11]

Panasonic, Samsung, LG, Sony, Sharp, etc are trying to copy a "product" that doesn't exist? How so? I can kind of see the other claims, maybe, but not that one.

The iPad was announced on 27 January 2010, with an official invite sent out on 18 January. The 2010 CES ran from January 7-10.

There were WSJ rumors that a tablet was coming from Apple which caused the hardware makers to freeze presenting their tablets without being too embarrassed by Apple's offering, which at the time was still unknown.

The same thing is happening with the rumored Apple TV. The hardware makers don't know what to expect so they are being cautious what products they want to show until Apple makes their move.

As this article from ideacouture pointed out:

The iPad announcement has made tablet and mobile computing relevant and exciting. If I recall correctly, Microsoft, HP, and Lenovo, all had tablet computing announcements of some sort at CES. But they weren�t really buzz-worthy announcements. In fact, most people seemed to react to those announcements with �I can�t wait to see what Apple is going to announce.�

[oldtimeBBaddict]

Apple�s pervasive and invisible presence at CES - The Next Web


As for being a winner at CES, I would hesitate to celebrate even if it were true. Consider the real CES Best of Show winners. Last year, the Xoom. Before that, the Moto Backflip and some 3D TV that is probably not on the market anymore. Before that, the Palm Pre. See the pattern. Though Apple was not at any of those events, they redefined markets and had to create new banks just to hold all of the new money coming in. "Winning at CES is what the losers in the market can brag about. I wouldn't make too much of it.

I hadn't considered that, but it sounds a lot like the Sports Illustrated cover curse!

[BergerKing]

True. Everyone laughed when the iPad was announced. But once it shipped, the laughs stopped.

Apple sold 3,270,000 iPads in the first quarter the iPad went to market.

(Pssst, half of them are for sale on craigslist and eBay already)

Well, folks have been predicting a demise, and the fact that the PlayBook is upwardly mobile is still a shock to some.

Let Apple do their thing, and BlackBerry do theirs. The entire tablet universe is still expanding, after all.

[Blacklac]

Apple’s pervasive and invisible presence at CES - The Next Web

AppleInsider | CES: Apple's Siri prompts competitors to push their own voice controls

Sony Looks to Trump Apple in Race for Next-Gen TV, CEO Says | PCWorld

...and a number of other articles and podcasts that talk about Apple's influence on this year's crop of smart TVs. I could have also included a couple of articles about the AirPlay feature being cloned by a couple of manufacturers. One went so far as to call theirs AllPlay. Yep, Apple was certainly influential at CES.

As to the other part of the topic, I am not sure how RIM was the winner at CES vs. Apple being the loser. How would you even logically juxtapose those two without some sort of agenda? RIM had a beta software update to partially show, while Apple wasn't officially there. Where is the logical connection?

As for being a winner at CES, I would hesitate to celebrate even if it were true. Consider the real CES Best of Show winners. Last year, the Xoom. Before that, the Moto Backflip and some 3D TV that is probably not on the market anymore. Before that, the Palm Pre. See the pattern. Though Apple was not at any of those events, they redefined markets and had to create new banks just to hold all of the new money coming in. "Winning at CES is what the losers in the market can brag about. I wouldn't make too much of it.

Now Apple invented DLNA streaming? Its called AllShare, btw. AllShare... yeah, seems like a decent name from whats its purpose is, isnt it? Sharing wirelessly from multiple devices, multiple media types. You realize they had DLNA capable TV's since atleast '08, right? And AirPlay was announced in Sept. 2010. Hmm, yeah I guess maybe Samsung copied AirPlay before it was announced. lol

Thanks for the links, but what do you expect from Apple centric websites?

Im just not buying that one.

You realize nearly every tech blog has their own "Best of Show" or whatever award, right?

[sosumi11]

(Pssst, half of them are for sale on craigslist and eBay already)

And how many went at fire sale prices?

[tchocky77]

I think Apple made a conscious decision to not participate at CES because it's increasingly irrelevant.

Apple is hosting an event in NYC this to announce something big their doing with textbook publishing. Whether or not it will be a successful effort remains to be seen, but the point is,....Apple is constantly looking for new areas to innovate in. When they're successful, they tend to be kind of revolutionary.

RIM is doing all they can to save a tablet device that's nearly a year old and has already been through a couple of fire sales. If 2.0 is INCREDIBLE, will there be anyone left to care?

I hope they can make QNX work the way they need to and I hope the BB10 phones save them as a company. The more competitors there are in the game, the better for me as a savvy tech consumer. But these "RIM RULES APPLE SUX" threads are just desperate. Apple left RIM behind a LONNNNG time ago, and they're aren't likely to ever catch up. Rim doesn't even compete in the same league anymore. They've allowed their leadership to fail miserably, and the board/stockholders haven't done what needs to be done. (The whole "co-CEO" framework suggests a fundamental and catastrophic failure to understand how a corporate entity is supposed to operate.) Give it a rest.

[recompile]

Apple left RIM behind a LONNNNG time ago

In unit sales, LONNNNG would mean "about a year ago". Browser? 2007, I'll grant you that, but RIM had caught up and was leading them there before iOS 5 was released

and they're aren't likely to ever catch up.

Odd, it seems that RIM is already leading the pack on the software front. Their tablet UI is unmatched and their new OS is leagues ahead of iOS and Android.

Their hardware isn't anything special (except for their brilliant keyboard and trackpad) but it is competitive. Of course, if the rumors are true, RIM should pull ahead there as well.

Apple, on the other hand, has been all but sitting completely still. iOS 5 was a big update, yet it didn't even bring their notifications up to the standard set by RIM ages ago. They're still way behind RIM on multitasking, and their new gestures are clumsy and unintuitive (four-finger swipe anyone?).

Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses, sure. It's also true that, in the past, RIM was running behind in too many areas to remain competitive. Of course, it's pretty obvious that that is no longer the case.

Apple simply stood still too long; they let RIM race ahead of their OS and UI. RIM has not only caught up, they've left Apple in the dust.

[phonejunky]

In unit sales, LONNNNG would mean "about a year ago". Browser? 2007, I'll grant you that, but RIM had caught up and was leading them there before iOS 5 was released



Odd, it seems that RIM is already leading the pack on the software front. Their tablet UI is unmatched and their new OS is leagues ahead of iOS and Android.

Their hardware isn't anything special (except for their brilliant keyboard and trackpad) but it is competitive. Of course, if the rumors are true, RIM should pull ahead there as well.

Apple, on the other hand, has been all but sitting completely still. iOS 5 was a big update, yet it didn't even bring their notifications up to the standard set by RIM ages ago. They're still way behind RIM on multitasking, and their new gestures are clumsy and unintuitive (four-finger swipe anyone?).

Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses, sure. It's also true that, in the past, RIM was running behind in too many areas to remain competitive. Of course, it's pretty obvious that that is no longer the case.

Apple simply stood still too long; they let RIM race ahead of their OS and UI. RIM has not only caught up, they've left Apple in the dust.

This is what I call pure blind to what's happening around you. RIM caught up when, where. Someone tell me when this happened. Because I didn't notice it at all.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S II

[palmless]

In unit sales, LONNNNG would mean "about a year ago". Browser? 2007, I'll grant you that, but RIM had caught up and was leading them there before iOS 5 was released

...


Apple simply stood still too long; they let RIM race ahead of their OS and UI. RIM has not only caught up, they've left Apple in the dust.

Amateur hour is over, in other words.

RIMM has Apple right where they want 'em. Leapfrogging did the trick.

Do you think Apple can ever recover, or is RIMM's lead now insurmountable? Is Apple stuck in the dust forever, with an inferior notification scheme and only a 20:1 sales advantage and 200:1 gross profit advantage to comfort them?