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OneForGadgets

macrumors member
Sep 1, 2010
94
5
Had the chance to play with the PB before heading home last night at Best Buy in Union Square. I have to admit, I was pretty impressed with the device.

For starters, the cameras on the Blackberry were MUCH better than my iPad 2. I have to give credit where credit is due and usually this is the other way around with Blackberry and iPad for cameras. The 2mp front camera on my iPad seems seems to be very fuzzy and when compared to the 3mp front camera on the Playbook I was actually pretty disappointed on Apple's. Honestly, I use my iPad all the time to Skype so the front camera is very important to me.

In regards to the size and the screen, I didn't think it was that bad at all. Overall, I think the hardware is there, but the software could use improvements along the way, which BB is able to do with updates.
 

maclaptop

macrumors 65816
Apr 8, 2011
1,453
0
Western Hemisphere
Buddy of mine works at Best Buy and he texted me this morning "no lines at bb, our doors open in 30 min"

He works in TV's, so he doesn't know how many people called and asked for it. But his sense is hardly anyone. Since the iPad 2 launch, hes been annoyed by customers constantly asking him about the ipad 2, but the playbook? He said no one has ever asked him about the playbook.

Another one bites the dust.... lets hope HP's TouchPad can give Apple some competition.

And you are surprised?

Bored with nothing better to do?

This strokes your ego?

And your meaningful contribution is?

This forum is for useful conversation as it relates to Apple.

There's nothing about your post to discuss.
 

Steviejobz

macrumors 68020
Jun 19, 2010
2,122
363
SoCal
Well since it needs to be tethered to a Blackberry to get any basic functionality, I'd say it is not going to attract non Blackberry users.
 

Kupp

macrumors regular
Mar 23, 2011
149
0
Massachusetts
I am still of the mind that there simply isn't so much as a tablet marke as an iPad market. Honestly the only other tablet I was thinking of was the motorola zoom 7.9.

But frankly the app ecosystem isn't there in the competition. Having traditionally been a Dell advocate, I wish the streak was a better device. Hardware wise, the ipad may not be the best, or most customizable, but the experience is above all others.
 

kdarling

macrumors P6
Well since it needs to be tethered to a Blackberry to get any basic functionality, I'd say it is not going to attract non Blackberry users.

As I've posted above, I didn't have to tether it to any Blackberry to get "basic functionality."

I just set up browser bookmarks to Google Mail and Calendar, which is what I use for every device anyway, whether through special app or web.

The screen is quite large enough to use the web versions nicely.

Edit: Hey. I just noticed that there's an icon already on the main menu hardcoded to go to the GMail webpage. Silly me.
 
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tucker3434

macrumors regular
Dec 23, 2009
182
0
Read an interesting article about the failure of bb. Talked about how bb markets top down. They pretty much want cio's to force bb products on their employees for security reasons. Apple goes from the bottom up. They want employees to try to talk their it guys into supporting the products they enjoy.

It really is crazy how far they've fallen in just a few short years. It wasn't long ago that everyone I knew had a bb. Now I can't really think of anyone unless supplied by work.
 

DeepIn2U

macrumors G5
May 30, 2002
12,821
6,876
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
First day BlackBerry PlayBook sales may have exceeded expectations

link:
http://www.bgr.com/2011/04/20/first-day-blackberry-playbook-sales-may-have-exceeded-expectations/

Amid multiple reports to the contrary, RBC Capital Markets General Manager Mike Abramsky on Wednesday said first day PlayBook sales likely exceeded analysts’ expectations. In a note to investors, Abramsky states that RIM may have moved about 50,000 PlayBook tablets on launch day alone, including pre-order sales. The analyst and his team placed calls to 70 different Best Buy, Staples and RadioShack locations to inquire about PlayBook sales performance on launch day. Reported performance ranged from light sales in some locations to sell-outs, which occurred at 11% of the stores RBC polled. RBC also used Best Buy’s online inventory tool to check stock at 180 additional locations in 10 major U.S. cities, and found that the 16GB PlayBook is unavailable at 13% of stores, the 32GB model is unavailable at 87% of stores and the 64GB model is unavailable at 91% of the locations viewed. As preliminary inventory quantities for these stores is currently unknown, this information is of little use since many stores might not have received higher-capacity PlayBook models to begin with. Finally, Abramsky notes that the PlayBook may have outperformed first-day sales of Motorola’s XOOM and even Samsung’s popular Galaxy Tab, and he believes RIM is on track to sell 500,000 PlayBook tablets in its first quarter of availability.

Very interesting tale of fact vs perception due to lineups?!

Then again I doubt that production constraints where "manufactured". Also note front page of this site states production delays for iPad 2 are down to 1-2weeks worldwide; interesting.
 

JoeG4

macrumors 68030
Jan 11, 2002
2,827
493
I don't understand why massive lines, supply shortages, and pissed off customers indicates a successful product launch. IMHO Apple-style launches should be illegal, because it's very obvious they're intentionally doing that to make the iPad more exclusive and more valuable by the free marketing provided by loooong lines day after day.

It would appear that RIM is treating their customers like people and not trash like Steve Jobs seems to think we are.
 

zn2

macrumors newbie
Apr 12, 2011
6
0
The playbook is kindof like a blackberry phone on steriods, whereas the ipad is a fully functional tablet.

Iamthinking

i just found this funny since one of the things i heard most from people discouraging me from buying an ipad was that the ipad was just a bigger iphone.
 

darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
17,911
9,412
Atlanta, GA
It's the crux of the issue, though not essentially in terms of GUI but in terms of browsing the web (which is the greatest deal of what everyone does on a tablet): links, buttons and so on.

I think that when held in landscape precisely hitting clickable areas shouldn't be any harder on the PB than on the iPad, but due to its narrower width browsing in landscape might require more zooming unless the increase PPI makes it easier in the same way that browsing ion the iPhone 4 requires less zooming than on the 3GS. Button sizes should stay a similar size, as a percentage of the page width, between the two devices. But then again, people who specifically want a 7" tablet are prepared for this concession in the name of greater portability.
 

Kupp

macrumors regular
Mar 23, 2011
149
0
Massachusetts
i just found this funny since one of the things i heard most from people discouraging me from buying an ipad was that the ipad was just a bigger iphone.

I wonder if they will ever put 3G in an iPod touch, with data plans like the iPad. That is really what a smaller iPad would be.
 

Iamthinking

Suspended
Jul 31, 2010
184
3
Funny

i just found this funny since one of the things i heard most from people discouraging me from buying an ipad was that the ipad was just a bigger iphone.

Those are people who don't "get" the whole tablet thing. It's not a bigger iphone, it's a new platform.

But after trying the playbook, I now realize just how important that 9.7" 4:3 screen really is in order to be a "tablet". It's really the minimum size. I would actually like to see Apple make a bigger iPAD screen, and perhaps they will once they figure out how to make one that could be moved around a lot without breaking! :) Perhaps the screen technology now has to catch up a bit before even more/bigger tablets come on the market. (and please give us some ingenious cases that protect properly too)...I'm thinking 8.5"x11" with no bezel would be about perfect!

Cheers,

Iamthinking
 

darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
17,911
9,412
Atlanta, GA
Those are people who don't "get" the whole tablet thing. It's not a bigger iphone, it's a new platform.

This is an old argument, but how is the iPad a new platform? What I mean is, what can you do with an iPad that couldn't be done with a large iPhone? Besides the whole phone call thing. Yes the apps look different, and yes its more enjoyable to use as a reader, video player, etc., but that's down to the larger screen and not because its some new platform.

Being a large iPhone is not an insult.

I'm thinking 8.5"x11" with no bezel would be about perfect!
How would you hold it without registering an input?
 

Iamthinking

Suspended
Jul 31, 2010
184
3
This is an old argument, but how is the iPad a new platform? What I mean is, what can you do with an iPad that couldn't be done with a large iPhone? Besides the whole phone call thing. Yes the apps look different, and yes its more enjoyable to use as a reader, video player, etc., but that's down to the larger screen and not because its some new platform.

I see what you're saying. In that sense, yes, you are right, it IS a big iPhone (i.e. same OS). However, when I'm thinking about IOS application development, I am thinking about what can be done on the Tablet from "the ground up". I think that's the difference. So OK, the OS is not different, but it IS a different platform as far as apps go (i.e. that are designed specifically for the Tablet). iPAD Garageband is a good case in point, and there will be many music and graphics apps in the future that really rely on this tablet platform to even be thought of in the development stage.

Iamthinking
 

ashman70

macrumors 6502a
Dec 20, 2010
977
13
A buddy of mine got one yesterday and I played with it a bit. Build quality is nice, it feels solid. The screen is sharp and crisp, camera seems ok. I am not sure what separates it from other android tablets out there and at the moment, unless you have a blackberry, you have no email or calendar or contacts, which is kind of important. What people fail to forget is that Apples app store can't be compared to the android market, Apple has far more apps to choose from that make the iPad far more useful then the playbook. People will buy what they feel they need regardless, but I just hope they get some business class apps out for it soon, or I can't see it surviving.
 

darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
17,911
9,412
Atlanta, GA
I see what you're saying. In that sense, yes, you are right, it IS a big iPhone (i.e. same OS). However, when I'm thinking about IOS application development, I am thinking about what can be done on the Tablet from "the ground up". I think that's the difference. So OK, the OS is not different, but it IS a different platform as far as apps go (i.e. that are designed specifically for the Tablet). iPAD Garageband is a good case in point, and there will be many music and graphics apps in the future that really rely on this tablet platform to even be thought of in the development stage.

Iamthinking
Using your example of GarageBand, there have been several equivalent music apps that were released for the iPhone. The fact that Apple hasn't released it doesn't change this fact. Maybe I'll consider it a different platform when the OSes diverge, and really who can say what the future holds, but currently the iPad is a big iPod Touch.

There are Mac apps that require the screen to be bigger than 1024 x 768. Does that mean the MacBooks are a different platform from the older iBooks?

I don't know why people have such a hard time accepting this, its like they think its an insult; I love my big iPod Touch.
 

Steviejobz

macrumors 68020
Jun 19, 2010
2,122
363
SoCal
As I've posted above, I didn't have to tether it to any Blackberry to get "basic functionality."

I just set up browser bookmarks to Google Mail and Calendar, which is what I use for every device anyway, whether through special app or web.

The screen is quite large enough to use the web versions nicely.

Edit: Hey. I just noticed that there's an icon already on the main menu hardcoded to go to the GMail webpage. Silly me.

My colleague said he could only get native exchange push email and BBM if his BlackBerry was tethered. If that is not that the case then I stand corrected. If true, then I'd say my original comment is accurate and version 2 should probably remedy that.
 

DougFNJ

macrumors 65816
Jan 22, 2008
1,449
1,133
NJ
And you are surprised?

Launch day on another product, one likes to see what's going on with other devices...there are other technology companies besides Apple, there was a little hype on this device leading to the launch.

Bored with nothing better to do?

Are you? Is that why you took your time to answer this thread?

This strokes your ego?

Does this post stroke yours?

And your meaningful contribution is?

Looks like he was looking to compare how Playbook did vs iPad, is there a forum rule against???? :confused:

This forum is for useful conversation as it relates to Apple.

Who are you, Macrumor police? Is it useful conversation as YOU see it?

There's nothing about your post to discuss.

Especially not the 4 pages of posts preceding yours :rolleyes:
 

kdarling

macrumors P6
As noted elsewhere in the threads on the Samsung lawsuit, Apple themselves printed that their iPad "resembles a grown-up iPhone." If they can say that, so can we :)

Attached are 50% reduced screenshots of my Playbook's homescreen with multiple apps open, plus browser based GMail and GCalendar:
 

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infidel69

macrumors regular
Feb 25, 2011
202
0
The iPad isn't really designed for a secure business environment. Not to say it doesn't work in that capacity, but RIM's products are designed with security in mind. And many companies already have built-in support for BB via BES. For many companies looking to adopt tablets, the PlayBook makes a lot of sense...

The ipad is a toy, one of our local news stations anchors have ipads in front of them, but they don't actually use them for anything. The Playbook atleast looks better than the new ipad. The new ipad is just butt ugly
 

Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,598
7,768
Can somebody who has a Playbook tell me if it has any foreign language input capabilities, especially non-alphabetic ones like Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hebrew, etc? I haven't seen this info mentioned in any mainstream reviews.
 
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