Blackberry Playbook no hype, no lines, no one really cares

[BergerFan]

Clearly, RIM are targeting the consumer with the PlayBook(look at the myriad of consumer features rolled out), but don't want to say it, because they're unsure themselves how well their device will fare.
So they play safe and claim it's 'for business'.
Need For Speed instead of native email and calendar? Really?

 

[CP123]

Why do so many of you say that the iPad is not good for business use? Pretty interesting story:


http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/the-rise-of-the-legal-ipad/

 

[falconeight]

It's a friggin' disaster.

Not sure WTF RIM was thinking but it's apparently very fashionable these days to release beta software and hardware in a barely usable state and then charge money for it.

It's an unfinished, useless device. Another device that will either require a total redesign or get canned before the embarrassment gets too much to handle.

Amazing that Apple from Day 1 released something so usable and elegant, while no one else can seem to get it right over a year later.



Themselves, judging by the latest egg they've laid.

When the first ipad was released it wouldn't connect to all wifi routers. The playbook will do jist fine.

 

[*LTD*]

When the first ipad was released it wouldn't connect to all wifi routers. The playbook will do jist fine.

The Playbook was released in a market where an Apple counterpart product *was already* wildly successful.

It doesn't make any difference what the iPad 1 could or couldn't do. It was an entirely new paradigm that gave birth to a new market that has almost no resemblance whatsoever to the previous, disjointed, unfocused tablet market.

Anyone entering into the market *now* can't afford half-measures. In fact, it has to be that much better that much sooner for it to gain any meaningful traction at all. Because it WILL be compared to the current iPad (this is guaranteed), no matter how unfair Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis think it is.

Perhaps the market will respond better to the next iteration of the Playbook or another model of Playbook. As it stands now, however, RIM doesn't have a whole lot of time.

 

[Night Spring]

When the first ipad was released it wouldn't connect to all wifi routers. The playbook will do jist fine.

The Playbook was released in a market where an Apple counterpart product *was already* wildly successful.

It doesn't make any difference what the iPad 1 could or couldn't do. It was an entirely new paradigm that gave birth to a new market that has almost no resemblance whatsoever to the previous, disjointed, unfocused tablet market.

Agreed. Plus, the wifi issue was a minor and relatively easily corrected issue. The Playbook has several major components missing. I just saw David Pogue's video review of the Playbook, where he plays a store person trying to sell a Playbook to a customer.

"Does it do email?"
"If you have a Blackberry."
"What if I don't have a Blackberry?"
"Coming later!"
~Customer looks through Playbook's app store~
"Doesn't seem to be that many apps here."
"Coming later!"
"Does it have 3G?"
"Coming later!"

The iPad 1's wifi problems just doesn't compare.

 

[falconeight]

Agreed. Plus, the wifi issue was a minor and relatively easily corrected issue. The Playbook has several major components missing. I just saw David Pogue's video review of the Playbook, where he plays a store person trying to sell a Playbook to a customer.

"Does it do email?"
"If you have a Blackberry."
"What if I don't have a Blackberry?"
"Coming later!"
~Customer looks through Playbook's app store~
"Doesn't seem to be that many apps here."
"Coming later!"
"Does it have 3G?"
"Coming later!"

The iPad 1's wifi problems just doesn't compare.

Ipad does apps and thats pretty much it. I love my ipad and prefer it over the playbook right now. But the playbook still has more potential. Email will come so don't use that as a negative, because if rim does one thing good its email. Ipad will never get flash and that sucks. You don't need to connect the playbook to your mac or pc to get it to work. The playbook has a better screen(best looking screen on a tablet yet), two front facing speakers that are amazing, great battery life, open platform, better cameras, 1gb of ram, and is capable of real multi-tasking.

I still prefer my ipad 2 because its polished and I have a lot of money invested in it. With that said put your fanboy hats down and accept that the playbook is pretty damn cool.

 

[wordoflife]

I'm sorry but I don't know what blackberry was thinking. It doesn't even have an email app (from what I've heard). That is what blackberry is all about

 

[Night Spring]

Ipad does apps and thats pretty much it.

Huh? What would you do with a tablet (or a computer, for that matter) if it didn't do apps? Isn't the whole point of having a tablet/computer that they do apps? Otherwise, we'd need a different device for every task -- one device for spreadsheet, another for word proceessing, yet another one for video editing, and so on.

I love my ipad and prefer it over the playbook right now. But the playbook still has more potential.

But the point is, right now most of it is just potential. It's like going to a park and pointing at a oak sapling and saying, "Look, in twenty years you could build nice sturdy furniture out of this," when there's a fully mature apple tree right next to it, with nice juicy fruit waiting to be picked.

 

[ct2k7]

Does Apple have a monopoly?

 

[falconeight]

Huh? What would you do with a tablet (or a computer, for that matter) if it didn't do apps? Isn't the whole point of having a tablet/computer that they do apps? Otherwise, we'd need a different device for every task -- one device for spreadsheet, another for word proceessing, yet another one for video editing, and so on.



But the point is, right now most of it is just potential. It's like going to a park and pointing at a oak sapling and saying, "Look, in twenty years you could build nice sturdy furniture out of this," when there's a fully mature apple tree right next to it, with nice juicy fruit waiting to be picked.

I can't go to my college website and access my homework or other portions of inline classes on the ipad, because it doesn't work. The Ipad is a great toy but thats really it. A fart app is not going to help me with that.

 

[silverblack]

I can't go to my college website and access my homework or other portions of inline classes on the ipad, because it doesn't work.

Not every institute is advanced enough to keep up with state of the art technology. Give it some time to adjust, it will change.

 

[christophermdia]

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...

Completely disagree, I work for a major corporation which has adopted iPhones and iPads. We are in the medical device industry and many times carry patient sensitive information in our iPads and most certainly email. I was frustrated for years being stuck with lesser technology often carrying even 2 cell phones so I could have a "Work" line and an personal iPhone, but after years of testing, it was deemed that the ipad and iphone have quite a good amount of security built in. Blackberry security is good, but trust me, if companies like mine are running with ipads then most other companies probably do not have a concern either.

I will point out, I am on our company iPad testing team, and while we have considered devices such as the Samsung Galaxy, Playbook and HP have never been considered.

 

[falconeight]

Not every institute is advanced enough to keep up with state of the art technology. Give it some time to adjust, it will change.

You can same the same about the playbook.

 

[MrWillie]

I can't go to my college website and access my homework or other portions of inline classes on the ipad, because it doesn't work. The Ipad is a great toy but thats really it. A fart app is not going to help me with that.

That's because (at least the math part, which I dealt with) uses Active X, and is there anything out there that does Active X other than IE on Windows?

 

[silverblack]

You can same the same about the playbook.

Certainly. But it doesn't change the fact that the playbook sucks as it is at the moment.

 

[falconeight]

Certainly. But it doesn't change the fact that the playbook sucks as it is at the moment.

If you want a pc without a keyboard the playbook is the closest thing your gonna get.

 

[TheWheelMan]

I can't go to my college website and access my homework or other portions of inline classes on the ipad, because it doesn't work. The Ipad is a great toy but thats really it. A fart app is not going to help me with that...

So, because the iPad doesn't suit your needs, it can't possibly be anything more than a toy to every other person on planet earth?

 

[Night Spring]

If you want a pc without a keyboard the playbook is the closest thing your gonna get.

How so? It's not like the Playbook runs Windows (or OS X).

 

[fertilized-egg]

If you want a pc without a keyboard the playbook is the closest thing your gonna get.

Err, there are lots of devices that do "small formfactor with desktop OS" thing way way way better than Playbook such as OpenPandora, UMPCs, etc with real Linux or full Windows.

Also most geeks who want more control and a full tablet will simply go with Android tablets, which offers plenty of customization, not PlayBook.

Having said that, I kinda feel sad about the current status of the PlayBook because it's well-built and I find the UI to be pleasing and well designed in general. However it just felt so unfinished for something so pretty when I tried it.

 

[falconeight]

How so? It's not like the Playbook runs Windows (or OS X).

It runs the internet the whole internet. Don't get me wrong the Ipad is the best ipad there is and just like the ipod everything else will fail. But the playbook is better at a lot of important stuff. Like I have no idea why the ipad has one speaker facing the rear, the cameras are total junk, you need a pc or mac to use it, no multi tasking(I don't need it). Better screen, and a few others. And remember once rim gets it email running it will be the best.

 

[fertilized-egg]

It runs the internet the whole internet.

No it doesn't. I frequent a number of sites with Silverlight and the PlayBook doesn't run that. It runs Adobe Flash, not the "whole internet."

 

[Night Spring]

It runs the internet the whole internet. Don't get me wrong the Ipad is the best ipad there is and just like the ipod everything else will fail. But the playbook is better at a lot of important stuff. Like I have no idea why the ipad has one speaker facing the rear, the cameras are total junk, you need a pc or mac to use it, no multi tasking(I don't need it). Better screen, and a few others. And remember once rim gets it email running it will be the best.

Ah, you are one of those who think the internet is not internet without flash.

But what do camera and speakers have to do with PC? Most of the PCs I've worked with don't come with any.

Anyhow, flash, cameras and speakers are pretty much at the bottom of my list of important stuff I want on a tablet (or a PC). Of course, I understand that they are important to you, just saying not everyone feels the same way.

 

[*LTD*]

You can same the same about the playbook.

Tell the customer to "give it time."

Watch how fast he'll head to the iPd aisle.

NO ONE in a market where Apple is already in can afford half-measures and "coming soon" BS. No one.

If it isn't drop-dead awesome from day 1, you're in trouble. And the longer it takes for you to implement the basics the worse it will be for you. Ask Motorola and Samsung. They'd be happy to give you firsthand testimony.

 

[ct2k7]

Tell the customer to "give it time."

Watch how fast he'll head to the iPd aisle.

NO ONE in a market where Apple is already in can afford half-measures and "coming soon" BS. No one.

If it isn't drop-dead awesome from day 1, you're in trouble. And the longer it takes for you to implement the basics the worse it will be for you. Ask Motorola and Samsung. They'd be happy to give you firsthand testimony.

iPad, for me isn't the best thing. Quite frankly, the Xoom or Playbook would have sufficed me.
I'm getting an iPad since I'm an iOS developer.

iPad isn't drop-dead gorgeous, for me.

 

[Night Spring]

iPad, for me isn't the best thing. Quite frankly, the Xoom or Playbook would have sufficed me.
I'm getting an iPad since I'm an iOS developer.

iPad isn't drop-dead gorgeous, for me.

And why are you developing for iOS? Are you developing for Android or Playbook?