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RIM's Playbook On Clearance
symbolset writes "Engadget reports that the much-maligned RIM Playbook tablet has hit the clearance skids. I've confirmed that all three models (16GB, 32GB, 64GB) are for sale on RIM's website for the same price: $299, or up to $400 off. The site says until February 4, but presumably that's 'or while supplies last.' If you're into clearance merch and rooting, the Engadget article includes instructions on getting Android and the Android market on the thing. If you'd rather have a tablet made for Android, the original Acer Iconia A500 may be a better choice at only a few dollars more — but without the capacious internal storage."
Those are 7 inch tablets fyi.
They can't compete at the higher price points so they're moving to a model where they lose money on every sale but hope to cover it with volume.
Very smart, RIM, very smart...
Trolling is a art,
It'll be interesting to see how quickly the 64GB models get snapped up and then resold on eBay...
No thanks. I've already got a fire sale TouchPad. At least HP had the brains to do that right and generate some buzz. RIM has made missteps along every part of the journey, including this one.
I like how the 64Gb model is $299 in the US but over £400 in the UK. Drop prices worldwide RIM!
The Windows 7 tablet is the greatest tablet ever. It is the top seller in Listanbul, Elbania, Drateskustan, Simbia and Australasia. It combines the superb technological hardware from Torchiba and the world class Microsoft OS, renowned and acclaimed for its ability to be snappy on all devices - phones, potatoes, tablets, netbooks and hot tubs.
Android just totally sucks, and I can't figure out why anyone would want an iPad. Like "eewww."
cheers,
mrclisdue
Even at that price, I doubt they will sell much. The Kindle Fire is still cheaper, and who wants to pay $300 for something that may have no support in the next year. Rim should be selling these for $99!
-- By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out.
The Playbook weights more than some 10 inch tabs, The 64Gb would be the only one to consider. The screen is bright though. but,,,, nah.
I set up one of these for my mother-in-law over Christmas. The #1 use she had for it would be video-calling her grandkids on Skype. Guess what? No native Skype app exists for Playbook. There are crappy browser-based IM sites that enable it to chat on the Skype network, but no way to get Skype Video to work on it.
It seems RIM don't even have enough momentum behind the PB to make it worth Skype's while to make this possible.
This may be what RIM needs to get people to adopt the Playbook and for developers to code for the Playbook.
Before Christmas, my little (and might I say addicting) BOGGGLE app "Word ZigZag" ( http://goo.gl/5ga0j ) was only downloaded a few times a day on Blackberry Playbook's App World Store. But on and after Christmas, my app was downloaded about 3-4X as much.
Perhaps a lot more people have the Blackberry Playbook because of the previous $200 Playbook "fire sales". And perhaps people will continue to buy them at the new $300 price.
I know as a developer, I'm starting to look at developing for RIM's App World as much as I would for iTunes. http://goo.gl/5ga0j
Seems suspicious that they would offer all three models for the same price. Then again this is RIM.
What's up with the headline??? RIM has said EVERYWHERE they are not giving up on the Playbook so why is this a clearance? They have wrote down the price already ($485 million) as they reported in the 3qrt earnings call back on Dec 15th. So they are no longer "losing money" on the sale.
You would think that even the RIM-haters would jump on a tablet that runs android at this price and that everyone would love the competition, but I guess the love for Apple and Google is just too strong.......
This seems pretty ingenious if you ask me, get some buyers at the lower prices (India sold out in 4 days) to compete with the Kindle Fire and even the HP Touchpad, which in turn gets some developer attention on QNX and the upcoming QNX-based phones. All this without having to wait on the carriers to approve a new phone platform when there isn't a developer community or applications since the Playbook and the phones are running the same QNX OS.
Sprint has the 16gb for 199
So last chance to buy a tiny tablet without email!
Attention deficit disorder is a complicated issue, spanning several major... HEY LET'S GO RIDE BIKES!
This is not news as 16GB is on sale at Futureshop at $199 link (Canadian)
32GB is also on sale for $249 link (Canadian)
64GB is selling for $399 so in that case "buy any for $299" is a good deal... essentially only for 64GB version is good for this deal.
I saw these deals during Christmas Boxing day on-line sales, and even though I'm in a market for a tablet under $200 that performs reasonably well, I still didn't have any interest in RIM product. It's too proprietary for my taste and it locks me in their very limited market, and it can not be rooted to run android last time I checked...but I might be wrong... I'd pay around $100 to buy it as a kids toy, for them to draw or play YouTube videos as similar products geared towards kids are much more expensive and much more lacking even than RIM's PlayBook.
make sure all the names are genuine sornys,
one of your place names is a real place, representing 34 million real people.
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
No removable storage, you'll probably have to root it to maintain it, and it still cost $299. Did anyone get X to build on QNX yet? Oh wait. It isn't open source any longer. Or it was, then it wasn't, now it is, or is it?
Having to work for a living is the root of all evil.
Considering Skype is now owned by Microsoft who has absolutely no interest in promoting RIM's products, I'm hardly surprised.
Support Right To Repair Legislation.
> The site says until February 4, but presumably that's 'or while supplies last.'
I'd hold off purchasing one until February 4th as that's when they'll probably cut the price again.
After February 4th I'll hold off purchasing one because it's crap.
Dude... if each unit is being sold at a loss... then selling tons of them at the same loss making price simply loses RIM a lot more money... a lot faster.
When people talk about "making it up on volume", what they are referring to is when each unit is making a small or marginal profit... so, the only way to turn that into a more attractive proposition is to sell a whole lot more of whatever stuff they are selling. Volume does not magically turn a loss making line into a profitable line; however, it can turn a marginal line into a handsomely profitable one (if costs associated with ramping up volume can be contained)
We shouldn't confuse Amazon's and Barnes & Noble’s smart and innovative content driven strategies with RIM's confused and incoherent "copy whatever Apple is doing" strategy.
It seems that the fire sale only applies to those of us who are on the western side of the atlantic. The prices are still in the £400 region on the UK site.
Oh well, I still have my PC and my 6 year old k800i *sigh*
I thought these devices had already been on sale for $199 (16GB) for some time. They were the last time I was at Staples, at least. I like these devices, despite their small screen size, but I don't care for the software only being half-baked. In other news, I love my Acer A500.
They seem to be following the established x-box/playstation approach - make money off the apps, not off the kit itself. These are baby steps, but I can see the logic.
whoosh....
...epic whoosh...
This isn't about discontinuing them, in February RIM is releasing the new OS version. This leaves them with the choice to either recall the unsold units and reload the OS and repackage them, or get as many of them out there as they can now and avoid that cost. Either way it would mean a loss of money, but the more new users they pick up now the better in the long run. Once the newer ones come out with the new OS version loaded, who will buy old stock? Sell the units now and let the users install the upgrade themselves.
And I payed just $17.41 at QuiBids.com!
I bought one with the intention of trying it out and returning it. Its actually pretty good for what I need. Great display, get all my BB functions on it. Ebook and PDF reading is decent. Uses my BB mobile internet access for web browsing. The OS feels solid and polished. The 7" size is perfect, I find at 10" I may as well have a netbook or laptop. The media loves to dog pile on both losers and winner. Don't be an isheep, try it and make your own mind.
I bought one. The form factor is lovely, the feel is great. That's where the good stuff ends.
There is no calendar, no email (REALLY, TRULY - not even an app you can download, let alone a Gmail one). If you want to load android apps, you have to install the 2.0 beta (which doesn't include email and calender still in beta release but will in final one in Feb.)
The side load of android apps is poor. The core google apps don't work (at least for me) but then again, I didn't really expect them to.
I had it for about 6 hours and just took it back. If you have a BB then you may get somewhere, without, don't even bother. It will end up a glorified browser.
The app store is also pretty crap. Angry birds is £5 to install if you want it. Android it's free. The number of apps is totally cack. No firefox app, no RDC type connector app, no VDI app.
There are no ports of android underway etc, so you are stuck with QNX and it seems only the BB fanbois love it.
http://www.writeitfor.us - Writing IT for the IT generation.
Dude... if each unit is being sold at a loss... then selling tons of them at the same loss making price simply loses RIM a lot more money... a lot faster.
When people talk about "making it up on volume", what they are referring to is when each unit is making a small or marginal profit... so, the only way to turn that into a more attractive proposition is to sell a whole lot more of whatever stuff they are selling. Volume does not magically turn a loss making line into a profitable line; however, it can turn a marginal line into a handsomely profitable one (if costs associated with ramping up volume can be contained)
We shouldn't confuse Amazon's and Barnes & Noble’s smart and innovative content driven strategies with RIM's confused and incoherent "copy whatever Apple is doing" strategy.
RIM took the loss last year and before when they ordered the components and built the devices. Now, they are dealing with cash flow. Expensive tablets that nobody buys doesn't generate any cash to pay the bills. Selling them, steeply discounted, generates cash that can be used to pay existing bills or to develop something that the market wants. Any retailer will tell you that merchandise sitting on the shelf is losing them money. That is why things regularly get marked down. RIM is just late in doing it.
This is a risky move. Even after people purchase these at a discounted rate, will their interest be prolonged enough to create customer loyalty?
Maybe having working email on the device would have helped its chances of success.
It's only been out for the better part of a year.
I've owned a PlayBook since it came out and haven't regretted the purchase, even at full price. The hardware and size are great, the speakers in particular are quite impressive. The screen even works very well outdoors, too. Moreover, I much prefer BlackBerry Bridge to native apps. I love being able to turn off the phone and not have to worry about alarms going off on the tablet. The Bridge integration is great. I wish that, rather than native apps, RIM would bring Bridge apps to iOS and Android phones.
I'm running OS 2 beta now. The Android player works as advertised. That said, I haven't added many Android apps, as there are now reasonable native apps for everything that I need but WordPress. (For which the Android version is working perfectly.)
I know it's cool to dump on RIM these days, but I just bought a Torch 9810 and prefer it to any Android phone, and I love the OS that the PlayBook runs. It works so much like webOS and is such a quality device. Apps at launch were pretty terrible but I now have a few great games, an SSH client, a reasonable epub reader etc. Docs To Go works well, and the browser is the best tablet browser I've used.
If I didn't already own a PlayBook I would absolutely snap one of these up. RIM is still profitable and I think they're in this for the long-haul. There's no doubt that 2012 will be a critical year for them but they aren't done yet. (Of course, this is coming from someone who just recently gave up on webOS.)
Maybe it's just me, but requiring a BlackBerry ID to activate the device is a real turn off to me.
I've owned a BlackBerry phone since 2004 and I've also been a BES admin since 2004. I had the 7750, 8303e, 8830, 9530 and now the 9930. The 7750 was a terrible phone, but great for everything else. My next two phones were absolutely amazing. The Storm (9530) left some to be desired for their first touchscreen phone. But the 9930 is fast, fast, fast.
I also ordered a PB when they came out. I'm trying to justify its use for business, but so far I'm struggling. It's difficult to find apps that relate to my profession in IT. The fact that it was also released without native integration to BES is also a huge negative. Rumor has it (by developers) that RIM still isn't any closer to having native email/calendar/contacts on QNX and apparently this is true of both the tablet and phone version. I suspect that we will not see native apps until late 2012 at the earliest. I really hope that I'm wrong. I really think that BB has the best overall platform. However, RIM's management is completely messed up and needs to be replaced ASAP.
"A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
BB is yesterdays technology at a high cost. Most of us consumers have higher expectations, and since this year will bring ICS tablets for less than a Playbook, where is the value? Anyone buying this for $300 will be kicking them selves in a few months.
-- By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out.
I could'a been somebody, instead of a bum, which I am.
$400 off $299... RIM was trying to sell the Playbook for $700? No wonder it failed.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
I've had few problems with Blackberry phones. (The original Bold had a bad mechanical design and build problems, but electronics were excellent.) The problem with Blackberry in my case was reliance on BES, and when BES is working it's excellent. When you lay off all your local BES admins and outsource to a foreign country who's never seen a Blackberry, well, it isn't pretty. This is the one and only reason I carry an Android phone, and I still miss my Blackberry.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
BB user since 2005. The Playbook at full price was stupid. You can do less than an iPad at the same price, why? Seriously why? I will likely be going Android with my next phone too, after 4 BBs in the last 6.5 years... I was dissatisfied more and more with each new phone. Same clunky OS, more bugs, less reliable hardware.
And I'm fairly happy with it.
Performs well, price was and is still good ($350) and, a feature not on the Galaxy Tab, it has standard USB - so you can just plug in any old thumb drive or keyboard you have lying around the house. Heck. We even plugged the iphone into it once to charge it and transfer photos off of it. Haven't tested it with anything but USB keyboard, mouse and mass storage yet.
-- perl -e'print pack"H*","6e656d6f406d38792e6f7267"'
How do people as fucking stupid as you exist? "lose money but make it up on volume" is a joke that is older than your mother.
I love my PlayBook. The iPad just sits... /shrug