Tech Blog

[#1]

First off you need to note two biases.  I am currently long on RIMM and I'm becoming an App le fanboy. Hopefully walking both sides of that fence will give me an unbiased look at Research In Motion 's announcement they are about to enter the tablet market.

Today at DevCon , Research In Motion 's co-CEO Mike Lazaridis revealed the Blackberry Playbook in an announcement that smelled like something Steve Jobs would do - sort of.

The announcement of the Blackberry Playbook and the way it will be rolled out falls right into a familiar dynamic.  The PC always tries to outcool the Mac , but just can't quite make it.  The new RIM toy looks great, but the Canadian kids dropped the ball trying to catch up with Cupertino today.

We've had the iWorld defined to us as young, hip and stylish. Blackberry has been staid, formal and business.  The Mac / PC debate in your pocket, if you will.  Jobs comes out with a tight haircut, scruffy facial hair and the ubiquotous black mock turtleneck and jeans.  Lazaridis came out looking a decade older than his 49 years with a shock of white hair and a power suit.

They started with sales figures (as Stevenotes do). RIM bragged to have sold 150 million BlackBerrys with 50 million subscribers. They sold 12 million BlackBerrys in last quarter and are the #1 smartphone in North America, Central America, the UK, and many other places . [ source ]

After the sales, Steve likes to brag about users in programs like iTunes and the number of apps the App Store moves each minute. RIM did the same by trumpeting the 28 million have joined BBM with more than 2000 coming on board each hour.

Steve also likes to bring friends and partners to the party - inviting them on stage to show off why they're in bed with Apple and what their additions can do.  The head of QNX (the company that developed the OS) and the CEO of Adobe (the Playbook is Flash compatible) were on and off the stage in less than 4 mintues combined with no sexy demos.

The product unveiling itself was unremarkable as well - it was simply in Lazaridis' hand and a video played.  No demo, no big splash, it was very understated.

When the iPad was unveiled, press were invited into a room they called 'the petting zoo' where they could get hands on time with the new device - Blackberry offered no such toy time.

When Steve Jobs unveiled the new iPods in an event at the beginning of the month, they were already in the pipeline.  The longest delayed product, the new Apple TV started shipping this week.

The Playbook looks sexy, it goes places Apple 's iPad can't (2 cameras, flash, multitasking) but it won't be on shelves and in hands until the new year blowing the biggest chance the Canadian company had to put a dent in Apple 's marketshare - Christmas .

The carrot of a RIM tablet in the new year may slow some of the churn as 40% of Blackberry users would rather live in the iWorld, and Apple is certain to upgrade the iPad .

Rumours have already surfaced the new iPad will have 2 dock connectors letting it go landscape when attached to a keyboard, it will also be smaller, include cameras and the crisp retina display that debuted with iPhone 4 .

That upgrade will land in the new year most likely with an announcement around MacWorld Expo , - the same time on the calendar the Blackberry Playbook drops. RIM raised the design and feature bar with the Playbook , but not having it out until next quarter has given Apple time to catch up and keep ahead of the pack.

What do you think of the Blackberry Playbook ? Can you wait until the new year or will you ask Santa for an iPad for Christmas?

catch the buzz .. pass it on.

[#2]

I know I might be a minority, but regardless, I don't believe that a devices success or failure is based on its unveiling.  At the end of the day, it's about what the device can do, and although the iPad is sure to get a hardware upgrade in the future, the Playbook will be able to do many things that the iPad simply can't at this point.

Apple has a dangerous hand to play here - it can get a hardware upgrade to give users some of the features that are going to be with the Playbook, but then there will be many angry customers who bought an iPad initially, and then a few months down the road, a brand-new, better iPad comes out.  The other option is just to roll with things as they are now, and hope that the current iteration of the iPad is able to compete with the features present in the Playbook.  I could be completely wrong in my interpretation of the situation that Apple is in, but it's the way it looks to me, and if it looks like that to me, I can't be the only one in the world who is thinking it.

Either way, regardless of how it was introduced, or when it will be released, it's nice to see that there will be some real competition coming to Apple in the tablet market.  If it delivers everything that it says it can (and I think it will), I really believe that this device can bring things down to an even level.

JB

[#3]

The other thing that I feel the need to say is that I honestly don't believe that Apple caught everyone else by surprise with the iPad and now everyone is simply struggling to catch up.  They were just the first ones to make it a reality.

JB

[#4]

I agree, Juice, competition is good.  As for Apple catching everyone by surprise, I think not.  I've heard rumblings and beggings for an iPad for 2 years by the panel on MacBreak Weekly.

Windows 7 was built to have the horsepower to harness touch on the desktop.

The iPad wasnt even the first tablet, it's just the sexiest and made the biggest splash.

RIM had time to get it together.

[#5]

Yeah, the presentation was cookie cutter for sure and the size of the tablet leaves a lot to be desired that's for sure. There were however a few cool features. I think the biggest thing that RIM has going for it is the fact that IT departments will green light these in a heartbeat because of the tightly integrated security that they heavily promoted in the presentation. IT departments hate change and are typically overworked and under resourced so when a suit demands a tablet for on the road presentations the IT dept. will green light these babies with little issue. RIM played the enterprise card a lot in this product launch and the tone was aimed at big business all the way.

Seems like they are just shoring up market share of the quickly eroding business market with the touted biz'sentric features. You won't see these any many consumer's wish lists, but suspect you will see many a road warrior using them reluctantly in airport lounges and the seats of commuter jets.

It does however look a lot better than Blackberry's last Apple killer "The Storm" though.

JP

[#6]

Buzz, I know you've been pretty critical, but having been to two WES events, this was par for the course for RIM's presentations. Its what we've come to expect and know, and given the target audience (developers) it doesn't surprised me. I know you like Apple, but the new QNX OS that is the basis for the BlackBerry Tablet OS just might be the thing that makes Apple quiver. Everything I've read on it suggests that this is the big thing RIM was missing and Apple and Google will have their work cut out for them. I'm happy to see RIM take this move and its a big move in the right direction.

[#7]

Thanks for the comments, guys.  As JP notes (and I think I made the point above) this is a business tool.

When the Mac / PC tide really started turning 3 years ago, I asked Leo Laporte which OS people should go with as they upgraded their box.  He said Windows for work and Mac for home.

Same with the RIM / Apple device.  Blackberry is a solid business tool, but it doesnt have the emotional cache of Apple's products.

[#8]

One other point of order.. how can Blackberry, the mobile communications company, release a device that is WiFi only?

No 3G? That 's not going to sit well with business.

[#9]

The Playbook is vaporware, since all I saw was a canned demo of a new unproven OS that no one has actually even seen hands-on. They hardly showed any third party apps (Kobo? Kindle?). The hardware specs look good, even great on paper for a device coming out in 2010.However by the time it actually comes out in 2011 it will have been ecplised (rumoured Android 3.0 tablets with 2GHz from Samsung and Motorola, whatever specs the iPad 2 has). They also didn't talk price, how it will be sold (through carriers or direct), launch partners, partners working on apps, REAL details about how it works other than some slides and a slick video. It's pretty damning that the only demo units the media could see were encased in plexiglass...and was the unit Lazaridis held in his hand through the announcement even a working unit...he didn't interact with it once during the announcement. As I said its Vaporware, at least for now. They need to get working prototypes into the medias hands asap to prove what they have is more than just talk.

[#10]

ack, sorry for the formattin above. submitted comments on the mobile version of the tech blog messes up the spacing..

@buzzbishop - they want people to use their Blackberries with it, at least this initial model. Maybe they are hoping the desire for it will make other phones users actually switch to Blackberry just so they can use the PlayBook!

[#11]

and I should also learn to use the handy spell check button on the right too

[#12]

4G models are apparently being planned. But this initial model will be wifi only or you can tether via your BB.