The Playbook

When RIM announced that it was creating a tablet (or as I put it amongst heated debate, it's own version of the iPad), I immediately knew that it was going to be a bust (and so did it's shareholders obviously). The main reason for this is that they are too late to hit the market. They also make such a big deal about how it beat the iPad in having an HD front and rear cameras, but it’s already widely know that Apple would be adding these features to the new iPad, which should be released around the same time as the Playbook.

This reminds me a lot of when RIM, came up with the Blackberry Storm, in order to compete with the iPhone. Blackberry users enjoy the fact that their phones have actual keys and anyone who is wants to have a touch screen would immediately go for the iPhone. We’ll see how things go with the new Blackberry Torch, as it is a hybrid type. Already I see a large movement towards it amongst people I know. Only time will tell if this is finally the real competition with the iPhone, or just another Blackberry Storm.

I do see that the Playbook will have some advantages, mainly due to the fact that you can link it to your Blackberry. RIM really needs to focus on their key attributes which are that they produce an efficient, reasonably priced Smartphone, which in essence can do all the same things, if not more than that of their competitors. And while the iPhone is trying to appeal to more business consumers, it will always somewhat be viewed as a toy. RIM should use this to their advantage, and instead of copying Apple, they should try and enhance their key features, and stop Apple from trying to reach their consumer base.