Analyst claims PlayBook is 'dead on arrival'

http://i637.photobucket.com/albums/u...book_white.jpg

Clients of Wedge Partners (an independent equity analysis firm that focuses on the technology and media industries) received a scathing note this morning on RIM from firm principal Brian Blair. “The BlackBerry PlayBook will be sharply inferior to other tablets on the market and consumers won’t buy it,” Blair told CNBC when asked about his note to investors.

Quote:

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“They are targeting it at enterprise but I believe very few will actually roll it out widely.” Blair says that the PlayBook’s need to be tethered to a BlackBerry smartphone in order for users to access email, contacts and the calendar is the biggest disappointment surrounding RIM’s upcoming tablet. He goes on to suggest that the PlayBook could potentially end up costing RIM “hundreds of millions of dollars” in “product development, production and related rollout and marketing costs.”

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I think the criticism is a bit harsh and not clearly seeing the big picture. RIM already owns a huge share of the subscribers market. The PlayBook is going to be a great extension of that subscriber market and really be able to solidify RIM in the business industry as the "tablet to have."

What do you think? Is the Analyst just being RIM biased?

source:cnbc

I would say that the Analyst is being RIM biased and I would bet that he has something against RIM and would love nothing more then to see RIM fold up and go away. I believe that the PlayBook is going to be a great extension of any BlackBerry phone and looking forward to getting mine when they are finally out.

AKrahn

Wait, did this man forget the fact that you CAN access contacts, calendar and email through the browser? If you don't have a BB, staying connected is not an isue. Mike Lizardis himself said that the PlayBook is concentrating more on web apps. If I could, I'd develop a Gmail app for the PlayBook on Adobe Air. Boom email app. GCal and GContacts, wham! Access your stuff. What's more, full blown multitasking, with few to none reboots because of QNX? C'mon I wouldn't be surprised if he wrote his review on an iPad.

By the way, you're welcome. Remember me when you are reading your email on your PlayBook without a Blackberry.

I have had both the iPad and Galaxy Tab. I returned both of them. I am very much looking forward to the Blackberry Playbook. The comments seem to me to be biased. I hope Blackberry hits it out of the park with the Playbook. Looking forward to it.

I agree to the analyst. The Playbook used Wifi or (later) 3G/4G to access the internet. This means direct access - no options for using BES and the company web filter or virus filter. There´s no access to the company network - only by using VPN. :aargh4: The advantages with the Blackberry having policies, BES access, direct company access, no direct internet access does not apply to the Playbook? Company device - no way! Using the bridging technology you can access your Blackberry PIM data - ok that´s nice. But I want to access the data using the Playbook only. What if I forgot my Blackberry? What if the battery is low? No PIM access! IMHO this device at this point is a pure consumer device which comsumers should buy when they own a corporate Blackberry smartphone. Nothing more, nothing less ... and for consumers there are better devices ...