BlackBerry PlayBook may ship April 10, already need a patch
updated 09:20 am EST, Wed March 2, 2011
BlackBerry PlayBook rumored for April 10
The BlackBerry PlayBook received its first tentative release date through a leak early Wednesday. More than one source has put RIM's inaugural tablet in stores on April 10. BGR heard the device might be rushed and would purportedly have a patch waiting for it even with the OS itself finished on two weeks earlier, on March 31.
Any release was likely to be rushed, as the company has said that BlackBerry mail won't be native at first and will instead need a tethered BlackBerry smartphone to work. It's not certain so far if it will handle regular mail, but it isn't considered likely.
The timing hasn't been corroborated by outside sources. If true, it would put the PlayBook's release about a month later than widely expected and hinted at by company officials. RIM has previously said it expected the costs of making the PlayBook to factor into its winter quarter, which ends in February, but not to start counting sales until early in the spring quarter, interpreted by many to refer to March.
An April 10 release would make many of RIM's attempts to claim superiority over the iPad fruitless. While it will still have Flash support unlikely to come to Apple soon, the device has been repeatedly marketed against the original iPad and will have had many of its now six months old claims rendered obsolete after Apple launches a new model today. Like the PlayBook, the new iPad is expected to have a dual-core processor and dual cameras and could perform as well, albeit without the true multitasking.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2010
Am I missing something?
"BlackBerry mail won't be native at first and will instead need a tethered BlackBerry smartphone to work. It's not certain so far if it will handle regular mail, but it isn't considered likely."
I'm sorry, but could someone explain why anyone would buy a Blackberry tablet that doesn't support Blackberry email? Am I missing something? This is the one feature that could provide some tiny bit of leverage to get the PlayBook into companies already running Blackberry Enterprise Servers (BES). Without it, the PlayBook is just a generic tablet. Unless there is a major change, I don't see RIM surviving for many more years without a buyout. They've let iOS and Android get waaaay too far ahead of them and pretty much lost their one real claim to fame. It's kind of the Palm story all over again.
Erik