BlackBerry PlayBook's $199 fire sale goes live in Canada
updated 10:20 am EST, Fri November 18, 2011
PlayBook publicly gets 300-dollar price cut
Leaks of a $300 price cut on the BlackBerry PlayBook came true Friday after Canadian retailers started discounting the tablet. Best Buy, its sister chain Future Shop, and Staples all dropped prices on every capacity. The prices drop to as little as $199 for a 16GB version and peak at $399 for the 64GB model.
The promos are all coordinated by RIM, starting Friday across all retailers and likewise ending simultaneously on December 1. A similar price drop is expected at Walmart, although it isn't listing the PlayBook online. US retailers so far haven't joined in.
A price slash follows just weeks after a drop to $300 across North America. It supports unconfirmed rumors that sales weren't effective and that RIM might be resorting to even deeper discounts to clear stock. Other non-Apple tablet makers have also cut prices, but not by the 60 percent of the PlayBook.
Most of the PlayBook's problems have been widely blamed on RIM's decision to rush the software to claim it had an iPad competitor on the market. Without native e-mail until February at best, its main audience is limited to a declining BlackBerry market. The $300 price only created a small gap between the PlayBook and devices like the Acer Iconia Tab A100 that are often as capable in hardware but also have finished software.
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Joined: Dec 2000
75% price cut!
Sign of a healthy platform....