Best Buy says PlayBook just sold out for now

Best Buy on Monday explained the rationale behind its decision to cancel BlackBerry PlayBook orders and pull listings. The company responded that it still planned to carry the tablet and that shoppers had just "responded very positively" to the $300 price drop, selling out by mid-weekend. Its promo was still going on and would have a restock soon.

"We will have additional units available in the near future," the company told Electronista.

The store chain didn't explain why it had completely removed the PlayBook from its website during the weekend instead of just marking it as sold out, as it does with most other products. It also didn't say why it chose to cancel orders that it still expected would get the better price. Actual sell-through isn't known as well, although it's presumed to be below iPad numbers given that Apple also sold out and normally sells many more tablets.

For RIM, the sellout could be a bright point in an otherwise dark period. It had already tried dropping the PlayBook to $300, but the second sale and unofficial results have supported beliefs that it still wasn't selling with $200 off. Along with a $99 staff sale, the current deal has sparked concerns that even the 200,000 PlayBooks shipped in the summer might have had trouble moving without special discounts.

RIM hasn't commented, but its PlayBook tally for the fall should be made public in December, along with its regular quarterly results.

By Electronista Staff