RIM's (RIMM) PlayBook Bashed in Britain, Gets Love from Oprah
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In an opinionated piece from the Sky News Wednesday, the launch of Research In Motion's (Nasdaq: RIMM) PlayBook tablet in the U.K. was met with some harsh words.
Cited in the Sky News piece, Electricpig's James Holland said the device has been aimed at the wrong audience. "The ideal place for the PlayBook is the business market as it is a fantastic piece of kit, but it's just not suited to the younger market - which Apple's iPad is. BlackBerry doesn't have that 'cool factor' which the iPad does - it's not a trendy device, it just doesn't have the credentials."
He admits the PlayBook is great from a business perspective, giving businesses a "cutting edge" factor, but feels aiming for youngsters is a skewed idea.
Holland contends the PlayBook doesn't have built-in email and calendaring, of which users will need to use either online email apps, or a connect to an existing BlackBerry device. Further, with only 1,000 apps available, the number pales in comparison to Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPad's 90,000 or so apps.
Pricing is the real nail in the coffin for Holland. With the PlayBook expected to price at £399 -- similar to an iPad 2 with 16-GB of memory -- the gadget-guru said, "To be honest, if you're planning on spending that much money on a tablet, you will automatically go for an iPad."
While Holland's convicted review seemed thorough, he overlooked several key features: being able to play flash, add and subtract memory, and more connectivity. Also, RIM has said updates for the PlayBook will be coming out shortly after release.
On the other side of the spectrum, word on the Street is that Oprah proclaimed she prefers her PlayBook over the iPad and is having her staff switch over. The announcement was made on OWN early Wednesday, according to sources.
Cited in the Sky News piece, Electricpig's James Holland said the device has been aimed at the wrong audience. "The ideal place for the PlayBook is the business market as it is a fantastic piece of kit, but it's just not suited to the younger market - which Apple's iPad is. BlackBerry doesn't have that 'cool factor' which the iPad does - it's not a trendy device, it just doesn't have the credentials."
He admits the PlayBook is great from a business perspective, giving businesses a "cutting edge" factor, but feels aiming for youngsters is a skewed idea.
Holland contends the PlayBook doesn't have built-in email and calendaring, of which users will need to use either online email apps, or a connect to an existing BlackBerry device. Further, with only 1,000 apps available, the number pales in comparison to Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPad's 90,000 or so apps.
Pricing is the real nail in the coffin for Holland. With the PlayBook expected to price at £399 -- similar to an iPad 2 with 16-GB of memory -- the gadget-guru said, "To be honest, if you're planning on spending that much money on a tablet, you will automatically go for an iPad."
While Holland's convicted review seemed thorough, he overlooked several key features: being able to play flash, add and subtract memory, and more connectivity. Also, RIM has said updates for the PlayBook will be coming out shortly after release.
On the other side of the spectrum, word on the Street is that Oprah proclaimed she prefers her PlayBook over the iPad and is having her staff switch over. The announcement was made on OWN early Wednesday, according to sources.
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