BlackBerry PlayBook Gaining International Momentum

08/22/2011 Comments Off on BlackBerry PlayBook Gaining International Momentum Blackberry, Mobile News Like

During the past several months there seems to have been more BlackBerry PlayBook bashing than the number of iPad and Android tablet sales combined. Perhaps it’s just in my nature to root for the underdog but as I stated in a previous article RIM’s legacy is far from over and I also mentioned they were in fact gaining headway and making big moves internationally. It seems common for people to hit others while they are down but realistically I believe despite everything BlackBerry will be here for several years to come.

Fast forward to today and what do you know, the PlayBook tablet is the hottest thing in Australia since Crocodile Dundee was back in the 80’s. I can just picture Paul Hogan saying “That ain’t a tablet, this is a tablet!”. Since we’re all in retro mode now I’ll give you guys a few moments to grab your mullet and the gals time to grab your shoulder pads. Oh c’mon, we’re a loving community here you don’t have to be shy, we know you still have them tucked away in a drawer somewhere and were just waiting for the right moment to wear them again.

Back on topic though, no specific sales numbers were revealed but according to a recent article on Current.com the PlayBook is gaining momentum in Australia which is great news for RIM. Of course when it comes to the tech and mobile industry it’s not always clear what the future holds for any product or company, case in point the latest TouchPad fiasco. What I’m trying to say is, I can’t predict where the PlayBook will be a year from now but I don’t doubt or underestimate, especially after reading tablet news stories like this, that there is a chance we will see the day come when a PlayBook 2 is launched.

Head of the buying team at Harvey Norman, Ben McIntosh, was quoted as saying:

The sales of the PlayBook have been fantastic, we’ve re-ordered multiple times and it’s exceeded our expectations.

Realistically as of late RIM stocks have been dropping while the battle continues uphill, but call it a gut feeling or whatever you’d like, despite this I still see RIM getting over this slump and the fact that Australians see value in the PlayBook is proof that there is in fact a market and audience for RIM’s tablet.

We must not forget that RIM has a profitable and long standing history and is well known for providing top notch devices (mainly smartphones) that cater to the business world. Their PlayBook may have had a bumpy and not so smooth start, and yes it’s launch could have been better planned and there were a few major shortcomings. Despite all of this, it’s far too soon to say “aaah just stick a fork in them, they’re done” because I don’t think we’ve seen the end of RIM tablets.