Apple may have caused BlackBerry PlayBook delay

April 7, 2011 By Andrew Couts

The release of Research In Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook tablet may have been pushed back one month due to the lack of touch screens brought on by an Apple's hunger for iPad 2 components.

Anyone thinking about taking on Apple in the tablet wars, take heed: The release of Research in Motion’s BlackBerry PlayBook tablet was delayed for one month, likely because of high demand for the iPad 2.

According to DigiTimes, “PlayBook shipments were postponed for about a month from the original schedule due to a delay in software testing as well as shortage of touch panels because Apple already booked up most of the available capacity.”

With its massive $50 billion cash reserves, Apple is able to pre-order the components it needs for its popular devices, like the iPad and iPhone lines. Apple is said to have put down $3.9 billion to reserve a significant portion of the world’s touch screens in preparation for production of the new iPad.

This is only the latest round of bad news for companies hoping to compete with Apple’s iPad and iPad 2. Wednesday, news surfaced that Motorola sold a lower-than-expected 100,000 units of its new Xoom tablet, which is said to currently be the toughest competitor for the iPad 2. Apple, on the other hand, sold about 300,000 iPad 2 units in the first weekend alone, and is said to have sold roughly 2.6 million iPad 2 units in March.

Despite the hang-ups and the daunting task of taking on Apple, RIM will release the BlackBerry PlayBook on April 19 for $499 for the 16GB entry-level model. (The 32GB version costs $599; the 64GB model is priced at $699.) This is roughly equal to the cost of a comparable iPad 2.

With a 7-inch 1024×600 display, the PlayBook measures quite a bit smaller than the 9.7-inch iPad 2. The device comes loaded with a dual-core 1GHz Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 processor and 1GB of RAM.

It has a 3MP forward-facing camera for video chat, as well as a 5MP rear-facing camera. The PlayBook can shoot 1080p high-definition video, and includes HDMI video output, and Micro USB and Micro HDMI ports. Unlike the iPad 2, the PlayBook supports Adobe Flash.

The three models available on April 19 are all Wi-Fi only. The company has far more up its sleeve, however, with higher-end models that will support 4G connectivity in all the different flavors the various wireless carriers currently offer. The iPad 2 only supports 3G connectivity.

Showing 9 comments

Ghandi at 12:59pm 7th April 2011 Well the iDud junky has had his rant...now the view from BB marketers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s72rGDUn2uo Of course it's from BB...but still ...the iPad looks pretty 'clunky' here.
Lorne Hammond at 7:30pm 7th April 2011 Good, Rim should not bother
m3kw at 11:59am 7th April 2011 You really gonna buy the Playbook over the iPad2?
1. NP27 at 1:42pm 15th April 2011 Nope
Edward Placencia at 11:54am 7th April 2011 Jettgerbil is absolutely right. This is just supply and demand. The title of this article is incredibly misleading. You could argue that those BUYING the IPad 2 were more responsible since it's their demand that created the part shortage. As far as whether it's an "IToy" or whatever really clever name you want to give the IPad 2, it means little. It is what it is and many people want this thing. Does that make it a better product? If you're producing tablets, the answer is yes! If more people are buying them and are satisfied, then yes! Any other BS comarisons are just sour grapes and simple Apple-hating crap.
Sergio Alejandro Maldonado at 11:45am 7th April 2011 Do you have to be so condescending.......GROW UP.
RevV at 10:34am 7th April 2011 To all Apple haters/idiots, Once again, Apple proved to you haters that no one can compete with the iPad, iOS platform. I heard so much trash talking about how without Flash, iPad will doom bla bla. It's funny, I don't hear much from those Apple haters talking much about Flash on their crapDroid lately. Maybe they are too busy putting their heads down in shame. It's up to you. You can drive a Ferrari (iPad 2) or a Ford Pinto (crapDroid Honey wat) for the same price. It's your choice. There were mp3 players, then Apple showed you the iPod. There were cell phones, then Apple showed you the iPhone. There were ultra-portables, then Apple showed you the MacBook Air. There were high performance laptops, then Apple showed you the MacBook Pro. There were tablets, then Apple.... Need I say more? Yes, I am an Apple fan boy and proud of it because I am richer than you with 2000 shares of Apple stocks, bought at $43 a share.
1. jettgerbil at 11:42am 7th April 2011 Oh get over yourself...the article simply stated that RIMM was forced by strong arm $ tactics, IE: throwing a Bazillion $ into the market to tie up resources...to wait a month to launch....hey this is big business this stuff is supply anf demand, IT DID NOT SAY THE IToy2 was any good.......
2. NP27 at 12:02pm 7th April 2011 "Yes, I am an Apple fan boy and proud of it because I am richer than you with 2000 shares of Apple stocks, bought at $43 a share." What does being rich have to do with ANYTHING??? iPad 2? Ferrari? no way. I'm pretty sure the Honeycomb Tablet your referring to is Motorola Xoom, "(crapDroid Honey wat)" which beats iPad in tech specs anyway. I like Apple (almost) as much as anybody, but that's crazy. Heck, i'd buy an iPad any day but I would just as much buy a Xoom, 'cause it's better hardware, except the Xoom is a bit heavier