In an apparent effort to make sure I had something to write about today, RIM announced that it has delayed the release of its PlayBook OS 2.0 software until February 2012. CrackBerry.com reported the news last night. The full text … Continued
PlayBook
∞ RIM 'absolutely confident' in the PlayBook
Adam Schreck for the Associated Press: Patrick Spence, RIM’s managing director for global sales and regional marketing, told The Associated Press in Dubai that the Waterloo, Ontario-based company was not as clear as it could have been in defining the … Continued
∞ RIM calls Playbook discontinuation rumor 'pure fiction'
CNBC: Says talk that its Playbook tablet is being discontinued is “pure fiction” * Says remains highly committed to tablet market and to its QNX operating system. The message is short but sweet; RIM is trying to counter rumors that … Continued
∞ RIM reportedly shutdown production of PlayBook
BGR.com: Research In Motion has reportedly stopped production of its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and is considering exiting the space altogether. Collins Stewart analyst John Vinh made the claims in a note to investors Thursday morning, citing anonymous sources at RIM’s … Continued
∞ Wal-Mart selling the PlayBook for $249 in Canada
That’s about $300 too much.
∞ RIM cuts PlayBook production
AppleInsider: Industry sources told DigiTimes that the manufacturer is cutting back production lines for the PlayBook at a factory in Taiwan, offering preferential compensation to the roughly 1,000 workers who have been let go. Quanta confirmed the layoffs, but declined … Continued
∞ Quanta cuts back RIM contractors, Playbook to blame
The Guardian: Orders to Quanta from Rim are reported to have dropped substantially as the company struggles to cope with the excess inventory. At its earnings call last week company executives hinted that they would begin price promotions over the … Continued
∞ PlayBook price cuts coming
BGR: During RIM’s second-quarter earnings call, Co-CEO Jim Balsillie noted that the company plans to offer price cuts on the not-so-popular BlackBerry PlayBook in the form of rebates, and an incentive program for enterprise sales. He also said there’s a … Continued
∞ Apple's iPad beat RIM PlayBook sales in two days
It took RIM a full quarter (let’s say 90 days) to ship (not sell) 200,000 PlayBooks. In its last quarter, Apple sold 9.25 million iPads, or approximately 102,000 per day. In two days of sales the iPad beat the PlayBook. … Continued
∞ RIM only ships 200,000 PlayBooks in Q2
The numbers are in and they don’t look good for RIM. The company reported shipping approximately 10.6 million BlackBerry smartphones and approximately 200,000 BlackBerry PlayBook tablets. Keep in mind, those numbers are shipped, not sold. By using the shipped number, … Continued
∞ Analyst: RIM's PlayBook headed to the scrap heap
Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair at BGR: On the PlayBook tablet, Blair’s opinion is even more dour. “Last quarter RIM talked about shipping 500,000 units but did not speak of sell-through for obvious reasons,” the analyst wrote in a note … Continued
∞ LeapFrog releases a PlayBook competitor
RIM fans were quite upset when I compared the PlayBook tablet to the iPad. In fairness, it wasn’t a good comparison because the iPad is so much better. They were also upset when I compared the PlayBook to the legendary … Continued
∞ RIM shareholders want company put up for sale
Noting its poor stock performance, lack of innovation and loss of market share, Jaguar Financial is leading the charge to have something done at RIM. In a statement on Tuesday, Jaguar Chairman and CEO Vic Alboini called on RIM’s Directors … Continued
∞ Cool things to expect from RIM: Native email on PlayBook
BlackBerry Cool: With summer ending, we’re expecting a few announcements from RIM just around the corner. End of summer also means we’re closer to the holiday season where RIM and all the major tech companies scramble to get a killer … Continued
∞ RIM's music service: $5 per month for 50 songs
AppleInsider: BBM Music will arrive as a beta in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. in early September, before launching in the three regions later this fall. Subscribers won’t be able to export the music to PCs, but they will … Continued
∞ RIM starting a new streaming music service
Reuters: BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is close to rolling out its own music streaming service that will work across its mobile devices, according to four people familiar with the plans. RIM is in late-stage negotiations with major labels, including … Continued
∞ Wait… RIM's PlayBook sucks ass, but it's HP that cancels its tablet
What kind of perverse, unforgiving parallel universe did I wake up in that allowed the PlayBook to still be on the market, and HP’s TouchPad has been discontinued.
∞ Sprint says no to the PlayBook
Greg Bensinger at WSJ.com: The decision means the device hasn’t yet found any support from the three largest U.S. wireless carriers, which includes AT&T and Verizon Wireless. Without their backing, RIM will have to bear the burden of sales and … Continued
∞ RIM customers try to save the PlayBook
A forum user at CrackBerry.com made a suggestion to fellow PlayBook owners to help save the device.
∞ PlayBook approved for U.S. Government use
Reuters: This certification … enables the U.S. federal government to buy with confidence knowing that the PlayBook meets their computing policy requirements for protecting sensitive information,” said Scott Totzke, a senior vice-president for BlackBerry security at RIM. Apparently nobody in … Continued
∞ Dear RIM: it's you, not us
RIM investors must be holding their face in their hands this morning after reading how well Apple did in its latest fiscal quarter. While RIM bombed its most recent quarter, Apple blew away all expectations.
∞ PlayBook product manager leaves for Samsung
CrackBerry.com Wow. Another RIM employee has left for Samsung. Just a month after Brian Wallace, the VP of Digital Marketing and Media for RIM, left for Samsung, another well-known RIM employee is packing up and leaving Waterloo for Dallas, Texas. … Continued
∞ RIM responds to rumors it may stop PlayBook production
RIM has officially responded to news that it may stop production of its PlayBook tablet.
∞ RIM may stop production of the PlayBook
RIM may be throwing in the towel on its PlayBook tablet, according to a note from one analyst on Monday.
∞ RIM Expose: Behind the scenes look at the paranoid leader
“Mike Lazaridis couldn’t imagine that consumers would be spending hours watching and streaming video to their devices, he couldn’t understand it,” the former exec continued. This is why we don’t see RIM excelling in spaces like camera technology, or displays … Continued
∞ RIM's shareholder ultimatum to co-CEOs has no teeth
RIM’s co-CEOs narrowly missed facing a forced shareholder vote on whether they should keep their co-Chairman titles at the company’s annual meeting. However, when you think about it, the proposal really has no teeth anyway.
∞ I have no sympathy for RIM shareholders now
After a pitiful year full of mismanagement, failed product launches and a falling stock price, I was sure that RIM shareholders would hold those responsible accountable. Apparently not.
∞ More RIM employees come forward with complaints
Just 24 hours after an unnamed executive pleaded with RIM to make changes, more employees have come forward rallying around the complaints and offering new ones.
∞ 7 things RIM must do to survive
RIM is past the point of being in hard shape as a company — they are in dire need of change and it has to be done now.
∞ RIM employee writes a passionate plea to senior management
You know things are getting bad at your company when your senior managers publish pleas in the press to get you to change. That’s what happened today at RIM.