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You are here: Home / BlackBerry / Will an HP TouchPad-like fire sale on the BlackBerry PlayBook make them desirable? Ughm… Yes!

Will an HP TouchPad-like fire sale on the BlackBerry PlayBook make them desirable? Ughm… Yes!

September 21, 2011 by Robb Dunewood 13 Comments

I admit it.  I got a BlackBerry PlayBook day one…  Even though I really like my PlayBook for web browsing, the device  does truly pale in comparison to the iPad for most everything else.  I haven’t recommended the BlackBerry PlayBook to a single person.  As a matter for fact, I’ve recommended to the few people who have asked about them that they not get one.

These recommendations are based on fact that the PlayBook suffers from a ridiculously small number of applications that are worth more than the time it took to code them and the fact that the BlackBerry PlayBook costs as much as an iPad.  If you had $500 or more to shell out on tablet , why not get an iPad?  This was the case, at least, until RIM reported second quarter fiscal 2011 results last week, told the world just how bad the BlackBerry PlayBook was doing, and, Research in Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie said that the PlayBook would see price cuts.

Rogers must have known what was coming, because they put the BlackBerry PlayBook on a fire sale to Rogers employees two days before RIM’searnings call.  Rogers cut the price of the BlackBerry PlayBook in half by reducing the price of the 16 GB model from from $499 to $249.  On top of the that they are offering a $100 Master Card from  RIM to anyone who buys a device by September 22nd, essentially, dropping the device to $149.

I am here to tell you that if you can get your hands on a BlackBerry PlayBook for under 150 bucks, by all means, do it.  The only problem is that the demand right now for Rogers BlackBerry PlayBook tablets is ridiculous.  Rogers employees are now buying BlackBerry PlayBook devices 3 at a time.  The only reason they aren’t buying more is because Rogers is flagging accounts that purchase more than three for fraud.  Clearly Rogers didn’t anticipate the TouchPad effect happening on the PlayBook.

It will be interesting to see if price drops on the BlackBerry PlayBook from other retailers will be as dramatic as the 50% + price cut at Rogers.  Something tells me that if RIM decides to just take a hit on the hardware costs for BlackBerry PlayBook tablets already sitting on shelves and offer HP TouchPad like price cuts, they will be able to generate more buzz for QNX than any campaigns being worked on by their new marketing firms could come close too…

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Filed Under: BlackBerry Tagged With: BlackBerry PlayBook Fire Sale, HP TouchPad, Rogers

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Comments

  1. Guest says

    September 21, 2011 at 6:49 pm

    It’s funny, I was just talking to a friend of mine who works for Rogers that bought 2 PlayBooks last Wednesday.  He said that hardware in the PlayBook is excellent, but, no developers write apps for it because no one is really buying it.  

    Maybe now all that will change.

    Reply
    • Yeah Right says

      September 21, 2011 at 6:57 pm

      Tell your buddy that I will pay him 50 bucks if he buys the third one for me.  

      Reply
  2. Linda Renz says

    September 21, 2011 at 7:01 pm

    Do you know if anyone like Best Buys or Staples will be offering the BlackBerry PlayBook at deeply discounted prices.  I kind of actually want one but can justify $499 for half an iPad.

    Reply
  3. Norman R. says

    September 21, 2011 at 9:16 pm

    The only problem with this is that RIM isn’t discontinuing the PlayBook therefore can’t afford to sell the devices at a loss indefinitely…

    Reply
  4. P.Dub says

    September 21, 2011 at 9:22 pm

    The problem with this is that the PlayBook is not being discontinued and RIM would’t be able to sustain a deeply discounted rate indefinitely.  The best they could do is sell the PlayBook for cost, but, that would still be out of the range most people would be willing to spend…

    Reply
  5. Robert Kojo says

    September 22, 2011 at 12:25 pm

    If RIM could get the PlayBook down in price between $199 and $249, I think that it would sell like crazy.  The hardware in the PlayBook is quite good and they eventually will be able to run Android Apps, which, sadly, is probably the future for RIM…

    Reply
    • dumb asses on this site says

      September 22, 2011 at 5:52 pm

      ur an idiot. plain and simple.

      Reply
  6. You're an idiot says

    September 22, 2011 at 5:23 pm

    dude stop writing about blackberrys period please.  all you do is bash the company and u cause nothing but negative image to the product.  or start a site called i hate blackberry dot com.

    Reply
    • RIMarkable Robb says

      September 25, 2011 at 12:44 pm

      I cause negative image of RIM’s products?  I only wish I had so much power…

      Over the years I’ve been one of the biggest supporters of Research in Motion and their products, however, past successes don’t, nor should they, dictate present sentiment.  The BlackBerry PlayBook thus far is a failure.  To call it anything else would be a lie.

      Yes, this is a BlackBerry site…  Mostly pro-BlackBerry at that.  This doesn’t mean, however, that everything I write will be positive about RIM.  If you only want to read positive commentary on Research in Motion Inside BlackBerry is just one click away…

      Reply
      • Sdfjkjkfasspofpo says

        September 26, 2011 at 3:53 am

        you bash rim on a regular basis. on the podcast and here too.  your famous quote “i just dont get it” if your so confused stop spreading your confusion as your obviously not a bb enthusiast

        Reply
  7. A MESSAGE TO ALL YOU MORONS says

    September 22, 2011 at 5:54 pm

    HEY IDIOTS.  PLAYBOOK OS 2.0 COMES OUT NEXT MONTH (FOR THOSE LIVE UNDER A ROCK AND ONLY FOLLOW NEWS ON THIS BUDGET BLACKBERRY HATING SITE).  WITH PLAYBOOK OS 2.0, U GET NATIVE PIM APPS, BETTER APPS/GAMES WITH ANDROID PLAYER.  PLUS A NEW SDK FOR 3D GAMING RECENTLY OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED SO YOU GUYS CAN STOP TALKING LIKE THE PLAYBOOK IS FROM THE STONE AGE

    Reply
  8. BB Exp says

    September 25, 2011 at 7:31 am

    Playbook may be the best tablet on the market today?? But…uhm,,,nobody wants it.  That doesn’t mean it isn’t any good, it just means RIM hasn’t convinced users why they “need” the Playbook. They can keep having firesales or simply create a product that will actually be wanted by the masses. Innovation without provocation!

    Reply
  9. RIMarkable Robb says

    September 25, 2011 at 12:49 pm

    BlackBerry PlayBook on sale for $249 at Staples

    Reply

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