RIM touts 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook following cancellation of WiMAX model

By on Aug 12, 2011 at 4:56 PM
Breaking August 12, 2011

Following Sprint’s confirmation that it has chosen not to move forward in releasing a 4G WiMAX-enabled version of RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, RIM said it has decided to focus instead on LTE. “RIM has decided to prioritize and focus its 4G development resources on LTE,” RIM said in an emailed statement on Friday. “We remain excited and committed to delivering innovative and powerful 4G tablets to the US market together with our carrier partners. Testing of BlackBerry 4G PlayBook models is already underway and we plan to enter labs for network certifications in the US and other international markets this fall.”

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  • http://www.searingarrow.com AlienSix

    More delays….typical industry

    • Anonymous

      You mean typical RIM.

      • Shambles

         Every time you think they couldn’t get more shambolic they prove you wrong.

      • Anonymous

        How’s that iPhone 5 coming along? Oh wait…

      • Anonymous

        How is it delayed if it was never announced?

      • BlahBlah

         Somewhere out there, the iPhanBoys are using an iPhone that is more than a year old that’s why. LOLZ

    • QNX

      The BlackBerry PlayBook is the best tablet ever made. If you disagree, you are wrong.

      • Anonymous

        This is one of those cases that being wrong just feels “right.”

      • So what?.

         What you mean kinda like Betamax?

  • Anonymous

    Hahahahahaha

  • http://www.zmandesigns.com/ Zach “The Z Man”

    That actually makes more sense, since most companies haven’t fully bought into WiMax and the industry is gravitating more towards LTE anyways.

    • Anonymous

      WiMax was always the alternative to LTE, in a ‘convergance to a standard’ world, if you weren’t converging on LTE, you were ‘non-standard.’    But for PlayBook to be everything to everyone (it slices it dices, it makes Julienne Fries with a Android App and Flash on WiMax!!!), it had to be there (I bet if we flashmobbed the net with ‘we want a physical keyboard  on a Playbook’  it would be put in the roadmap;-)

      As for RIM, they get to make lemonade.   WiMax would have a been a branch of Playbook that generated no sales, and ill will as people wanted to move back to the LTE word.   This actually is a good play for them, even though ‘no demand’ is a damning statement

      On the other hand, there is nothing about their network stack that affects people’s buying patterns, ie, the platform is still 3rd/4th  (with WebOS) in a 2 horse race. And Windows 8 will make it 4th/5th place. 

      • Anonymous

        In a word, “fragmentation”.

  • Techwiz

    Blackberry 9900 is where it’s at!

  • Anonymous

    Wipemax is owned by LTE…..notice Sprint trying to partner with Lightsquared to get to the “right” technology

    • Sin City

      Notice Sprint deal with LightSquared is a Network Sharing deal, and they haven’t mentioned their 4G plans yet? 9.9. out of 10, Sprint will announce their commitment with LTE on October 7th, but we don’t know with who.  

  • Anonymous

    King Othello: “It’s just a flesh wound!”

  • http://www.GeekTested.com GeekTested.com

    What? It was just released in the Philippines! Time to sell all the Playbooks we have.

  • Max

    RIM is for morons

    • Applesucksfatties

      Max is a dipshit… True story according to his special friend Scroat.

    • Tony

      Max’s mom has furry hemorrhoids.

    • Anonymous

      I would like to apologize to you Max. I’m sorry for being such an asshole. Whenever I make a rude comment to you it means that I admit I’m a douchebag.

      • Applesucksfatties

        Actually, the only douchers here are Max and my imposter buddy Scroat.  I know you both are closet BB lovers….amongst other things that you need to come out of the closet for.

    • Steve Jenkins

      Max and Scroat, sitting in a tree, s-u-c-k-i-n-g….

  • Anonymous

    WiMax sucks anyway. 

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1001483324 Gerry Quaglia

      So does the Playbook

    • http://www.facebook.com/DIVCorp Corey Fisher

      Your just jealous you don’t have unlimited 4g…

      • Anonymous

        Actually I have a Evo 4G and I will say it again. WiMAX sucks. Here in NYC the signal is spotty, doesn’t work inside buildings, and drains the battery way to fast.

  • Applesucksfatties

    Although I appreciate iBGR posting this clarification to their previous “Sprint cancels 4G PlayBook” article.. I’m sure it won’t do any good as the most of the RIM bashers on this site can’t read above a 3rd grade level.   THis is more their kind of reading……..  “See me touch screen.  See me play fart app.  See me play Angry Birds.   See me stare fondly at Steve Jobs…”

    • Anonymous

      Pretty much.

      • Anonymous

        Fuck off pencil dick. I don’t need faggot wanabees clinging on to my comments.

      • Applesucksfatties

        bulls…that comment was made by the big doucher impersonator Scroat.  No female companionship turns a 40 year old nerd bitter.

    • Anonymous

      You sound like someone who did not even clear second grade.

      • Anonymous

        So what? Skool aint impertant. I got a great job. Deliverin pizza. 9 bucks an hour plus tips. Life is good.

      • Applesucksfatties

        Scroater… thanks for stealing my screen name again.  I feel honored that my comments drive you so nuts that you have to impersonate me to TRY to get me back.  Shouldn’t you and Max be gettong ready for a Star Trek marathon?  I’d say “night out at the clubs” but I’m sure you dipshits could get any female companionship if you had a pocket full of hundreds at a brothel of blind women.

      • Applesucksfatties

        hey ass by a 10 yr old…. so I must fit in with all you Apple idiots.  Oooh, pretty Angry Birds.  

  • Anonymous

    So basically the carrier model of the PlayBook will be delayed just like every other RIM device. Monday morning is not going to look good for them at the stock market.

    • Shambles

       agreed. I don’t suppose they would ever have sold many through Sprint anyway but what matters is market perception. And market perception is RIM is starting to be “dumped” for prettier younger models….  That wouldn’t have happened even a couple of years ago. They will try to put a positive spin on things to save face but this isn’t good. 

  • Anonymous

    Viva la playbook

  • Anonymous

    I own a PlayBook and find it really neat.  It just seems like it’ll die on the vine if it doesn’t get software updates and app support. 

    Still no native email/bbm, no Skype, Netflix, Kindle, AIM/MSN/Gtalk, VPN, Dropbox.  There are some 3rd party apps and browser work-arounds but no official apps from any of these companies.

    I really hope RIM and HP can make their phones and tablets competitive because a world where Apple and Google run everything is not the world I want.

    • Mark Texas

      I see the same thing using the Playbook, love the device as it’s very usable / mobile but WTF is going on with App developement?  Is it the fact that the native SDK isn’t out or is the mainstream developers just don’t bothering with RIM?  I mean WebOS has some of these Apps and NO one is buying any of those devices.

      I shudder at the thought of a Apple only word, I’d likely give up computing and just my PC till it explodes.

  • http://MobileGenius.wordpress.com JM

    I really hope they mean LTE and HSPA+ as well. I would certainly be interested in one of these with “4g” service that does NOT completely ruin my battery life. Not to mention has, as an added bonus (rolling my eyes) contacts calendar, and Email :p

    • http://www.facebook.com/DIVCorp Corey Fisher

      LTE, like every other 4g has more speed, hence more data transfer and ultimately hence, more battery drain

      • http://MobileGenius.wordpress.com JM

        I was thinking of the fact the using HSPA+ results in no increase in battery drain. LTE, just like WiMax, results in greater battery drain. If HSPA+ speeds are able to remain close to what is possible on current LTE networks I would rather be using it.

        ———————
        JNM via G-Slate

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1001483324 Gerry Quaglia

    Hahaha, wonder how many of these RIM will ship [not sell].  

    • Sales vs Shipments

       To answer your question here is a graph depicting predicted SHIPMENTS of Playbook as each new version is released. Y axis scale from 0 to 500,000

      __/______/______/_____

      and here is the graph of sales out of the channel

      ______________________

  • i’m number one

    Once the Playbook has the same standalone funcionality as a blackberry smartphone (email), im getting one.

  • Samuelcharlie

    No one was interested in the wimax version Nd no one is interested in the lte version either. Thd playbook is just plain boring. RIM is so far behind the times.

    • Mike

      Have you tried using one yet, dipshit?

  • Anonymous

    By the way, I just paîd $21.87 for an îPad 2-64GB and my boyfriend loves his Panasonîc Lumîx GF 1 Camera that we got for $38.76 there arriving tomorrow by UPS.I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $657 which only cost me $62.81 to buy.
    Here is the website we use to get it all from, http://BidsFirst.com

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