RIM reportedly bails on PlayBook, considers exiting tablet market [updated]

By on Sep 29, 2011 at 11:50 AM
Breaking September 29, 2011

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 manufacturing partner Quanta. “While Quanta last week acknowledged that it had laid off a significant number of production workers from a factory focused on producing the PlayBook, our research indicates that the ODM has essentially halted production of the tablet, Vinh wrote. “Additionally, our due diligence indicates that RIMM has canceled development of additional tablet projects.” The move would be drastic, but hardly unforeseen; RIM shipped 500,000 PlayBook tablets in the slate’s launch quarter, and only 200,000 more during its first full quarter of availability. Multiple analysts have anticipated the PlayBook’s demise, and it appears as though they may have been right. RIM launched its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet on April 19th of this year.

UPDATE: A RIM spokesperson dismissed Vinh’s report and supplied BGR with an official statement, which can be found here, via email.

Tags:
, , , , ,
168 Comments

Related Articles

  • http://twitter.com/FrankJl_ Francisco J. López

    BGR to close shop because their journalistic integrity is SHIT!!

    Come on already. CHECK YOUR SOURCES!!

  • max

    I saw a RImjobbing Moron facedown in his pillow, crying. Same as every night after Big Mike leaves.

    • Steve Jenkins

      So what your trying to say is that your an accessory to rape? You heard it here first people…Max is Big Mike “the Rapist’s” accomplice…See you in 7-10yrs sicko…

      • Applesucksfatties

        I think Max is actually telling us that he is anally violated by Big Mike (aka Thrasher) every night and cries on his pillow because his cornhole hurts.     Here is a solution for you Max… ask Thrasher to bring his tub of KY with. 

      • The Thrasher

        I bet AppleSux has an obsession with being violated. Tell us about your childhood AppleSux..

        Send from my FailBook .9

      • Applesucksfatties

        @1f7409e1fe023a8eb6678c9387752cdf:disqus - I bet you have an obsession with being annoying as f*ck…   I already told you about my childhood and that you reminded me of the annoying kid in the neighborhood that would always get an ass beating and then come back for more.

      • The Thrasher

        The funny thing is- AppleSux thinks he’s a comedian. Far from it butt*ucker. AppleSux is just mad because RIM is falling flat on their faces.

      • Applesucksfatties

        Hey…you are the one that starts sh*t on every article.  Don’t want me talking bad bout you? Stop starting crap….

      • The Thrasher

        AppleSux- on every article, before I saw a word… All I see is Thrasher this, Thrasher that.. Your the punk b!tch who starts sh!t. Plus you get so pissed who people call you out- your full of yourself.

      • Applesucksfatties

        Sure dude…  in the past 2 weeks, I’m the one that starts the flame war. You caught me. (sarcasm).  I’m the one that comes out to RIM articles when I don’t like RIM and starts talking trash about them and you.. oh wait, nevermind.. I’m talking about you, not about me.

      • Steve Jenkins

        unlike you, I dont have to log in over and over again b/c this is the only name I post under…

  • Drew Ekes

    Another speculatory rumor by an uneducated Anal-yst (blogger with even less friends). QNX puts all other OS’ on the market to shame.Grow up people and start thinking for yourselves.

    • Anonymous

      Unfortunately it is on a tablet the wrong size, badly specified, launched incomplete and poorly marketed.
      I used to work in the phone business in the UK an still have a lot of friends there and they all agree this thing is a disaster. The sales are absolutely tiny. Most in the hands of customers have been given away as incentives to corporate IT and management to and promote them.

      A huge shame.

    • Anonymous

      Funny, that’s what Goofans (aka Apple Haters) say.  “Think for yourself”.  So who’s right?  The RIMMERS or the Goofans (aka Apple Haters?)

    • http://twitter.com/kaydpea chris moore

      doesn’t really matter how good QNX is without apps, people won’t buy it, RIM announced the playbook exactly 1 year ago, and still have yet to release the native software development kit (SDK) for QNX so developers can make apps, microsoft has had theirs out for ages, RIM is botching QNX from the tablet and handset fronts.

  • Alvin A. Smith

    For some reason the photo you used for this story, a Bold(?) and the Playbook, struck me as particularly beautiful, despite knowing what each device looked like before.  It’s a shame that Blackberry can’t get it together, because I think they have some relevant perspective to bring to mobile electronics.  They have a tradition that has a place in the fight, but they just don’t have guidance to get it right.

  • http://www.facebook.com/hayden.evans Hayden Evans

    They never should have entered in the first place. New product development on their mobile phones has been extremely stagnant compared to competition, that’s something they need to fix first.

  • guest

    I dont know what BGR is smoking, but the playbook is alive and well.

    • http://twitter.com/kaydpea chris moore

      indeed they shipped 200,000 units last quarter, SHIPPED, take that ipad

      • Applesucksfatties

        why does everything have to be compared to the large iPod Touch?  Just because a product doesn’t have the same (or better) sales than another product, doesn’t mean it is a bad product. 

      • The Thrasher

        AppleSux- the iPad IS THE STANDARD. Your FailBox 1.0/2.0 is far far below the standard. That’s why everyone compares Tablets vs IPad.

      • Applesucksfatties

        If the iFad is the standard….then I feel sorry for the overall tablet market as the oversized iPod Touch isn’t anything to write home about……but Apple does have great marketing and get the sheep out of the their basements to buy anything they slap an Apple logo on.  

      • The Thrasher

        Don’t be mad that people don’t want to buy RIM’s bullsh!t tablet. It’s just an inferior POS!

      • Applesucksfatties

        The thrasher – so how is it inferior? I’ve called you out numerous times to answer that question… but you DON’T/CAN’T.    My guess is your only response is “Because it isn’t Apple”…

      • The Thrasher

        Let me ask you this AppleSux. If you had a job selling products. One sales rep sold 5000 units, the other sold 25. Who would keep their job?

        That’s iPad vs FailBox.

      • Applesucksfatties

        @1f7409e1fe023a8eb6678c9387752cdf:disqus - sure buddy…if all else fails, bring up sales.

      • The Thrasher

        So your saying if the HP Touchpad was a success? Why did they pull the plug? If they sold 3 million HP Touchpads would they discontinue it? Sales is everything dumb@ss, aak your boss at Best Buy when you go to work today.

        Sent from my FailBook 1.05

      • Applesucksfatties

        @1f7409e1fe023a8eb6678c9387752cdf:disqus - my guess is that the 3 million Touchpads you referenced included those sold during the fire sale.  How many of those did they sell pre-fire sale?   And again, I don’t expect you to comprehend that I don’t work at Best Buy.. I’m guessing that since you are a second shift fry cook, they probably don’t expect you to be able to read and write very well.

  • Dylan_99

    BGR loves posting garbage.  Completely unreliable and misleading news when it comes to RIM.  BRG has a hard on for Apple and a hate on for RIM.  Everytime I visit this site I remember why I hate it.

  • Hateloggingin

    The RIMJob DingleBerry Tardphone

    • Applesucksfatties

      too bad it isn’t a phone, dipshit.

  • http://twitter.com/BryanCheong Bryan Cheong

    The PlayBook was one of BlackBerry’s fail product i guess. This product was at the same spot with the BlackBerry Storm 1 where they wanted to have a product to compete with Apple but sadly their App Store till today is not up to standards. 

    I have been a BlackBerry user for more than 3 years and today i am still using a HTC/ iPod Touch as a Media Alternative :)  

    Come up BlackBerry, redesign this shit ! it should should be for Playing. if not why call it a PlayBook ? Call it a WorkBook then :)  

  • Anonymous

    The Playbook actually exceeds iPad performance in many respects.

    Having said that RIM shot itself in the foot in so many different ways with the software and environment on this device its hard to know where to start.

    But the device and operating system is excellent.

    And this story is complete and utter garbage. In fact its so far from the truth you have to wonder at the motivation behind the story. Nice use of “reportedly” though.

    BGR is “reportedly” the mouthpiece of Apple. One of them anyway.

  • Zukidrvr

    Why is this still a lead story? Why don’t you put one up in it’s place: “Flying Saucers Land on White House Lawn” instead?

    Another fictional headline.

    How low can BGR go?

  • Red Forman

    OK. Here is the Deal of the Day! I have 7.3″ foot and will willingly fit all in to the someones ass. Fitting comes free. Candidates for this extraordinary privilege are all haters or nay-Sayers. Recipients must have particular type of love for one (only one, no more!) mobile computer platform and MUST hate all the others. As a bonus I will stuck any fruit you like in you mouth (berry, apple…), covered in any sweet flavor from google kitchen (eclair..), so you can enjoy event profoundly.

    And on the serious note, you f**ckwits (and I apologize for generalization, some distinguish gentlemen must excuse my sweep), should read and use your brain to dissect information from propaganda. I know it’s difficult to use all of  your brain cells you have in the little head of yours, as it will be a compromise between thinking and breathing, but that just might be the right thing to do for the humanity…

    The rest of you, “…live long and prosper”!

    P.S ;) you must excuse my English,  as I am no French…

  • http://www.facebook.com/pages/Black-Friday-Womens-Shoes-Riding-Boots-on-Sale/233134816735640 women shoes

    Poor RIM. It is amazing how in the short span of a few years, a company
    can fall so far from glory to practically irrelevance. I think given
    the remarkable failure the PlayBook is – not just in terms of adoption
    but also usability and execution – it’s probably wise for them to exit
    the market. The tablet market will solely belong to Apple and Microsoft
    with Windows 8. RIM needs to focus entirely on their only hope of
    survival: bringing out their next generation BlackBerry smartphones with
    QNX.

1 2 3
blog comments powered by Disqus