RIM says committed to PlayBook amid price cuts

Advertisement
By Agence France Presse | Updated: 6 June 2012 15:31 IST
Highlights
  • BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) dismissed a report that it was pulling the plug on its PlayBook tablet computer.
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) dismissed a report on Thursday that it was pulling the plug on its PlayBook tablet computer.

Major US retailers, meanwhile, slashed the price of the PlayBook by up to $200. The move comes a day after Amazon unveiled a tablet rival with a $199 price tag.

RIM stressed its commitment to the PlayBook after Collins Stewart analyst John Vihn said the Canadian company has stopped production of the device.

"Any suggestion that the BlackBerry PlayBook is being discontinued is pure fiction," RIM said.

"RIM remains highly committed to the tablet market."

Sales of the PlayBook have been sluggish since the device went on sale in mid-April with a $499 price tag for the 16-gigabyte model, $599 for the 32GB version and $699 for the 64GB model.

Best Buy, Staples and Office Max were offering the PlayBook for $299, $399 and $499 on Thursday. Office Depot was selling the device for $100 off.

The PlayBook was still being offered for its original price at RIM's online store and through US carrier Sprint.

Amazon unveiled a tablet computer, the Kindle Fire, on Wednesday which costs $199, less than half the price of the market-leading iPad from Apple.

The cheapest iPad costs $499.

During its last quarterly earnings report RIM said it had shipped 200,000 PlayBooks in the quarter. Analysts had expected shipments of 700,000.

Apple sold 9.25 million iPads last quarter.

RIM shares have plunged recently as the Waterloo, Ontario-based company struggles to compete with Apple's iPhone and smartphones powered by Google's Android platform.

RIM shares, which have lost half of their value since the beginning of the year, shed 3.37 percent on Wall Street on Thursday to close at $21.16.

During an earnings call with analysts, RIM co-chief executive Mike Lazaridis said the past few quarters have been "challenging" but expressed confidence the company is "on track to return to growth in the third quarter and beyond."

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Son of Sardaar 2 OTT Release: Know When and Where to Watch it Online
  1. Astronomers Predict 90 Percent Chance of Spotting an Exploding Black Hole in Next Decade
  2. DNA Cassette Tapes Could Transform the Future of Digital Storage
  3. Researchers Create Metal That Resists Cracking in Deep Space Cold
  4. The Madras Mystery OTT Release: This Nazriya Nazim Thriller Will Soon Arrive on This Platform
  5. The Treasure Hunters OTT Release: Know When and Where to Watch Manisha Rani's Game Show Online
  6. Sarkeet OTT Release: This Is Where You Can Watch the Asif Ali-Starrer Later This Month
  7. Researchers Reconstruct 2,500-Year-Old Faces From Skulls Found in Tamil Nadu
  8. House Mates OTT Release: When and Where to Watch the Tamil Horror Comedy Online
  9. Black Hole Kicked Away? Gravitational Waves Reveal Einstein’s Ripples in Spacetime
  10. NASA’s Artemis II Astronauts Will Double as Test Subjects for Deep Space Health Research
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.