Is the Playbook Enough to Save RIM

Research in Motion's new Blackberry Playbook tablet and its QNX based operating system are impressive to say the least, but are they enough to save the company from its downward slope? Some would argue yes and that the Playbook is the iPad killer. I disagree.

At one point the Blackberry platform defined the business world. Its enterprise level emailing capabilities and its solid corporate designed were the cutting edge of the smartphone community. But sadly, RIM has failed to keep up with the constant innovation of the industry. While the Blackberry's corporate offerings have remained strong, several powerful competitors have entered the playing field.

With Apple, Google, and Microsoft battling it out for market share they seem to be leaving RIM behind. This is because while all three of these platforms are competitive in the business world, they look beyond that. They look toward the casual users, the gamers, the tech enthusiasts. Because of this, RIM is struggling to hold onto its dwindling market share (14%) while Android and iOS continue to see gains (33% and 16% respectively).

You may be asking what this has to do with the Playbook. The fact is, it has everything to do with the Playbook. With Apple's iPad dominating the tablet market and Google's Honeycomb based tablets just starting to take off, where does the Playbook fit in? Does it fit in the business savvy crowd? I believe that answer is no. At launch, RIM's Playbook had no email or calendar client available for the platform (not very business oriented). What about the casual users? The Playbook has little in the way of app offerings, although it will gain access to a portion of the Android Market at a later date. This means that all the games, media, and productivity applications that smartphone and tablet users have come to expect are not present on the Playbook. So, beyond the pre-installed applications, the tablet offers little else. The media and web browsing capabilities of the Playbook are impressive, but its nothing the iPad and Honeycomb tablets can't do as well or better.

So, while RIM struggles to find its own place in the fast moving smartphone and tablet markets, the competition continues to leave them behind. The Blackberry Playbook is a great product with a ton of potential, but in this crowded market you really have to stand out. Unfortunately, this isn't something RIM excels at.