Can RIM’s PlayBook Give the iPad a Run for its Money?
Posted by Few tablets have posed a serious threat to the Apple iPad, which has sold more than 15 million units since it launched just a year ago. With the iPad 2 sold out in most markets, Apple’s dominance in the tablet space may seem unshakable. While Apple holds more than a 77% market share in this arena the tablet race is far from over. By 2015, Forrester estimates that 82 million consumers will own tablets, and dozens of hardware makers want in on this gold-rush.
A plethora of tablets running the Android operating system from such heavyweights as HP, Samsung, Motorola and Dell have managed to make a decent impact in a relatively short period of time. But the tablet many are betting will give the iPad a run for its money is the RIM PlayBook, which is set to hit the market in mid-April.
The PlayBook has a host of advantages – including high-quality hardware, fast performance, impressive multitasking and support for Flash – that position it as a strong contender in this market. We had the privilege to be one of the first companies to develop apps for the PlayBook, such as this Fantasy Football app, and we got an inside look at the device.
Here are three reasons I think the PlayBook has a shot at giving the iPad a run for its money.
1. RIM thought about the ecosystem before the device.
Apple’s dominance in the tablet space is not because of the processing power of the iPad; it is the power of Apple’s ecosystem. The “App Store” and iTunes are 1,000 times more powerful than the device itself. Partnering with Adobe turned out to be a very strong move for RIM. The company partnered with Adobe to offer a Flex/Flash based development SDK and Platform for the PlayBook device. This means that the entire developer segment focused on Flex & AIR can easily deploy and re-purpose applications for the PlayBook utilizing the QNX SDK and their existing skill-set.
Going forward, Adobe’s upcoming builds of the Flash Builder 4.5 SDK and AIR 2.7 will support Android, PlayBook, and iOS platforms with their “write once run anywhere” philosophy. This is exciting news for the entire Flash development community, and the PlayBook will surely benefit by supporting this technology – attracting developers to create innovative apps.
While there are only 25,000 apps in the BlackBerry App World store, the PlayBook also has the ability to run the over 150,000 apps in the Android Market. RIM will release software tools this summer that enable developers to easily port/repackage their apps into BlackBerry AppWorld. For consumers, the chance to buy one “open platform” tablet that runs apps from two of the three major app stores is a huge benefit. If you can buy a device that runs both BlackBerry and Android apps, why would you opt to buy a device that plays Android or iOS apps only?
Android is gaining quickly in the tablet market. Android tablets captured 22% of global tablet shipments in the three months to Dec. 31, according to Bloomberg Strategy Analytics, whereas the iPad’s share dropped to 75% of shipments from 95% three months earlier. By running Android apps, RIM’s PlayBook can piggy-back on that segment’s audience and infinite growth potential. Partnering with Google and Adobe has proven to be a very strong backbone as the Playbook hits the market.
2. The PlayBook is geared towards the corporate user.
Because it’s made by RIM, maker of the BlackBerry, the PlayBook offers many features that are geared toward business users. RIM already has well over a 32% mobile market share and those users are dedicated towards their platform. An existing audience is a great place to start. It would probably be easer for a Blackberry user to live without food than their Blackberry keyboard or PIN Service. On the Playbook, users can display Blackberry email and IMs that actually reside on their BlackBerry smartphones, via a secure Bluetooth connection. There are already tons of great enterprise apps in the BlackBerry App store, all of which run on the PlayBook and the Playbook will support the Google Apps suite out of the gate. Considering that companies are purchasing tablets at a rapid rate – according to Deloitte, enterprises will purchase more than 25% of all tablets in 2011 – the enterprise-ready PlayBook is well positioned to capture a large portion of these sales.
But while PlayBook users may appreciate the ease of using the device for email, IM, productivity, workflow, collaboration, and other enterprise apps, they also get access to all the entertainment and utility apps in the Android Market – making the PlayBook a more "fun" device than many of the other tablets.
IT managers at corporations will also appreciate how easy it is to support and securely integrate PlayBooks, since most are already supporting the BlackBerry mobile platform for large portions of their workforce.
3. The PlayBook is courting developers.
RIM is pulling out the stops when it comes to making the PlayBook an attractive platform for developers. RIM will initially offer PlayBook development options with the Webworks SDK, the QNX SDK with Flash Builder as the authoring environment. The Webworks SDK will provide developers with the flexibility to build and deploy native apps using existing web technologies. The QNX & Flash Builder kits will enable developers to rapidly create amazing Flash-based applications, as well as re-use existing Flash content for the tablet form factor. Developers will look to the PlayBook as an open system, taking advantage of Webworks, Flash, and Android as development platforms that all work on the PlayBook.
While no one can argue that the iPad has a massive head start in the tablet space, the RIM PlayBook will put up a good fight. But because Apple’s ecosystem is what truly differentiates their devices in the long run, RIM will need to rapidly build a robust ecosystem around its PlayBook, including developers, partners, and loyal corporate and consumer users.
With an open and flexible development platform, the ability to run native Web apps, support for Flash, access to both BlackBerry and Android apps, and a focus on enterprise productivity alongside entertainment and utility, the PlayBook certainly has a great start right out of the gate.
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Andrew Borg
04.15.11 at 11:45 AM
Drinking undiluted Kool-Aid here… no mention of their risks or challenges?
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Tammie Helm
04.19.11 at 12:45 PM
Hi Andrew - appreciate you taking the time to read the post and comment. We certainly could have gone into more detail about the market challenges RIM will face… our intention was really to offer a developer’s perspective on the PlayBook’s prospects for success based on our initial work with the device. The goal was also to spark some conversation, which it looks like it has!
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Aaron
04.25.11 at 8:23 PM
Considering there’s no “enterprise” app distribution model, a missing e-mail app (?! seriously?!), & many disappointing reviews, it’s hard to get excited about the device at this point. I was initially planning on buying one on day one, until the luke warm reviews came out. I don’t feel “courted” in any way by Blackberry. They need to do something different to court developers. There are too many options and too little time for yet another platform.