This is a really bad move from Blackberry, this is a nuclear blast to the fan base that were waiting, and waiting, and waiting...
The Playbook is a great device, the OS is not that bad. The ecosystem is the main issue. No major apps, errrrr, I mean no apps at all. The 4th most downloaded free app is the "Bible"... Basically, the Playbook has been a fancy media player and browser for the last 2 years. The only major update was when they added email/calendar support a year ago.
But the nuclear blast is not that the Playbook is now considered obsolete by the users. It's not that some people have paid +450$ on launch day and never got a decent tablet for the price. It's not even about the fact that the Playbook never got a good integration with the Z10 and the Q10.
The main issue is broken promises!
Loyal fans were promised many things in the last year by Blackberry. The motto of a Blackberry Playbook user is "Have faith!". Never got Skype, never got Netflix, never got BBM, never got BB10, and so on.
This morning, announcing that the Playbook won't have BB10 is telling the users that the tablet is now obsolete. Some have even bought the Z10/Q10 in hope of having a good integration between their phone and the tablet like iPad/iPhone users do. Not going to happen...
Blackberry was predicted to disappear last year, but they manage to survive and do a come back with their new BB10, Z10 and Q10. That's all they have now. Loyal fans are pissed off this morning, at least those who bought the Playbook. All it tells us is that Blackberry cannot be trusted to deliver...
Imagine that they would announce a new tablet in the next few weeks. A better, more powerful device, with amazing features. Would you buy one? I wouldn't simply because they have proved in the last two year that they cannot deliver their promises. Would I buy a Z10/Q10? Nope! Simply because I would be worried that the device, on a 3 years contract could go obsolete before I reach the end of my contract.
The Playbook is still a good enough device to play movies and browse the web, read emails, you know, basic stuff. But that's it! Don't think about doing some work on it, compose music, create arts, manage your server, play the latest and greatest games. Devs have already stopped producing apps for the device. Blackberry users are looking towards Android/iOS/MS devices...
Blackberry does not understand that users want "integration" between their devices (phone/tablet/tv). Assuming that tablets will die in the next 5 years maybe true, but until then, tablets are the "THING" that everybody wants. Especially those having a smartphone.
Bets are now opened as to BBRY will survive the end of the year. Trust is a major selling point these days. And Blackberry lost it.
Patrick Balleux
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