7 ms·

The BlackBerry PlayBook Doesn't Exist

108 points by BinaryAcid 16y ago

seltzered 16y ago
"great artists ship" I was having a hard time grasping the fact that they have three problems to manage (OS-wise): evangelizing BB 6.0 (for torch sales), keeping older versions of BlackBerry OS, and now Declaring that the QNX-based OS is the future.
- jrockway 16y ago
  People keep using the expression "great artists" to refer to a company that makes an out-of-date phone that's only popular because Enterprises can turn the camera off and force users to have a 1 million character password that they have to type before every operation. RIM is not a "great artist". RIM merely does exactly what people with a lot of money tell them to do, and then they charge the people with a lot of money a lot of money. Then they make a lot of money. It's not art. It's business.
  - seltzered 16y ago
    what? I wasn't saying RIM is a "great artist" at all, they're terrible. The quote is supposedly from steve jobs. While I'm writing, my opinion is that the big problem with RIM's tablet is that they didn't think at all about designing hardware that met the enterprises needs, or as you say "people with a lot of money". If they did, they would have made a tablet great at capturing employees thoughts and ideas. My opinion is that this requires two things: 1) A tablet that handles multitouch AND pen input very well (i.e. get n-trig / wacom hardware/licensing for the touchscreen) 2) A tablet that doesn't have a small 7 inch screen. The screen size equivalent to a stenographer's book is 10 inches. It's great for writing down lists of things down.
icegreentea 16y ago
Having played with a Torch... yes, that ad is simulated imagery. Yes, the actual Torch isn't quite as snappy as the ad. But, its almost as snappy as the ad. As in, if you really weren't paying attention, you wouldn't notice. This isn't like the N97 debacle. Granted, Storm sucks. Everyone I know working at RIM admits it. But the Torch is definitely a solid device, with a solid touch interface. I can't speak to the rest. I would like to think that companies showing simulated demos would be truthful in their simulations. In my heart, I really want RIM to be that type of company (their campus is right next to my school). And I think that by and large, they are. That said, there's a long tradition of BlackBerry prototypes being leaked looong before any type of announcement. The Torch (and the clam shell) in some form of the other has been floating around for nearly a year before they were announced.
- joezydeco 16y ago
  I was kind of believing the video until that scene where the guy is taking a picture and rotates the tablet...and the picture rotates, antialiased, in real time.
- mattmcknight 16y ago
  I was just surprised they didn't tuck a keyboard in the Playbook somewhere. That would actually be a differentiator.
mikeknoop 16y ago
The iPad was released 3 months after it was announced. The Playbook, just announced, is not scheduled to ship until 2011 sometime. So it's clear that RIM is not at the same production level Apple was when they announced the iPad. This is likely why no one was allowed to play with it (it's not done yet).
- mattparcher 16y ago
  I up-voted you, but I don’t believe the author is making a claim any different than your own. The title may be hyperbole, but the point is that RIM shouldn’t announce a device if it isn’t done. As many others have noted in previous threads of this discussion, RIM seems desperate, and they (along with the customers they are clearly trying to keep from adopting iPads) have a good deal to lose if the final version doesn’t live up to the hype based on such limited details.
  - joezydeco 16y ago
    I wonder how many corporate IT departments are starting to look at iPad a bit too close for RIM's comfort. Time to drop a little FUD into the mix.
    - angstrom 16y ago
      Corporate IT? Hell, most managers have already gone out and bought themselves one.
      - megablast 16y ago
        Managers are one thing, getting everyone in the company is the next step, and a lot larger number of orders.
        jufemaiz 16y ago
        Apple's Enterprise Management tools are headed into this space. RIM + Microsoft should be very concerned about Apple as much as Android based devices.
j053003 16y ago
It doesn't exist to me either without knowing: (1) the Price, and (2) the projected Battery Life
thought_alarm 16y ago
When you're the one who's first to market with a game-changing device, you announce it as close to ship date as possible. Everyone else announces their me-too products as early as possible to show they're in the game. It's been like that for years now. There are few exceptions. All RIM announced was a roadmap, but it's an interesting one because it includes an entirely new OS and tablet platform that will eventually become the platform for all of their future mobile devices (barring any software engineering disasters). To me, that's a lot more interesting that all these manufactures who rush to market with their 7" Android 2.2 phones and call them "tablets" merely to cash in on the craze.
- InclinedPlane 16y ago
  QNX is not a new platform, it's older than Android and iOS combined. Its use as a specialized tablet / mobile OS is new though.
  - st3fan 16y ago
    Also, I don't think QNX is the platform. For them QNX is the OS layer. But not the platform that you develop against. This is why the dev options are HTML5 and Flash. I bet the third API will be Java based. Like we are used to from RIM.
  - robin_reala 16y ago
    I remember playing with QNX when it was a 'fits on a floppy disc' OS. It’s really not a new kernel.
  - rbanffy 16y ago
    I learned C on QNX in college. 1987 or 88, IIRC. QNX made PC-XTs much more interesting than they were running DOS. Last time I saw it, QNX was quite impressive.
- BinaryAcid 16y ago
  "All RIM announced was a roadmap" Thats not what the CEO said. He didn't say "Announcing the PlayBook Project" or "Announcing the PlayBook Roadmap". He did't even merely say "Announcing the future of BlackBerry". He said and BlackBerry is saying "Announcing The PlayBook" and he walks out on the stage holding the supposed device.
mahmud 16y ago
This is the actual URL of the article. http://www.singularityhacker.com/2010/09/blackberry-playbook-doesnt-exist.html http://www.singularityhacker.com/2010/09/blackberry-playbook...
luminary 16y ago
The author is wrong. Why so serious? It was nothing more than a tease to excite the platform developers. Proper announcement/demo will happen at an appropriate time. - Attended the keynote + currently working at RIM as an intern
- HectorRamos 16y ago
  So have you touched the PlayBook yet? Is the OS actually at that level as of this moment? At least that's what you're implying there by saying you're interning at RIM.
- lovskogen 16y ago
  So it's real?
- rimantas 16y ago
  Why so serious? Because people presenting deviced did not sai "hey, just kidding" at the end of the presentation?
codedivine 16y ago
It should be noted that they announced it at DevCon. Apart from keeping investors happy, the idea was to let the developers know that such a product is coming and to let them know the tools that they can use to develop for it. Its only slightly different from the WP7 announcement. I believe RIM is releasing (or has released) the SDK. The SDK definitely needed to be announced and provided to developers 5-6 months before product hits shelves so I dont see why other people have a problem with it.
tyng 16y ago
RIM used to be creative, BlackBerry devices used to be a game-changer - where did all that innovative thinking go? I like Apple products, but hate to see every other company just following what Apple is doing and not coming up with their own WOW concepts. I mean, the future of mobile devices can't be just the tablets, aren't there any other possibilities? Sorry BlackBerry fans, I can't help but feel distasteful of the PlayBook.
BinaryAcid 16y ago
This story just got picked up by Daring Fireball and ZDNet. http://daringfireball.net/linked/2010/09/30/blackberry-playbook http://daringfireball.net/linked/2010/09/30/blackberry-playb... http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/blackberry-playbook-ill-believe-it-when-i-see-it/39868 http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/blackberry-playbook-ill-believ...

108 points by BinaryAcid 16y ago

"great artists ship" I was having a hard time grasping the fact that they have three problems to manage (OS-wise): evangelizing BB 6.0 (for torch sales), keeping older versions of BlackBerry OS, and now Declaring that the QNX-based OS is the future.

jrockway 16y ago
People keep using the expression "great artists" to refer to a company that makes an out-of-date phone that's only popular because Enterprises can turn the camera off and force users to have a 1 million character password that they have to type before every operation. RIM is not a "great artist". RIM merely does exactly what people with a lot of money tell them to do, and then they charge the people with a lot of money a lot of money. Then they make a lot of money. It's not art. It's business.
- seltzered 16y ago
  what? I wasn't saying RIM is a "great artist" at all, they're terrible. The quote is supposedly from steve jobs. While I'm writing, my opinion is that the big problem with RIM's tablet is that they didn't think at all about designing hardware that met the enterprises needs, or as you say "people with a lot of money". If they did, they would have made a tablet great at capturing employees thoughts and ideas. My opinion is that this requires two things: 1) A tablet that handles multitouch AND pen input very well (i.e. get n-trig / wacom hardware/licensing for the touchscreen) 2) A tablet that doesn't have a small 7 inch screen. The screen size equivalent to a stenographer's book is 10 inches. It's great for writing down lists of things down.

icegreentea 16y ago

Having played with a Torch... yes, that ad is simulated imagery. Yes, the actual Torch isn't quite as snappy as the ad. But, its almost as snappy as the ad. As in, if you really weren't paying attention, you wouldn't notice. This isn't like the N97 debacle. Granted, Storm sucks. Everyone I know working at RIM admits it. But the Torch is definitely a solid device, with a solid touch interface. I can't speak to the rest. I would like to think that companies showing simulated demos would be truthful in their simulations. In my heart, I really want RIM to be that type of company (their campus is right next to my school). And I think that by and large, they are. That said, there's a long tradition of BlackBerry prototypes being leaked looong before any type of announcement. The Torch (and the clam shell) in some form of the other has been floating around for nearly a year before they were announced.

joezydeco 16y ago
I was kind of believing the video until that scene where the guy is taking a picture and rotates the tablet...and the picture rotates, antialiased, in real time.
mattmcknight 16y ago
I was just surprised they didn't tuck a keyboard in the Playbook somewhere. That would actually be a differentiator.

mikeknoop 16y ago

The iPad was released 3 months after it was announced. The Playbook, just announced, is not scheduled to ship until 2011 sometime. So it's clear that RIM is not at the same production level Apple was when they announced the iPad. This is likely why no one was allowed to play with it (it's not done yet).

mattparcher 16y ago
I up-voted you, but I don’t believe the author is making a claim any different than your own. The title may be hyperbole, but the point is that RIM shouldn’t announce a device if it isn’t done. As many others have noted in previous threads of this discussion, RIM seems desperate, and they (along with the customers they are clearly trying to keep from adopting iPads) have a good deal to lose if the final version doesn’t live up to the hype based on such limited details.
- joezydeco 16y ago
  I wonder how many corporate IT departments are starting to look at iPad a bit too close for RIM's comfort. Time to drop a little FUD into the mix.
  - angstrom 16y ago
    Corporate IT? Hell, most managers have already gone out and bought themselves one.
    - megablast 16y ago
      Managers are one thing, getting everyone in the company is the next step, and a lot larger number of orders.
      - jufemaiz 16y ago
        Apple's Enterprise Management tools are headed into this space. RIM + Microsoft should be very concerned about Apple as much as Android based devices.

j053003 16y ago

It doesn't exist to me either without knowing: (1) the Price, and (2) the projected Battery Life

thought_alarm 16y ago

When you're the one who's first to market with a game-changing device, you announce it as close to ship date as possible. Everyone else announces their me-too products as early as possible to show they're in the game. It's been like that for years now. There are few exceptions. All RIM announced was a roadmap, but it's an interesting one because it includes an entirely new OS and tablet platform that will eventually become the platform for all of their future mobile devices (barring any software engineering disasters). To me, that's a lot more interesting that all these manufactures who rush to market with their 7" Android 2.2 phones and call them "tablets" merely to cash in on the craze.

InclinedPlane 16y ago
QNX is not a new platform, it's older than Android and iOS combined. Its use as a specialized tablet / mobile OS is new though.
- st3fan 16y ago
  Also, I don't think QNX is the platform. For them QNX is the OS layer. But not the platform that you develop against. This is why the dev options are HTML5 and Flash. I bet the third API will be Java based. Like we are used to from RIM.
- robin_reala 16y ago
  I remember playing with QNX when it was a 'fits on a floppy disc' OS. It’s really not a new kernel.
- rbanffy 16y ago
  I learned C on QNX in college. 1987 or 88, IIRC. QNX made PC-XTs much more interesting than they were running DOS. Last time I saw it, QNX was quite impressive.
BinaryAcid 16y ago
"All RIM announced was a roadmap" Thats not what the CEO said. He didn't say "Announcing the PlayBook Project" or "Announcing the PlayBook Roadmap". He did't even merely say "Announcing the future of BlackBerry". He said and BlackBerry is saying "Announcing The PlayBook" and he walks out on the stage holding the supposed device.

mahmud 16y ago

This is the actual URL of the article. http://www.singularityhacker.com/2010/09/blackberry-playbook-doesnt-exist.html http://www.singularityhacker.com/2010/09/blackberry-playbook...

luminary 16y ago

The author is wrong. Why so serious? It was nothing more than a tease to excite the platform developers. Proper announcement/demo will happen at an appropriate time. - Attended the keynote + currently working at RIM as an intern

HectorRamos 16y ago
So have you touched the PlayBook yet? Is the OS actually at that level as of this moment? At least that's what you're implying there by saying you're interning at RIM.
lovskogen 16y ago
So it's real?
rimantas 16y ago
Why so serious? Because people presenting deviced did not sai "hey, just kidding" at the end of the presentation?

codedivine 16y ago

It should be noted that they announced it at DevCon. Apart from keeping investors happy, the idea was to let the developers know that such a product is coming and to let them know the tools that they can use to develop for it. Its only slightly different from the WP7 announcement. I believe RIM is releasing (or has released) the SDK. The SDK definitely needed to be announced and provided to developers 5-6 months before product hits shelves so I dont see why other people have a problem with it.

tyng 16y ago

RIM used to be creative, BlackBerry devices used to be a game-changer - where did all that innovative thinking go? I like Apple products, but hate to see every other company just following what Apple is doing and not coming up with their own WOW concepts. I mean, the future of mobile devices can't be just the tablets, aren't there any other possibilities? Sorry BlackBerry fans, I can't help but feel distasteful of the PlayBook.

BinaryAcid 16y ago

This story just got picked up by Daring Fireball and ZDNet. http://daringfireball.net/linked/2010/09/30/blackberry-playbook http://daringfireball.net/linked/2010/09/30/blackberry-playb... http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/blackberry-playbook-ill-believe-it-when-i-see-it/39868 http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/blackberry-playbook-ill-believ...