Well played RIM; Your move Microsoft!

September 28, 2010 | By rush24

Of all the companies I ever thought would a make bold move, RIM never crossed my mind as one. I had heard rumors of the firm coming out with a tablet but never really thought that it would happen. The introduction of the Blackberry Playbook yesterday put that to rest and with it, anteed up the stakes that Microsoft has to tackle and no, I don’t think the HP slate or a full Windows 7 tablet is up to par.

The Playbook has all the dream specs of a tablet I wrote a about long time ago that Microsoft should build and the only thing that would hold it back is the user experience. RIM has a huge brand following in the enterprise and this tablet, IMHO, puts the brakes on any rapid encroachment that the iPad or any Android tablet may have had in that space. Sure, some companies may still move to the Apple and Google offerings but, companies already invested in the RIM infrastructure now have a viable alternative that satisfies all their security and enterprise needs. The two upstarts still have along way to go in that area and the only other player who could make a credible challenge, Microsoft, is nowhere to be found.

Microsoft’s plans of using full Windows 7 on a tablet are just bone-headed and I hope they realize that sooner rather than later. A tablet needs above all to have great battery life which the Playbooks will most likely have (they have a great reputation in this) and a touch based user experience built from the ground up and not as add-on. I have never really cared for the BB OS, even newest version 6.0, but I think they have done enough with the new QNX version on the tablet to make most of their loyal users happy. With the smart move of seamless pairing with BB phones and standard micro-usb and micro-HDMI ports, the playbook will surely find a place in a lot of consumers hearts. The hardware specs are also high enough to meet any challenges for the next year or two.

What is funny and I must say sad to watch, are the usual critics write the device off because the “iPad 2 will be out soon and Android 3 will conquer all!” What they fail to see is that RIM has just given their sizeable base a reason to pause and not consider an iPad, an Android tablet or for that matter anything from Microsoft and gives the time to become relevant in the tablet space. For all the handwringing from the so called experts about the demise or decline of RIM, they are in fact growing in sales and will be a formidable competitor for a long time.

What I hope we see from Microsoft during their October 11th event is their plan and hopefully a device for the tablet market that runs on a modified Widows Phone 7 UI. They have insisted in the past that it is not the direction they are willing to take, but I am afraid that it they don’t, they will face the same problem of being late in the game like they did with the smartphones. It is a costly mistake that I hope they don’t repeat. The tablet (Microsoft’s) does not have to all the features right out of the gate just like WP7, but, it will give their loyal users like me, a reason to wait instead of jumping to alternative options just like Mary-Jo Foley did with an iPad because she could not find good option from Microsoft.

So again, well played RIM, what will your answer be Microsoft?

About Rush24

Rush24 loves everything Microsoft and is fascinated by the influence of technology in everyday life.

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Tagged android, blackberry, ipad, playbook, slate, tablet

Rick Morayniss

The one item missing is timeline. While RIM states 1st quarter 2011, which in reality is potentaly over 6 months away before introduction. Then comes testing for company integration, so in reality, 1 year before integration. Whether it be Ms, Google, or RIM, if they wish to compete with the Ipad, vapourware is not needed, actual hardware is.
GP007

I don't think, knowing RIM, that it'll run half as good as that video makes it seem it will. Guess we'll know at some point in 2011 though.

And really, if a OEM wanted to make a tablet no one is stopping them from using something like Windows Compact 7, which is basically WP7 without the UI + other things. I know people would like Metro UI on a tablet, I'd like it as well, but I don't think MS is in any rush to take on tablets just yet when it's not finished with it's phone OS even.

There's no rush to this you know, there is no "late to the game" BS for tablets either, just like phones. MS will have a reply for this soon'ish I expect, Q1 2011 I'd bet, after WP7 is out and selling well.
PaddyParker

Out of curosity, Does anyone know of a reason why a device manufacturer couldn't license WP7 and stick it on a tablet form? Does that violate the chassis rules or Microsofts WP7 license agreement?

Regardless, I think you'll see some form of WP7 on a tablet form factor within the next 6 months.
http://twitter.com/adamzea @adamzea

Why does it have to have great battery life? Are you really going to be using it for 10 hours per day and carrying it everywhere you go?
I love my HP TouchSmart TM2 Windows 7 Tablet PC. Much more useful than this or the iPad since it can run real programs like Office 2010 and Adobe CS5. OneNote 2010 is awesome on a Windows 7 Tablet! The handwritting recognition is pretty important for many people, too. Here's a look at Windows 7's touch UI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBtEhQqS1dw
danielm

I want a Microsoft Courier Booklet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmIgNfp-MdI
P. Douglas

I certainly hope MS comes out with a fresh, compelling, through and through touch UI for Windows. MS will have to compete against the iPad, the Samsung Tab, and the Blackberry Playbook, by providing a great UI / UX as well.
Blacked_Out

Given the minimum requirements manufacturers have to abide by for their smartphone to run WP7, I'm pretty sure you won't be allowed to do that.

I think a decent CE7 OS should present itself with time.
GP007

Yes, WP7 as it is, is licensed only for use on specific device chassis which all happen to be phones, not tablets. Just give it time, we'll see a CE7/Compact 7 tablet OS for sure. MS just has to take the extra step and make a specific UI for it like they did with the phone. Then make it compatible with WP7 apps, which would be easy, and they're set.
GP007

The Samsung tab has an insane price tag though, from what I remember, and doesn't it just use more or less the same old Android UI?

I really don't think it's hard for MS to come up with a UI that can outdo those, they just have to get the OEMs behind it as well. First things first though, and that's to get WP7 out and selling.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=746307628 Ricardo Dawkins

What fucks does I need a tablet for ?
My kids are getting a netbook way before they get any of these overpriced toys
http://www.facebook.com/J88NYR Jonny Rose

Playbook… for enterprise… Hmmm good name choice
efjay

MS could just as well develop a better UI for Windows 7 specifically for tablets, maybe even WP7 styled so even if you got it without any mods it would still be usable but have all the power of the OS, then you could have OEM's place their own skins on top. Tie in a marketplace for WP7 applications, which can be rewritten with minimal changes and you have a solid offering. But does anyone actually see MS doing anything tangible in this space till Q4 2011? They insist on using Windows 7 which as it is has to be heavily skinned but enen then it only goes so far. Only until they reach a situation similar to WM, when they start losing PC marketshare will they take this seriously.
rush24

The battery life matters because it adds the convenience of not having to carry a charger wherever a person goes. I have an HP laptop that barely lasts 3 hours and I hate being tethered to a wall outlet. I know there are laptops that last longer but that means a larger capacity battery which means more weight. A full WP7 tablet is good and viable for small amount of users like your video (which I like by the way) proves, but for the general populace, I still believe a ground-up touch based OS/UI like WP& is the way to go. Native handwriting recognition would be the main addition together with a fully featured OneNote re-written for the tablet.
I still do not understand the notion about a tablet running "real" applications, that niche has already been taken care of by devices like your HP TouchSmart TM2. The tablet I'm taking about will satisfy the need for at least 90% of the users while being more capable than an iPad in terms of features all wrapped up in user friendly Metro user interface.
chinch

how is this "well played"? A totally foreign OS and who knows what programming tools that might ship in 6 months but maybe not?

In the meantime Windows 7 OS tablets can ship much earlier with 100% more usefulness.

ROTFLMAO.
efjay

Its well played because another industry player has entered the tablet market with a compettitive looking device while MS has no similar offering. Windows 7 tablets may be more capable in running desktop applications but it seems this is not what the majority of tablet users today want to do. And to be honest there is currently no Windows 7 tablet that offers the kind of usability shown by the playbook or the ipad.
sync1

MS always late to show
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001452991690 WhoiamisnotImportant Mclaurin

I dont know about the rest of you guys but im saving up for the EXOPC thatll be releasing to forum (I am) members Oct 15. You can pre-order one so as long as youre a member. If you havent seen the youtube vids i advise you to checkem out. I dont want a crippled OS (iOS/Android). Full blown W7 FTW!
chinch

Get a grip.

iPad is a large iPod touch. Perhaps even much too large (7" would have been more useful than 10" really for a tablet).

Like early netbooks running Linux the market can and will shift as mass-market comes into play.

another industry player announced futureware… not a shipping product. not "currently" available. Yawn.
chinch

Get a grip.

iPad is a large iPod touch. Perhaps even much too large (7" would have been more useful than 10" really for such a limited non-pc tablet).

Like early netbooks running Linux the market can and will shift as mass-market comes into play.

another industry player announced futureware… not a shipping product. not "currently" available. Yawn.
efjay

So the ipad is a large ipod. Has that stopped sales? Has that made it any less popular? Its sold millions already, where are the Windows 7 tablets, and even when they arrive will they sell as many? Get a grip you say, I say face reality. Devices like the ipad, Playbook will dominate the market because of user friendliness, consumer demand and a strong ecosystem behind them. Microsoft's strategy with multiple Windows 7 tablets wearing custom skins with differing levels of capability is not going to see them as a big player in this market.
maxxorz

The only reason people are buying it is because consumers are sheep, and will buy whatever is the most popular. Just because it's popular, doesn't mean it's the best, or needed. It just means that someone said it's needed, and people believed him. Why anyone would mistake that for value is beyond me.
efjay

Yes they are sheep, doesnt change the fact that the proportion of people buying Windows based tablets is miniscule in comparison. Fact is the sheep have the buying power to influence trends. And lets not forget, MS has been doing tablets for years but here we are again with a competitor leaving them in the dust and again MS has to come from behind to regain market and mindshare. Wouldnt it be nice for once for MS to actually be the leader instead of the follower? There is no doubt that Windows 7 is superior but why doesnt MS move to capture both the desktop AND tablet markets? Making a more finger-friendly UI for Windows 7 tablets removes 95% of the complaints against Windows and gives people the power, eye-candy and productivity of Windows all in one. But if the attitude continues to be that stock Windows is good enough we will continue to see sales going to non-Windows platforms.
http://twitter.com/chmun77 @chmun77

Nice concept and CG. But can it really perform that well? We have to wait and see….
chinch

Playbook will be DOA unless it's like $299 and even then it will be "palm-like" in geek hype and market fail. There will be touch win7 netbooks that make it look stupid later THIS year.

iPad sales are good but 1Mil units is not much relatively speaking. Especially for a new toy that is eating into apple laptop sales mostly. Tablet trends & sales are at their absolute infancy. Much like smartphones but poised to sell way, way, way less.
http://www.jimtravis.com/wordpress jimtravis

Not disagreeing with your opinion, but an important factor to consider is the impact of mainstream advertising. Yes, the iPad is selling well (I have one), but have you seen any mainstream advertising for any other tablet? It is hard to watch network TV for an evening without seeing multiple iPad commercials, I must pass a half dozen lighted kiosks advertising iPads on the way home from downtown, and the main stream news media gives Apple what amounts to free ads every time Apple announces a new iOS product, and then again when it is actually available. I have yet to see another tablet advertised on network TV, or see a lighted kiosk ad. The Best Buy that is convenient for me is also within a short distance of about 100K college students in Boston. Even though that BB has a large laptop section, not one tablet, or convertible other than the iPad. Android phones did not start their meteoric rise until a large mainstream ad campaign for Android phones was implemented. Prior to that, the non-tech public only saw the iPhone of iPod touch doing web surfing, etc.,, so that is what they bought. Same for the iPad, the only ads they see since they don't visit tech blogs are for the iPad plus its magical (according to Apple), slim, and shiny.

Assuming the top tier Android based tablets receive similar mainstream ads as we now see for Andorid phones, it will be interesting to see if the same sales success follows. As an owner of the iPad, I find it is a bit too bulky, and cumbersome to carry around all day. A 7" tablet, Android, Apple or WM, would be a better fit for me.

Concerning the Ul elements on Windows 7. Every version of Windows I can remember has a built-in WYSIWYG editor to change the size of just about every UI element to a size comfortable for your fingers rather than the one size fits all of the iPad. I change the UI element size on my non-touch Windows as well because it is easier to select with a mouse. The first change I make on any Wintel machine is increase the width of the scroll bar. Using the standard scroll bar navigation technique of a quick touch below the thumbpad accurately scrolls down one page vs. the inaccurate, albeit cool looking, flick scrolling which gets old for me after about three flicks. Again, this is a built-in feature, not a registry hack.

Just an additional opinion, while respecting other opinions.