Staying active in today’s competitive tablet and smartphone markets is far from being uncomplicated and easy. It’s a constant struggle, coupled with sacrifices, hurdles and losses. Take for instance Research in Motion. It failed so much with its Playbook Tablets that it has started another sales campaign just to empty stocks. RIM cut prices on Playbook Tablet at $300.
The sale refers to all Playbook tablet models and while it is a significant discount, it still isn’t much of an incentive. For the same price, users interested in purchasing a tablet, can opt for different producers, which offer more options. Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Tablet S are just two of the best alternatives.
RIM’s discount is a clear sign of despair. The company slashed prices on all models. Even the 64 GB tablet which originally sells for $699,00 is now priced at $299,00, just as the 32 GB model and the 16 GB one.
Last September, RIM pulled out a similar campaign. Best Buy slashed $100 off every model. One month later, RIM was offering a two for one sale on the devices. Finally, in December, RIM had to come to terms with the failure and seemed to throw in the towel. At that point, with all the previous discounts and campaigns, RIM had 970,000 units worth $485 million in its entire tablet inventory.
In the beginning, Playbook seemed to have potential. It sold 500,000 units during its first three months on the market, but ever since then, it all went downhill. Needless to say it is nowhere near what iPad is selling, nor its performances.
If Playbook’s slow performances are not an issue, you can find the tablet on sale in RIM’s online store, at Wal-Mart, Radio Shack and Best Buy. However, do keep in mind that Playbook only support Wi-Fi, has no personal information manager or e-mail and on top of that there’s a little number of applications to choose from.
But RIM isn’t the only one to offer discounts on its tablet. Sony has decided to slash $100 off the price of its S series tablet to boost sales and increase visibility of the brand. So, the 16 GB model starts now at $400, while the 32 GB is priced at $500.
