Yahoo Finance PlayBook update a good start, but more needed for RIM
In baseball as in business, a rally begins with just one hit. And as much as that hit can be a turning point in the game, nothing much else happens unless it's followed, immediately, by a series of other hits. And, hopefully, actual runs.
That's where Research In Motion finds itself as it soaks in the first piece of really good news it's had in well over a year. The launch of PlayBook OS 2.0, the company's long-awaited operating system update for its nearly stillborn tablet computer, has successfully erased much of the feature deficit that plagued the device from the moment it was launched last April.
The mobile messaging pioneer no longer has to explain why its flagship tablet lacks basic messaging capabilities, as it now includes a native email client along with equally critical scheduling and contact management capabilities. The new OS also adds a raft of new connectivity options for users who also own a BlackBerry. The smartphone can now serve as a remote control for the larger device, and users can seamlessly move content from their phone to the tablet for easier reading.
But make no mistake, the current hardware powered by a new operating system is an updated baseline at best. RIM's work is just getting started as it works to get itself back in the game on both the tablet and smartphone fronts. Here's a quick rundown of some of the key milestones it'll need to hit, and soon:
Add BBM. BlackBerry Messenger is arguably the killer app for BlackBerry users, many of whom stay with the platform solely because it connects them with their network of BBM users. If its omission from the first PlayBook iteration was stunningly curious, its omission from version 2.0 is approaching ridiculous. While instant messaging from a tablet isn't as likely a scenario as doing the same from a smartphone, it's important nonetheless for vendors to offer users the choice. Apple's Messages application runs on all iOS devices, including iPhones and iPads, and has just been released for Macs, as well. RIM needs to add BBM to its BlackBerry. A desktop client for Windows and Macs shouldn't be far behind.
New hardware. Almost a year after launch, the PlayBook's spec sheet remains impressive, with a fast, dual-core processor, an innovative touch-sensitive bezel, impressive memory management and full-HD video recording and output. But consumers don't care: in technology-dog years, it's ancient. And despite being lighter than the iPad — thanks largely to its smaller 7-inch form factor — it's a little chunky around the middle. RIM hasn't announced a roadmap for a hardware refresh, but it should. The tablet needs to be slimmer, with the kind of industrial design that people covet. RIM also needs to bring new hardware to market on, at minimum, a 12-month cycle. Without it, RIM disappears in the Apple buzz blizzard every time a new iPad appears. Which happens next month.
Extend beyond Wi-Fi. The ability to tether to a BlackBerry to access 3G networks without incurring additional carrier charges remains one of the PlayBook's great unsung features. But virtually every other vendor now has at least one 3G — and even 4G — offering. Wi-Fi-only devices simply won't survive side-by-side comparison on retail shelves, and as part of its hardware roadmap, RIM needs to offer native-3G/4G alternatives. It'll be a fringe player until it does.
Fix the app store. There's no nice way to say it: The App World online store has been a dog since the day it first bowed. To be fair, it's a lousy storefront for both BlackBerrys and PlayBooks, but it stings a little harder for tablet owners. Until users have an easy way to find, download and manage applications on their device, they'll stay away in droves. Android titles are a nice addition, but frustrated users faced with a clunky app store will simply give up looking. And while RIM is at it, a tangible change to developer relations wouldn't hurt, as every effort to-date to boost the number and quality of app titles has failed. It's time for a different approach.
Permanently seal the price. Sales spiked when RIM sliced pricing from the $500-to-$700 range to just under $200 for the basic 16Gb model. The PlayBook is a tough sell at its original price point, but is possibly the industry's best value in the $200 range. Loss-leader pricing won't boost the bottom line now, but given the fact that they'll never sell at full price, anyway, a tangible value pricing strategy will let RIM play in a place Apple will never go as it boosts the installed base.
As much as the new OS gets RIM back in the game, it's only one step on a sustained path back to relevance. The roadmap needs a succession of hits before RIM comes close to evening the score.
Carmi Levy is a London, Ont.-based independent technology analyst and journalist. The opinions expressed are his own. carmilevy@yahoo.ca
