14 DAY TRIAL // BlackBerry Playbook, the first tablet PC that Canadian mobile phone maker Research in Motion brought to the market, is expected to become very popular next year, being capable to sell over 3 million units in about 12 months.
While being poised for an arguable slow kick off, the slate should enjoy great sales starting with February next year, going all the way to February 2012.
Oppenheimer analyst Ittai Kidron claims that, while RIM won't be able to sell more than 100,000 PlayBook units in the fourth quarter of its fiscal year, ending February 28th, the company would enjoy increased sales for the slate in the next four quarters.
By the end of fiscal year 2012, ended on February 2012, the company is expected to have sold over 3.3 million PlayBook units, with 3.2 million of them being moved during the 12 months period starting with 1st of March 2011.
“If executed properly, the PlayBook could help RIM defend its enterprise leadership against intensifying competition from Apple, Android and WP7,” the analyst stated, according to a recent article on ZDNet.
“With that said, much uncertainty remains and we’re not convinced RIM has successfully addressed its competitive smartphone gaps,” he continues.
It seems that the RIM tablet PC would have some key factors on its side to compete against rival solutions, including the loyalty of its increasing number of BlackBerry users, who will choose the PlayBook over other slates on the market, even if they might be more appealing.
At the same time, the lower price tag at which RIM would supposedly have the slate on shelves next year should help it better compete against Android devices, or against Apple's iPad.
While projections are as optimistic as they can be, it still remains to be seen whether RIM's device would indeed be a match to the tablet PCs that other companies are expected to launch on shelves next year.