14 DAY TRIAL // The BlackBerry PlayBook was expected to be a huge success, but it turned out to be only a failure. The tablet was expected to sell in over 6 million units throughout 2011, but it moved less than one million since its launch.
However, it appears that interest in the device grew significantly during the past few days, and that it managed to become the top-selling tablet at two large retailers, Future Shop and Best Buy.
On its Twitter account, RIM announced that the tablet PC managed to become the top selling device at these retailers this week.
“News! Best Buy informed us that #BlackBerry #PlayBook was their TOP selling tablet last week,” the leading mobile phone maker announced.
Last week, the BlackBerry PlayBook received an update to OS 2.0, and this might have been one of the reasons for which users found it so appealing.
Another important factor might have been the device’s price tag. The tablet has been heavily discounted lately, going down to only $199.99 (151 Euros) for the 16GB flavor.
The 32GB and 64GB models have been discounted as well, now being priced at only $249.99 (190 Euros) and $299.99 (230 Euros), respectively.
At the same time, the fact that Android applications are also available for the tablet PC might have determined more users to choose the device over rival products.
For those out of the loop, we should note that the tablet PC features a 7" HD capacitive screen with multi-touch, a dual-core application processor inside, a 5-megapixel photo snapper on the back, and a 3MP camera on the front.
At the moment, the device runs under the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, which features a built-in unified inbox, as well as a built-in contacts app with fast access to social networking updates and video calling.
The device also offers multitasking capabilities, as well as access to a wide range of applications available via the BlackBerry App World.