Can Microsoft or RIM come out with an iPad killer?
Microsoft and Research In Motion are going to be pushing out iPad-like devices in the near future. Will this delay your iPad purchasing plans?
At the Microsoft Financial Analyst meeting yesterday, CEO Steve Ballmer said, “They’ll be shipping as soon as they are ready. And it is job one urgency around here. Nobody is sleeping at the switch.” He was, of course, speaking about Microsoft’s planned rival to the iPad. Meanwhile, more news is emerging about Waterloo-based Research In Motion’s plans for a tablet – from Bloomberg:
Research In Motion Ltd., maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, plans to introduce a tablet computer in November to compete with Apple Inc.’s iPad, according to two people familiar with the company’s plans. The device will have roughly the same dimensions as the iPad, which has a 9.7-inch diagonal screen, said the two people who wouldn’t be identified because the plans haven’t been made public. The device will include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technology that will allow people to connect to the Internet through their BlackBerry smartphones, the two people said. RIM is racing to come out with a product to rival the iPad in the fast-growing market for devices that bridge the gap between smartphones and notebook computers.
Interestingly, RIM purchased the BlackPad.com domain a on 8 July (a tip of the hat to Greg Kumparak at MobileCrunch for this snippet of information – and to his tipster, the mysterious Mr. Canada!). Coincidence, or is BlackPad really the name of RIM’s iPad alternative? Time will tell!
What do you think: can either Microsoft or RIM produce an iPad killer? And, if you’ve been debating whether or not to splash out on a iPad, will this news cause you to delay your decision for a few months?
Would not be hard to better this but why bother this is just a young kids toy and totally unpractical and overpriced. Anyone with half a brain would buy a laptop at way less money and be far better off.
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John, I am thinking very seriously about just that, retiring my BB Storm and going back to my desktop replacement laptop with all the bells and whistles. That can do whatever it is that needs doing including Skyping while away from the office, home or away on business. Obviously, I never gave up my laptop but the smart phone has not other than e-mail, really been as effective an office tool, as I would have hoped.
I really do not think that I want an MS-Pad of any kind and RIM has dropped the ball several times while watching the general market erode from under their feet. They need to become more focused on serving the business population better. Listen to us their customers and deal with our values not the values of high school and university kids. That being said the iPhone has some great features, like FaceTime for those of us who travel, then again Laptop and Skype from wherever.
Hey you guys are missing it.
Apple has a multi-year head start on RIM or Microsoft. Do you think while they are getting their first tentative ipad clone to market Apple is not already back at the drawing board out smarting them yet again with version 2? apple had already set the pace.
I just got my first iphone (4) It has me more convinced than ever that the ipad is a more elegant interface than the clunky keyboard.
Besides all that the potential is there for apple to create an entirely new type of rich media: Text/hyperlinks/audiobook/pictures. Kindle by comparison is one dimensional.
Apple is nothing short of a brilliant. While WINTEL was tollerating apple as a niche player, Jobs was busy with his vision. and now? The are rightly terrified! apple won’t make their mistake.
The antennae deal was totally overblown and possibley an attempt to slow down an opponent they couldn’t catch up to.
If apple was to buy AT&T they could consolidate and wipe out RIM and other late commers. I sure some lawmaker would stop them.
Isn’t it amazing how the Apple enthusiasts never know how to spell or write. What does that tell yo about their user base?
* you :)
Most Apple lovers don’t wait and think about their purchases.They buy them as soon as they are on the market.I doubt that Microsoft is far from making something better and competition is good for the consumer.
I couldn’t agree more. In part it’s because Apple is retard-friendly and the buying frenzy of retards leads to overpriced doo-dads.
All of this is meh to me. Ipad is cool but unpractical so I imagine the blackberry version to be much of the same. I rant about the ipad on my blog (link attached)
Meh on ipad or its competitors. Its a bigger screen and that’s about the only thing good about it from an iphone or its competitors like htc and sony erricssons. I prefer the android ones myself, I wouldn’t pay for another microsoft hardware ever.
It will be too late for the apple competitors to catch up and by then apple will have another new product in the store near you. Rim and Microsoft have lost because they snooze and are not innovative or even fast enough to think a head of a new product to win back apple’s customer.
See what I mean?
Like a few said, WINTEL are late to the gates ! Jobs has dreams and he makes them real.
And don’t forget Gates no longer at MS, so dreams of new products well are rare.
It’s the sweet revenge of Apple on MS.
And then there are the giddy retards…
Like i said before apple are teen marketeers. Most adults have already worked out that for that price you can buy a laptop with a 15″ screen and a phone too.
I’m still looking for the problem that I need to solve for which an iPad is the solution.
I think iPad is great. I just got one today and I love it. For RIM, I don’t think I ever want to go near there. I always had an impression that Canadian can’t produce any good products and their technology is very backwards. I never like any of the Blackberry’s phone. Even a Nokia phone is way better that a Blackberry.