Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Will size matter? BlackBerry launches smaller PlayBook to take on iPad in battle of the tablets

The iPad suddenly has a game on.Or at least that's what computer giant BlackBerry hopes consumers will think when its new PlayBook tablet goes on sale in the UK tomorrow.Blackberry is pitching the tablet against Apple's hugely successful iPad model - believing that its smaller size and ability to connect to a BlackBerry for emails will win over new customers.The PlayBook has a seven-inch screen, compared with 9.7 inches for Apple's iPad2.Experts think the smallness is the key. Luke Peters, editor of T3 magazine, told the London Evening Standard: 'The PlayBook is one of the few tablets that has clear, attractive differentiation from the iPad because of its size.'However, he believes the new gadget - 250,000 of which have already been sold in the U.S and Canada - is unlikely to be able to compete with the huge number of apps on the market for Apple’s tablet. Last week Apple revealed that more than 65,000 are available for the iPad, although it can also run iPhone apps. 'It will need to compete with Apple’s powerful digital ecosystems — iTunes and the App Store — which are gaining momentum and popularity by the day,' Mr Peters said.

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