iPad 2 vs. Playbook

Many people are highly anticipating the announcement and subsequent release of the Apple iPad 2 and the Blackberry Playbook. Personally, I've been looking at the specs of both and have been deliberating over which one I will buy when they come out.

The Playbook

On September 27, 2010, Research in Motion announced their upcoming tablet: the Playbook. The Playbook specs are detailed on the Blackberry website. Here are a few of the most appealing aspects of the tablet:
          -Adobe Flash Web Support
          -Dual HD Video Cameras
          -Business Appeal

While it is nice that the Playbook will support Adobe Flash websites, there has been a recent shift to HTML-5 over the years, which will eliminate the need for the "crash-happy" Flash. The Playbook will have a 1 Ghz Dual-Core processor and 1 GB of RAM.

While Blackberry advertises a "Rich application ecosystem," recent rumours have stated that Research in Motion is desperate for developers, looking for new apps to be supported on the tablet. In regards to the cameras, the iPhone 4 currently holds the same resolutions: 3 megapixels in the front and 5 megapixels in the back. However, according to recent Apple rumours, the iPad 2 will have only a 1 megapixel rear-facing camera.

While some claim that Blackberry is the "phone for businesses," it seems that many company CEOs have made the switch to the iPhone for its reliability and service.

Though all of these features sound great, consumers are beginning to wonder if the device even exists, deeming it "vaporware." On September 27, 2010, Research in Motion introduced the Blackberry Playbook in a keynote. Since that time, they have announced two more tablets, the Playbook 4G and the Playbook 4G LTE, without ever producing the original. The media are eating up these new innovations, but none of them seem to have asked the most obvious question: "Where are they?!" I, as well as tons of others, agree with the popular tech website The Loop when I say, "RIM Shut Up and Ship!"


iPad 2

Though many expected the iPad 2 to be announced on February 9th, after a set of highly escalated rumours, the announcement date still remains unclear. It seems that Blackberry, with their "vaporware" has not even phased Apple in their creation of the iPad 2. To me, the extremely premature announcement of the Playbook was just a ploy to make Apple ship their new product much earlier than planned, which would take away from their Verizon iPhone hype as well as current iPad sales. That desperate attempt to get into the tablet market has failed so far.

The iPad 2 is rumoured to have front– and rear-facing cameras as well as FaceTime and NFC technology. It is also thought to be gaining a USB-port, but according to reports that the new iPad will be thinner than its predecessor, it seems unlikely that the USB will become a reality (the current iPad can barely fit one). We can also expect expanded battery life as well as an upgraded display – but not the much expected Retina display that is currently on the iPhone 4. Remember, though, all of the iPad 2 specs are merely rumours at this stage.

The new iPad will also come, as with all iDevices, with Apple's impeccable customer service and support.

After a long and drawn-out thinking process (and Blackberry's inability to return any of my tweets), I have decided to stick with Apple in the fight for the tablet market. It's pro's outweigh the pro's of the Blackberry Playbook – especially in the sense that the iPad 2 will actually be coming out eventually!