RIM is about to launch their new product, Playbook, which will go head to head in a much heated battle with Apple’s iPad. RIM was very strategic in waiting for the iPad to be first released before they marketed their Playbook. RIM waited and observed the drawbacks of the iPad, for example the inability to install JAVA, and made it one of their key features. Blackberry has a legacy of slow processors in their phones. They are using the Playbook to redefine their brand.
Despite the overwhelming threat of substitutes (computers, netbooks and the iPad), the Playbook has stormed up much publicity and anxiousness. The rivalry in the market may be hard to overcome, however by differentiating their product, and waiting for a whole year after the iPad to sell their product, they will be able to capture some consumer’s interests and improve the features engraved in the iPad.