No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

Waaaay back at CES in January, Sprint and RIM announced that they were cooking up a version of the BlackBerry Playbook that played friendly with Sprint’s 4G network. And then… nothing. Months went by, with nary a mention from either of the companies involved.

Alas, it looks like the Sprint 4G Playbook will be buried before it’s even born. Blaming a “lack of demand from business customers” (read: everybody who wants a tablet right now probably already has an iPad or a Xoom), Sprint has killed off plans to launch the device.

It’s unclear whether or not RIM will go on to sell a Sprint-friendly version of the tablet themselves, though it seems rather unlikely. Selling CDMA phones without the carrier’s support is tough enough — but an ultra niche object like a half-baked enterprise-focused tablet? Blyeck.

As the Wall Street Journal points out, this.. isn’t good news for RIM. Sprint was the one major carrier who was willing to back the Playbook — neither AT&T or Verizon wanted to have anything to do with it. While Sprint still offers the WiFi only version of the tablet, it doesn’t seem like they’re planning to stick by the Playbook for much longer. Nail, meet coffin.

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

And this should not come as a surprise to anyone.

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

Yep. Unfortunate as I think the PlayBook is a great idea. But then there is the problem... I want a great BlackBerry tablet, not a tablet that could be great some time in the future.

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

One of the toughest words in the language is "potential". I think the PlayBook has potential. I realize others love it. I think it has potential.

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

I predicted the Playbook would flop from the moment I heard it was in development.

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

Quite the oracle.
I'll remember to ask you before my next technology purchase.
NOT.

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

Problem with RIM is, they simply don't understand the market. They did 5 years ago, but we have all moved on, RIM hasn't. The 2 stooges at the helm are the problem, time for a change.

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

I agree. I am more excited about what it could do than what it does today.

I'm a Seattle Mariner fan. I have had first-hand expereince with the toughness of "potential" every spring since 1976.

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

Browsing around, I read that RIM cancelled the WiMax Playbook.
That ranks as a Who Cares moment. WiMax has no legs. Or funding.

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

I'm sure some Sprint users would disagree with you.

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

Sprint is way too busy blasting the AT&T/T-Mobile merger (we know how well Sprint handles mergers, ask any Nextel customer) and they don't have the funds to complete the WiMax rollout. They continue to lose their best (postpaid/contract) customers and are marketing to more prepaid customers which are less profitable.

You haven't switched to Sprint, have you? You fickle consumer..

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

I'm not a tablet user myself but I have a PB for work.

This device has some great potential and I think half of RIM's problem is gettin developers on board.

Maybe developers see low user numbers and don't see it as a money making platform, maybe it's the development process and legal stuff... I don't know.

Playbook is great but the release was poor, the updates coming 'later on' are still not here, and now the 3G and 4G versions are not even going to make it to market because nobody cares.

They just took way too long to provide the needed features to make it a really nice device software and feature wise.

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

Sprint has already said they're moving to LTE. I'm considering a PlayBook, but WiFi-only like my iPad.

What concerns me about the PlayBook is the reliance on a tethered (or "Bridged") BlackBerry to get email. This smacks of the Palm Foleo, which was cancelled on the eve of it's launch.

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

If you need access to exchange, yeah it's a bit of an annoyance.

gmail or anything web based works pretty well, and even outlook web access works fairly well so I'd say the 'reliance' isn't so bad.

It would be lovely to see this promised feature... they're at least 30 days (business days) late on this.

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

Rambo I share those sentiments. I only buy WiFi only devices (and use a MiFi like device) and think the reliance on bridged-only email is a fatal flaw which hasn't been corrected...

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

RIM has been promising stand-alone email for the PlayBook for some time now but it's still MIA.

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

The rumour mill keeps saying they are trying to use their PIN based push mail delivery system but have to make significant changes. I suspect that if they rolled out a POP3/IMAP client most people would be happy with that.

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

At BlackBerry World this year (first week of May) Mike L. stood up and said the PlayBook would have an email client in 60 days.

Obviously he didn't mean 60 days from then.....

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

Hopefully he didn't mean Biblical days.

It's one thing to be out of touch with consumers, which I don't really mind. But out of touch with your own company?

It's hard not to be embarrassed for him.

Re: No Sprint 4G Playbook - no demand
 

RIM scrapped the playbook 2... Look in the BB News forum

A.