Desktops and Notebooks: Apple iPad vs. RIM PlayBook Could Be Real Title Fight

Research In Motion's upcoming PlayBook tablet, its BlackBerry-themed competitor to the Apple iPad, is aimed first and foremost at the enterprise market. But given RIM's recent focus on consumers—as evidenced by the BlackBerry Torch 9800 and shiny BlackBerry 6 OS—it wouldn't be too far a stretch to assume the company has designs on the consumer tablet market as well. While significant details about the PlayBook remain scarce, including a price point and definitive release date, the tablet does boast some features that will make it a serious competitor: Adobe Flash support, front- and rear-facing cameras for video conferencing, the ability to sync with users' BlackBerry smartphones, and multitasking and multimedia capabilities. The leveraging of BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry Enterprise Server could appeal heavily to those enterprise users who want a business tablet but haven't taken the plunge with the Apple iPad. For consumers, though, it might come down to the ecosystem. Apple offers a wide variety of content—from apps to games to music and movies—through its online storefront. One of RIM's tasks will be to encourage third-party designers, and score the right content deals, that will allow it to compete on that level.