BlackBerry PlayBook 2: 10 Reasons Why This Tablet Will Fail

Research In Motion finds itself in a disconcerting position. On one hand, it has a huge business that will need to continue to churn out mobile products to keep its people employed and its customers satisfied. But on the other hand, its products are losing their appeal in the marketplace, and so far, even with a new CEO in Thorsten Heins, the mobile firm has no ability to turn things around. Investors, analysts and even employees are concerned that RIM’s future is dour, at best.

A key component in RIM’s failures lately is its poor performance in the tablet space. Tablet sales are expected to explode in the coming years, and RIM doesn’t have the device—the BlackBerry PlayBook—to capitalize on that boom.

Now, reports are swirling, claiming the company will launch a new version of its tablet sometime this year. Details on the device are slim at this point, but chances are, it’ll ship with BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, the latest version of the company’s tablet software, which launched Feb. 21. It’s also quite likely the tablet will focus heavily on enterprise customers.

Still, its chances of succeeding are slim, at best. The BlackBerry PlayBook 2 will fail. Miserably.

1. Look at the first version

In order for future tablets to succeed, their predecessors must sell well. Unfortunately for RIM, its BlackBerry PlayBook is having a tough time on store shelves. And those that bought the device haven’t been so impressed. Given that, how can RIM expect its next tablet to succeed?

2. The enterprise doesn’t care

RIM said last year when it launched the BlackBerry PlayBook that it was trying to appeal to the enterprise. There’s just one issue: The enterprise doesn’t care about the device. When the BlackBerry PlayBook 2 launches, it too will try to target enterprise users, and they’ll likely turn their backs.

3. Consumers really don’t care

If the enterprise is ignoring the BlackBerry PlayBook, consumers are really against the device. Right now, only Apple’s iPad, the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Samsung Galaxy Tabs are successful. Beyond that, consumers couldn’t care less about the tablets on store shelves. That’s bad news for RIM—and it’s even worse news for its next PlayBook.

4. RIM seems ready to sell

After all the turmoil RIM has faced over the last several months and its declining stock price weighing heavily on investors’ minds, the company seems closer than ever to selling off its hardware business. If and when that happens, it’ll make it even harder for the next PlayBook to succeed.

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