BlackBerry PlayBook Likely Out in April for $499
Research in Motion has been quiet about the price and release date of its upcoming BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, but a leaked image from the Office Depot database may have spilled the beans.
The image sent in by an anonymous tipster shows the PlayBook will be listed at $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version. The release date information is a little less precise. Office Depot says the PlayBook will be in stores in "Week 17," which translates to somewhere between April 24 and April 30. Still, that significantly narrows down the release date possibilities.
The price is exciting simply because it marks the first major tablet (that's not the iPad) to hit the $500 mark. We've been disappointed by $600 Galaxy Tabs and $800 Motorola Xooms, and it's clear that the only way to compete with the iPad is to come closer to the base iPad price of $500.
The PlayBook has the same 16GB, Wi-Fi-only characteristics that the cheapest iPad has, but it also must be tied to a BlackBerry phone to have full functionality . That means it still might be a hard sell to all but current BlackBerry smartphone owners, despite the competitive price.
