Tablet wars: UAE gears up for iPad Vs Playbook

With iPad 2 now easily available in the UAE market and the Playbook also making its entry into the country, consumers are gearing up for the battle in the tablet section.

According to retailers, the tablet war will now officially be on but only time will tell which one will steal the show. The most interesting development that can be felt in the market is that playbook is getting a much warmer response than anticipated. The pioneer in the market may just have to face stiffer competition from the new entrant.

“The core difference between the iPad 2, BlackBerry PlayBook and Motorola Xoom is the operating system, apps available, form factor and overall user experience. The iPad is running on Apple’s iOS operating system, whereas the PlayBook is using BlackBerry’s latest version of OS, which has been especially developed for tablets and the Xoom will be using Google’s latest version of Android, version 3.0, also known as Honeycomb,” Ashish Panjabi, Chief Operating Officer of Jacky’s Electronics, told Emirates 24/7.

In his blog, Panjabi reviews the Playbook and interestingly points out that this new tablet in the market fares better despite all the bad press it had been receiving in the mainstream US technology media.

“Overall, the PlayBook is a nice product. It has got its drawbacks but clearly a lot more thought has gone into the PlayBook than has in many other tablets that we see on the market today. The PlayBook clearly isn't a one-size fit all product.  It'll have people who find it helps boost their productivity but it'll also have those who find it boring because they don't have all the Apps on it that they want.  Then there is a fine balance in between of a third category of users who say I do need a tablet for work sometimes, to watch movie sometimes, check Facebook and possibly play a game or two.  For them, the PlayBook is perfect. However, for that same user, the Apple iPad would be perfect as well,” he says.

Commenting on form factor and screen resolution, Panjabi says size is a matter of personal choice. “At 7-inches, the PlayBook is smaller than the Apple iPad. [It] depends on what you use your tablet for, you may like the smaller screen size or despise of it.”

One factor that can determine the choice of many potential buyers is the quality of the camera and the flash. According to Jacky’s COO, “RIM can claim to have the better camera and if you feel that deserves more brownie points, you can hand it to them. One more plus point of the PlayBook is its compatibility with Adobe Flash. Apple has been very clearly anti-Flash,” he added.

Panjabi also notes that the BlackBerry Bridge is perhaps one of the strongest USPs of the product. “BlackBerry Bridge allows you to connect your tablet to your BlackBerry smartphone so that you can access your mails, calendar and contacts off your smartphone.”

“What is also more important is that with the BlackBerry Bridge you can access the web browser using your smartphone's data connection when there is no WIFI available.  The advantage here again is that you don't pay for another data plan for the tablet and if you have an unlimited international data plan similar to what etisalat or du have. You can browse the web and do your e-mails wherever you are in the world without having to spend anything extra.”

However, this is more relevant for those who already own a BlackBerry.

However, there are some areas where RIM does not score all that well. The architecture of the PlayBook is somewhat of a concern.  “It just looks delicate,” he says. As far as the weight is concerned it, seems heavier than the Apple product. Even the battery life is better for the iPad.

Apple is definitely the choice if you want Apps, stresses Panjabi. None of the Apps from a Blackberry smartphone are compatible with the PlayBook as they're both based on different operating systems, he noted.

“In terms of Apps, Apple has got more than anyone else, whereas Android Apps would come in second place. BlackBerry may not have as many Apps but since its core customers traditionally are enterprise or corporate customers, it could still penetrate that market,” Panjabi told this website. Besides the other things that are missing on the the PlayBook is the Twitter button and Skype.

Many retailers point out that the phobia about iPad hasn’t subsided yet. “People just think of iPad when it comes to tablets. We are getting enquiries about other products but iPad still seems the favourite. For an average consumer, tablet means iPad,” said a sales executive at an electronics retail outlet.

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