It appears RIM’s iPad killer is not so murderous. The situation is quite the opposite, actually. The latest estimate indicates RIM sold around 490,000 BlackBerry PlayBook units during the first full quarter on the market. RIM is expected to confirm this number tomorrow along with earnings. By comparison, Apple shipped 9.25 million iPads in that same quarter, and Apple is selling every single iPad they can make. So for every 19 iPads sold, only one PlayBook was sold.
Analysts fully acknowledge these statistics and are lowering their forecasts appropriately. Michael Walkley recently dropped his estimates for fiscal 2012 down to 1.5 million units from 2.2 million. William Power’s are down to 2 million from 2.45. Steven Li cut numbers from 4 million all the way down to 2.4 million.
RIM has not been having a good year. Smartphone market share and interest are gradually declining and their only tablet is a dud. Plus, worst of all, they have absolutely no idea how to fix it. Don’t bother to include any email, contacts, or calendar apps in the PlayBook? That might not be a good idea. Sell the latest BlackBerry model for $349 up front? Yeah I don’t think so. Research In Motion has been research on pause lately.
A survery of analysts conducted by Bloomberg suggests the company will have to report its first revenue decline in nine years tomorrow.