John Paczkowski

Recent Posts by John Paczkowski

RIM Slashes All PlayBook Prices to $299

Evidently the holidays didn’t bring much joy to Research In Motion and its struggling PlayBook tablet. Despite steep holiday discounts, RIM continues to grapple with its unsold PlayBook inventory, which weighs heavy on the company as it heads into the new year. And it’s taking increasingly desperate measures to unload its stock.

To wit, RIM’s latest PlayBook sale: From now until Feb. 4, or whenever inventory runs out, RIM is selling all models of its PlayBooks for just $299.

That’s a lousy deal for the 16 gigabyte unit, whose price has dropped as low as $199 at some outlets. But for the 64GB version, which debuted at $699.99 and is currently selling on Amazon for around $370, it’s not too bad.

When Research In Motion restated its earnings expectations back in December, it warned that “a more aggressive level of promotional activity” would be required to drive PlayBook sales. Evidently, this interesting — albeit odd — discount is it.

Though RIM heralded its end last May in its PlayBook marketing campaign, “amateur hour” seems far from over. For RIM, it continues apace with no end in sight, just a big stockpile of unsold PlayBooks sitting in inventory.

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Another gadget you don’t really need. Will not work once you get it home. New model out in 4 weeks. Battery life is too short to be of any use.

— From the fact sheet for a fake product entitled Useless Plasticbox 1.2 (an actual empty plastic box) placed in L.A.-area Best Buy stores by an artist called Plastic Jesus