While our readers were tracking down tablet deals this Black Friday-Weekend Cyber Monday like the $199 Motorola Xoom tablet at Verizon Wireless and the $149 HP TouchPad, the BlackBerry PlayBook is disappearing from retailers for $199 and making some buyers peeved.
There were complaints in Best Buy forums of customers who bought BlackBerry PlayBooks, were charged for the sale, then the sale was cancelled. This mirrors what happened with the HP TouchPad fire sale, more orders were taken online than were in stock.
PC World received and email from Best Buy with this explanation:
"Customers have responded very positively to this short-term promotion available until Dec. 3 and, as a result, we are currently sold out of our inventory. We will have additional units available in the near future, at which time customers will be able to purchase the devices online at BestBuy.com." - 11/28 3:30pm ET"
It's amazing how much people want tablets that cost less than $200. We think the today only until midnight 32 GB Motorola Xoom for $199.99 (with contract) is the best deal we've seen since the $99 HP TouchPad blow-out which sold out in the fall and caused bargain hunters to search for the deal for months. Verizon inventory is already dwindling and shows that new Motorola Xoom orders will ship 12/5.
After employees bought all the available HP TouchPads, retailers realized that they could use the TouchPad tablets for promotions. For Cyber Monday the HP 32 GB TouchPad with the purchase of an HP notebook or desktop computers is $149.99 at at OfficeDepot.com. Walmart.com still has a few bundles of the 32 HP TouchPad for $149.99 with the purchase of desktop HP computer.
All theses stories fit with what consumer research is saying that people want tablets this holiday season. Kids 6-12 want iPads. Adults also want tablets this year according to Retrevo and desire the Kindle Fire according to ChangeWave.
U.S. tablet sales, excluding iPad sales, amounted to more than 1.2 million tablets sold from January through October and brought in $415 million in revenue reported the NPD Group. RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook didn't make it into the top five non-iPad tablets.
the playbook really is a steal at the 199.00 price. for web and email and ebook it better than the kindle fire. 16g of ram and drag and drop. just purchased and so far so good
Clive Ashworth
Hope to get one. Sold out at most retailers
Get the Playbook ASAP. It finishes on DEC 3 and sooner. At 199 with the specs it has and OS2 compatible with Android, gyroscope, hd cam etc, NO NO BRAIN HERE. I just ordered mine im stress they will cancel, i had ordered the touchpad and they did that to me. Also for cases go to Amazon they have a dscount on those! don't buy from the BB website, you can get a better price. Good luck
Playbook IS THE BEST GRAB ONE ASAP BEFORE ITS GOOOOOOONNNNEEE HURRY!!! blackberry.com
ITS GONE ! THE 199$ 16 gb is sold out!
I hate RIM. They cancelled my order citing some mysterious reason of high risk transaction.
This is pretty disgracefull on the part of BB. They don't deserve a part of that market whatsoever!!! To stoop to such low means to sell product. This is exactly the kind of behaviour that will put them out of business. They're concerned about sales? Wow! Who is the genius behind this idea? I'll be sure to save my "reorder" for an ipad. They know what they're doing!! Big mistake going with bb. Any other time of the year would be fine but to ruin someone's Xmas is inexcuseable! ....