Research in Motion’s PlayBook Tablet could sell 4 million units in 2011, and 6 million devices in the first 12 months following its release, expected sometime this quarter. That’s the word from RBC Capital analyst Mike Abramsky, who Tuesday morning told investors of results from survey taken after the recent CES.
Although the survey figure is substantially above previous estimates of 1 million PlayBooks sold this year, 6 percent of the 1,100 people polled said they “likely” will buy the RIM tablet. The percentage is half that of a similar survey conducted in February 2010 just after Apple unveiled the iPad, Abramsky notes.
“Early adopters” and “power users” are the two groups most attracted to the PlayBook. Qualities such as “speed/power” and “security and IT integration” were the most desired features, according to the analyst. More than a third of the survey respondents — 37 percent — view the PlayBook’s ability to be “tethered” to a BlackBerry for Internet access as “important,” a feature that Abramsky described as “a plus” for the iPad rival.
Assuming RIM can sell 4 million PlayBooks this year, it would add $1.8 billion to RIM’s coffers. The analyst also predicts quick adoption of the tablet by corporations familiar with the RIm brand. He believes there is a potential for carriers to offer a subsidized PlayBook bundled with a BlackBerry.
[Barron’s]
