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RIM delays massive PlayBook 2.0 update to 2012

Teaser
The native e-mail client, BlackBerry Messenger and Android App Player will all have to wait until February 2012 before they can land on the RIM tablet

The long-awaited and much anticipated PlayBook OS 2.0 update has just been delayed to February 2012. The official BlackBerry blog confirms the new launch window and goes on to explain why PlayBook owners will now have to wait even longer for the much needed features.

To put a long story short, RIM will not release the update until they are confident that it can meet the expectations of developers and customers. In addition, the Blackberry Messenger App will skip the 2.0 update altogether and will instead come out during a separate OS update post 2.0. RIM plans to utilize the extra time to identify major bugs and perform closed beta tests on the feature-heavy 2.0 update.

The 2.0 firmware was officially revealed mid-September and was at the time heralded by RIM co-CEO as a sort of savior for the poorly-selling PlayBook tablet. It was supposed to release in time for the Holiday season to boost PlayBook sales, but the PlayBook may be all but overshadowed in Q1 2012 by the advent of quad-core tablet offerings if the February 2012 update launch stays. RIM was only able to ship 200,000 PlayBook units during Q2 2011, lower than what analysts were expecting.

With the 2.0 update, RIM will be bringing native e-mail client, calendar support, general improvements and the all-important Android App Player for compatibility with the Android Market, to name a few.

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Allen Ngo, 2011-10-26 (Update: 2012-05-26)