It’s official BlackBerry PlayBook UK launch day but if you’re on O2, you’re out of luck. The network has decided to ditch RIM’s first tablet and is emailing customers who expressed an interest in buying one to explain why it has had a change of heart.

While plenty of places (including Currys and PC World) will be stocking the tablet, it’s bad news for RIM that such a major network has lost faith in it. Read on to find out why O2 dropped the BlackBerry PlayBook…

The O2 email states that it “will not be selling the device” and explains “unfortunately there are some issues with the end-to-end customer experience”. Though O2 has canned the BlackBerry Playbook at the last minute, it goes on to suggest that it will work with RIM on future PlayBook devices. It doesn’t even rule out carrying the current model at some point.

It sounds like software not hardware soured the deal between RIM and O2 on the BlackBerry PlayBook as the network has been careful to hedge its bets. Perhaps the 10in BlackBerry PlayBook that’s currently in the works will fare better than the current 7in incarnation.

Are you on O2 and disappointed to see the BlackBerry PlayBook binned? Let us know below…

Out NA | £NA | O2 (via Engadget)

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  • Tony Woolstencroft

    I really don’t understand what O2 actually mean. I bought a US PlayBook and absolutely love it. It’s got a long way to go, but the potential is massive. As it stands, it’s a significantly better experience than the Motorola Xoom (had one, sold it on) and for browsing, is better than the iPad (got one, mainly use it for comic reading). Once the Android app compatibility comes in, the PlayBook’s one and only weakness will be addressed. Also native PlayBook apps are appearing daily. I’m intrigued to see how HP’s effort compares, but so far this is definitely my favourite tablet.

  • Tony Woolstencroft

    I really don’t understand what O2 actually mean. I bought a US PlayBook and absolutely love it. It’s got a long way to go, but the potential is massive. As it stands, it’s a significantly better experience than the Motorola Xoom (had one, sold it on) and for browsing, is better than the iPad (got one, mainly use it for comic reading). Once the Android app compatibility comes in, the PlayBook’s one and only weakness will be addressed. Also native PlayBook apps are appearing daily. I’m intrigued to see how HP’s effort compares, but so far this is definitely my favourite tablet.

    • Rdsea de i

      if you said “it has lot of potential” you are saying that is a not finish product. 

      • Jolynuk

        The issue with potential of the Playbook is the content. Apple of course has done a fantastic job selling its “ecosystem”, but in this day and age of open architecture for systems like Google/Android, people will tire of supporting Steve Job’s monopoly on content and companies like RIM will be in a far better position. Sony tried the same strategy as Apple and you can see in the news these days how they are faring….  

        • Anonymous

          Yeah right! You can only hope Apple fail with their ecosystem, but the thing is, people like to be able to easily buy, download and consume media on their tablet. The iCloud will only help to boost this even further.

          • Jolynuk

            I have no problem downloading content from Microsoft, Puertracks, Google, Youtube, etc., etc., etc., only Apple…..

        • Anonymous

          Monopoly? Where do you hacks come from? Their is an almost unlimited amount of content available for Apple devices that doesn’t come from, or is controlled by Apple.

      • Anonymous

        Very sound point! For what it’s worth we’ve been testing a PlayBook for some weeks now, we’ll have a review up with our in-deoth thoughts on living with it soon.

    • kodrat wasono

      I don’t really get what you mean. You have so many gadgets, compare them and all, but is that what other customers do? were you saying you like PlayBook better than the Xoom and iPad but it’s got a long way to go, or what?

    • Anonymous

      And yet another paid BB “reviewer/commenter”.

  • Jolynuk

    The reaction of tech writers in the UK seems to be much the same as Nort America. A brief test of the Palybook’s features, a basiaclly positive review, but the same biased conclusion: “It”s not Apple.” I am your traditional Blackberry business user and the connectivity with the Playbook is everything the business crowd could ask for. The surprising thing is that my Playbook is on the go literally 18 hours a day. The multiple-user access means my wife will grab it to use for her home business, my children ages 5 & 9 have no hesitation picking it up to play games and navigate easily with the intuitive swiping features. The size and super browser make it very comfortable for sitting on the couch and surfing the net, and to end the day, my children now request that I read them an “e-book” from Kobo at bedtime. Please, please show me how the Playbook has limited appeal outside the business user segment. The operating system is a home run for RIM, making the Ipad feel 1 dimensional with its mechanical home button. Try actually using the gadget before you write it off.    

    • kodrat wasono

      May be O2 did not try to use it before refuse to sell it. I guess O2 did not know tablet business at all. was that you were saying, Jolynuk?

      • Jolynuk

        I can’t understand your message, sorry.

      • Jolynuk

        Sorry, I from canad so I didn’t understand the O2 reference. The article refers to software not hardware issues. Major carriers in North America have the same issue because the Playbook doesn’t have to work on a mobile plan so they do have a few issues with the revenue side of the equation as well. However, Samsung launched the Galaxy tablet with 3G capability and its been a total dud. Please tell me as well why the Ipad doesn’t receive the same criticism for not having wireless capabilty and native email. You know Apple is working on those deficiencies….  

    • Anonymous

      LOL – another post from the BB PR department trying to load up blogs and comments with false positive reviews.

      • Jolynuk

        Okay, to start with I am a private individual not suffering from conspiracy delusions which seem to affect you. I use a number of devices ranging from HP to Dell to Microsoft and yes Apple. Blackberry has been and still is the standard for email and instant messaging to such an extent that Apple had to take a run at them with Imessage (the I-thing is starting to get a bit lame) I’m betting you haven’t even tried a Playbook, hence the irrational reply. 

        Sent from my Playbook…..

    • Asspath

      You had me until you mentioned 18 hours of continuous use.  And how exactly does it do enterprise email if it doesn’t have an email client?

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_BQAKT4CAIOQ4AOBGY3MS3GANMM J-Credible

        It has an e-mail client.  It doesn’t have native e-mail support.  If you have a Blackberry phone it can bridge to the phone to access features on the phone including e-mail. (this is different concept from tethering, and all data is encrypted.) The benefit of this is all data is sent/received through the already secure Blackberry phone that has been approved for sensitive data institutions (banks, government agencies, military, etc.).  So the Playbook itself can be deployed without requiring a separate ‘security’ firewall, does not require to be set up separately on the organization’s network. It can be purchased and immediately deployed to users, or users can bring their own Playbook to use with their work Blackberry devices. If the Playbook it stolen then there are no issues of sensitive data being stolen too, because once the bridge connection is broken—all the data disappears too, because the data is still stored on the Blackberry phone.  It seems their primary goal was to make sure the tablet was enterprise ready, but customers will have to wait until summer to get a native e-mail client, or download one of the e-mail clients available in the app store.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_BQAKT4CAIOQ4AOBGY3MS3GANMM J-Credible

    “end-to-end customer experience”
    Has nothing to do with the UI, don’t misinterpret messages. Read the actual e-mail in full from O2, and understand why all wireless carriers are hesitant to support the Playbook.

    They do not want to carry the WiFi version, if you read the e-mail in full you will see that they will work with RIM to carry the 3G/4G radio version.

    The issue they have is the WiFi version can be ‘bridged’ (different than tethering) to a Blackberry phone and use it’s data plan undetected to the carrier.  This is not ideal for them as they can not charge for a separate data plan, or for ‘tethering support’ like they can with Android and iOS devices. Even worse since most carriers have a ‘cheaper’ blackberry data plan available since blackberry compression is very light on their networks.

    It’s good for the end user, they can use the internet without paying an additional fee like with other tablets, and for some carriers—even pay a cheaper data plan, but for wireless carriers like O2—they’re not able to charge the customer extra, so they’re not selling the WiFi version.

    So no WiFi support from O2, but they will sell 3G/4G bundled with a data plan.

    Oh and before anyone claims I’m a BB fanboy. I use an Android phone.

  • Paul

    Yes!…I picked up my new Playbook yesterday and set it up fine no problem.
    I managed to bridge / tether my O2 BB 9700 to the Playbook fine…..
    Something told me to check my account balance today and imagine my horror when i discovered that I had run up an additional £56 in data charges in 24hrs.
    I’m on on an original “UNLIMITED DATA” Blackberry O2 tariff and so it seems that I have been well and truly shafted!
    I have called them, and the nice lady on the phone had never even heard of a Blackberry Playbook. I said that I couldnt afford to take the chance on additional data charges and that for the time being I would have to use wifi only. It seems to defeat the object……WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY!
    I dont think this is going to help RIMS UK sales and I hope something get sorted………..

    • Jolynuk

      I think you need to refer back to the original article on O2. Since O2 has refused to carry the Playbook there was no agreement on network charges. BCE, a major carrier in Canada, has integrated the Playbook into its network including streaming online TV. Rogers, my carrier, has not and my unlimited data plan is unaffected by my Playbook usage until I start downloading Youtube vidoes or movies and the usage soars which makes sense. So my point is I will be changing carriers at the end of my contract if Rogers doesn’t make any changes to accomodate the Playbook. Its not a problem with RIM.

      To put this whole Playbook debate into context, please read the latest article from this very website, and decide if the Playbook is a clunker:

         RIM ships 500,000 BlackBerry PlayBooks, leaves Motorola Xoom in its wake

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