Analysts have reported that the launch of the BlackBerry PlayBook could be delayed due to battery performance.
It was revealed that the current unreleased version of the PlayBook could only manage “a few hours” of run time on a single charge compared the to 10-hour endurance of the iPad and the respectable 6-hour run time on the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
Apparently the issue is so major that the PlayBook may need re-engineering to extend its battery life and could even require a bigger — and thus heavier — battery which could negate much of the weight advantage of a seven-inch tablet.
RIM came out to comment on the matter and this is they have to say about the issue.
Any testing or observation of battery life to date by anyone outside of RIM would have been performed using pre-beta units that were built without power management implemented. RIM is on track with its schedule to optimize the BlackBerry PlayBook’s battery life and looks forward to providing customers with a professional grade tablet that offers superior performance with comparable battery life.
We know our PR speak and RIM is not saying much in the way of negating the matter, not to our eyes anyway. They should have at the bare minimum indicated what kind of battery life users can expect from the final version of the PlayBook. Also, RIM didn’t indicate when exactly the PlayBook will make it into the market, doesn’t really inspire confidence.
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