>Apple iPad 2: 10 Reasons Customers Pounced on It

>

Apple’s iPad 2 has sold almost 1 million units, according to some analysts. But what made the device such a success? Read on to find out.
When the iPad 2 launched March 11, just about everyone knew the tablet would sell extremely well. After all, it was coming off the success of its predecessor and it had Apple’s logo on it. In most cases, that’s enough for any device to be a success.
But few thought that the iPad 2 would be as successful as it seems to be. According to one analyst, Apple could have sold up to 1 million iPad 2 units in the device’s first weekend of availability. Officials with technology retailer Best Buy said that in some stores, their stock ran out in 10 minutes. Apple’s online-ordering page says the iPad 2 won’t be available for four weeks to those who buy one online now. By all measures, the iPad 2 has been a blockbuster hit.
But why has the iPad 2 been such a success? Read on to find out.
1. The cameras matter
It’s clear now that the addition of both a front- and rear-facing camera to the iPad 2 has been a key selling point to consumers. The original iPad lacked cameras, making the device a tad less appealing than some of its competitors, like the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Motorola Xoom, both of which offer dual cameras. Plus, with FaceTime support now available on the iPhone, iPod Touch and Macs, in addition to the iPad 2, consumers are seeing a lot of value in Apple’s video-conferencing feature.
2. Pricing
When Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the iPad 2 March 2, he made it clear to consumers that the latest tablet would be offered at the same price as its predecessor. The cheapest iPad 2 retails for $499; the most expensive option goes for $829. At those prices, five out of the six versions of the iPad 2 are cheaper than its chief competitor, the Motorola Xoom. It hits every price point, and along the way, it makes for a far more affordable option for people on any budget.
3. Steve Jobs’ hype
When Jobs said in January that he would be taking a medical leave of absence, some wondered if he would ever come back. But at the March 2 event unveiling the iPad 2, he did just that. And because of that, much more light was shone on that event than would have otherwise been there. The hype machine was going full throttle, and millions around the United States learned of all the benefits of owning an iPad 2 as they also heard about Jobs’ health status. It was an extremely savvy move, and by the looks of things, it paid off in a big way.
4. The online sellout helped
It didn’t take long for the iPad 2 to sell out on Apple’s Website. It also didn’t take long for reports on that sellout to reach the mass audience. Whenever supply shortages become known to the public, it usually means good things for companies. Consumers think the device is more valuable than they had originally thought, those sitting on the fence are more likely to go out and buy the device, and all those sellouts remain in the headlines for quite some time. Apple benefited greatly from the sellouts.
5. The white iPad
When Apple announced the iPhone 4, the company promised a white version of the device. The only issue is, that model has yet to hit store shelves. The white iPad 2, on the other hand, was available on launch day. Chances are, the white version appealed to a large group of customers who were tired of the same old black finish, and it’s likely that it only helped Apple sell more tablet units.
6. They don’t know about the Motorola Xoom
Over the past several weeks, Motorola has done a fine job of advertising the Xoom, its 10.1-inch tablet that runs Android 3.0 Honeycomb. The only issue is, that advertising wasn’t as successful as it could have been, and not enough people know about the features the device offers. That opening was enough for Apple to capitalize on, and going forward, it seems that the chances of the Xoom coming close to matching iPad 2 sales figures are slim, to say the least.
7. The original iPad looked obsolete
Those who owned the original iPad were forced to look at all the updates Apple made to the tablet, including adding dual cameras and a slimmer, lighter body, and really question whether the device they owned was enough for them any longer. Based on the reported sales figures, quite a few people seemingly believed it wasn’t.
Apple’s strategy of updating devices each year has proven extremely successful. It knows how to deliver what people really want without giving customers everything. By doing so, it attracts both new and old customers that push its sales figures higher each year.
8. New buyers are ready to join the market
According to one report, a whopping 70 percent of all iPad 2 buyers were new to the tablet market. That’s an extremely important figure. It means that a growing number of people are seeing value in Apple’s tablet. Plus, it means that going forward, Apple will only enjoy even more success as all those newcomers who couldn’t get the iPad 2 on launch day pick up a unit in the coming weeks and months.
9. Allow history to be the guide
Apple’s unit sales of mobile devices have been growing since the company first launched the iPhone. In 2008 alone, research firm Gartner found that iPhone sales were up 245 percent, compared with the prior year. Moreover, at the end of Apple’s 2010 fiscal year in September, the company reported that it sold nearly 74 million iPhones since its launch in 2007. Earlier this month, it revealed that it has now sold more than 100 million units. Considering Apple sold 15 million iPad units last year and could have sold up to 1 million iPad 2 units in a single weekend, it seems history is repeating itself.
10. The timing was perfect
Once again, Apple timed the launch of its tablet perfectly. Rather than wait until the summer when several tablets would be on store shelves competing against the original iPad for months, Apple offered up its iPad 2 before many of its rivals had a chance to release their devices. That move effectively cut off any advantage the competition might have thought it had. Even worse for those vendors, it probably cut off their ability to sell as many devices as they had hoped.

>Wolverton: A smartphone that aspires to be more than that

>

The new Motorola Atrix is a smartphone that aspires to be much more than that.
The Atrix can be thought of as one of the first examples of a post-PC computer, offering many of the same advantages of a PC in a much smaller, more portable and more adaptable form.
When the Atrix is plugged into an optional dock that resembles a notebook computer, it can be used much like a laptop. Another dock can be connected to a computer monitor and keyboard to allow the Atrix to act like a desktop PC or can be connected to an HD television, allowing the device to act as a kind of digital set-top box. The accessories allow users to write e-mail, surf Web pages or even watch movies as they would on a standard computer.
To be sure, the Atrix is more than just a wannabe PC. It’s also a fully capable smartphone based on Google’s Android operating system. It’s superfast at playing games and running typical phone apps, thanks to its dual-core processor, one of the first in a device this small. It has a high-resolution 4-inch screen, and includes a new, refined version of Motoblur, Motorola’s software that links together contact information and status updates drawn from users’ social networking and other online accounts.
But it’s the Atrix’s ability to mimic and potentially replace other tech gadgets that makes it so intriguing.
I’m writing this review at my desk. For part of the time, I’ve used the monitor and keyboard I use with my office-issued Windows PC. But I’ve also been using something that looks and feels very much like a notebook computer. In both cases, the actual “computer” I’ve been using has been the Atrix.
The notebook accessory for the Atrix, dubbed the laptop dock, has a full keyboard, a trackpad, an 11.5-inch LCD screen and its own battery that Motorola says will last for up to eight hours of use even while recharging the battery that’s in the phone itself. The Atrix plugs into the accessory through a dock that’s hidden behind the accessory’s screen.
When you plug in the phone, the screen on the laptop dock lights up and you get an interface called “webtop” that offers a computer desktop and taskbar. From the webtop taskbar, you can launch the Firefox Web browser or, through a virtual image of the Atrix’s screen, any application you have installed on the device.
The other accessory — the HD Multimedia dock — is more versatile. If you attach it to a computer monitor via a digital video cable, you can use the Atrix as a kind of desktop computer. The dock has two USB ports into which you can plug a wired keyboard or mouse or an external hard or flash drive. You can also connect the Atrix to a wireless keyboard or mouse using Bluetooth.
Alternatively, you can plug the HD dock into your TV using an HDMI cable and use the Atrix as a media player. A built-in application called entertainment center allows users to quickly access and view on their television the pictures, songs and movies stored on the device. The HD dock includes a remote control that allows users to do all this from the comfort of their couch.
Unfortunately, the Atrix’s versatility comes at a high price and doesn’t work very well in practice.
The laptop dock alone is $300 — not including the price of the phone or your wireless service plan — which is about what you’d pay for a low-end notebook computer with an actual brain in it. The HD dock, with a bundled keyboard, mouse and remote control, goes for $190, or about twice what you’d pay for a Roku media player or Apple TV, both of which are able to do much more as digital living room devices.
Those prices might be worth paying if you could get years of use out of the docks and plug into them not only the Atrix but other smartphones. But right now, the docks are compatible only with the Atrix. Motorola won’t say whether it plans to make devices in the future that will work with them. Even if the company does, it’s a good bet that the docks will work only with Motorola gadgets, which means you’ll have limited choices for compatible devices in the future.
That limitation aside, the laptop dock in particular was disappointing. Although it’s wider and deeper than a typical netbook, its keys felt similarly cramped, leading to many typing errors. Meanwhile, I had to be wary of resting my palms on its touchpad — an easy thing to do — for fear of moving the cursor to a different part of a document and inserting or deleting words in the wrong place.
The webtop software was also underwhelming. It fails to translate the phone’s native apps into a PC-like experience. To run a phone app, you have to call up the virtual phone and launch it there. The experience makes you feel as if you are viewing those apps through a literal window.
The only native webtop application is Firefox, and Motorola has no plans to open up the interface for other programs. You can run cloud-based programs through the Web browser or a built-in Citrix client, but you may not want to. Because as speedy as the Atrix’s processor is for running phone apps, it labored noticeably while running webtop.
Even when just composing this review in Google docs, I noticed a considerable lag. While trying to highlight a word or line to delete or change, I’d often wait several beats before the Atrix would respond. Often times, I ended up highlighting or deleting far more than I wanted without knowing it. I ran into similar sluggishness while just surfing Web pages in Firefox.
I actually like the Atrix a lot as a smartphone. But as the first of what will likely be many attempts at an all-in-one gadget, it comes up short.

>JP Morgan: Apple’s iPad 2 could cause ‘bubble burst’ for rival tablets

>

According to one Wall Street analyst, Apple’s soon-to-be-released iPad 2 could burst a bubble for competitors who are hoping to capitalize on the growing tablet market but remain unable to catch up.

Analyst Mark Moskowitz of J.P. Morgan Research warned investors early Wednesday that build plans for tablet shipments from Apple’s rivals may be too high, presenting “increasing risk of a bubble burst” in the second half of 2011.

“In our view, the technical and form factor improvements of the iPad 2 stand to make it tougher for the first generation of competitive offerings to play catch-up, meaning actual shipments could fall well short of plan,” Moskowitz wrote.

Using discounted build plan estimates to project tablet shipments for the year, the analyst claims that tablet makers will build approximately 65.1 million tablets in 2011. When compared against J.P. Morgan’s estimates of 47.9 million tablets sold this year, companies could find themselves with as much as 51 percent oversupply in a worst case scenario.

Apple is expected to maintain the lion’s share of the tablet market. Moskowitz estimates that Apple could see nearly 100 percent sales growth year over year, resulting in more than 29 million iPads sold worldwide in 2011.

According to Moskowitz, component suppliers could stand the most to lose from a bubble burst. “Based on our research inputs, tablet makers eager to emulate Apple’s meteoric start are trying to secure components with inflated build plans,” Moskowitz noted. “Of note, glass displays, processors, and, to a lesser extent, NAND Flash are the components that could be most at risk.”

Moskowitz has a “favorable view of Apple’s products and operating model,” but acknowledges that “Apple is not for everyone.” However, holdouts hoping for an alternative to Apple’s iPad may be “underwhelmed” by rival offerings.

“Aside from Motorola’s Xoom and HP’s TouchPad (which does not have a price tag yet), the competitive offerings appear to be light on attraction, in our view,” said Moskowitz.

J.P. Morgan maintains an Overweight rating on Apple with a price target of $450.

Initial Wall Street response to the unveiling of the iPad 2 last week has been favorable. In general, analysts were impressed by what were seen as “evolutionary” upgrades to the device and the thinner and lighter form factor. At the time, Moskowitz admitted that his firm’s forecast of Apple holding 68 percent market share in 2011 “may be conservative” in light of the iPad 2.

>Motorola Xoom vs. Apple iPad 2: 10 Reasons to Pick Xoom

>

Apple’s iPad 2, which was announced in a special event March 2, is expected to hit store shelves March 11. When it does, customers will have the unenviable task of choosing either Apple’s latest tablet or the many other tablets from competing manufacturers that are vying for their hard-earned cash. Although last year, the decision to choose the iPad was an easy one, in 2011, it’s not as easy as one thinks.

That’s especially true if customers decide to opt for either the iPad 2 or the Motorola Xoom. The former is likely the front runner, given its predecessor’s success, but the Xoom is also a fine option. It delivers a number of solid features that consumers would be quite happy with. Even better, it does so at a price that’s quite competitive.

But for those still on the fence, let’s just make it easy: opt for the Motorola Xoom.

Yes, the iPad 2 looks like a nice device on paper, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it can live up the appeal of the Xoom. The average consumer could do worse than to pick up Motorola’s tablet over Apple’s.

Read on to find out why:

1. The slightly larger display

It might be a few factions of an inch difference, but it’s important for consumers to consider that the Motorola Xoom has a slightly larger display than Apple’s iPad. The Xoom features a 10.1-inch screen, while the iPad comes with a 9.7-inch display. On paper, that might not seem like much. But when one holds the devices in their hands and compares them, it’s quite noticeable. The extra screen real estate comes in handy when viewing video or surfing the Web. Keep that in mind.

2. Upgrade to 4G

Motorola’s Xoom currently only offers customers the ability to connect to Verizon’s 3G network when they’re away from home. However, Motorola Mobility has said that it will offer a free upgrade to 4G in the coming months. After that upgrade is in place, customers will be able to connect to Verizon’s ultra-high-speed network. Apple iPad 2 owners, on the other hand, won’t have that luxury. While Xoom owners will be surfing the Web at ultra-high speed, iPad 2 customers will be stuck on 3G.

3. Android 3.0 Honeycomb is promising

When Apple CEO Steve Jobs showed off the iPad 2 March 2, he said that the platform would come with iOS 4.3, an updated version of the mobile-operating system Apple launched last year. The Xoom, on the other hand, ships with Google Android 3.0 Honeycomb. That platform, which was unveiled this year, comes with a number of important upgrades, including a reworked design, much better browsing, improved multitasking, and several other features. Those who have gotten their hands on the platform say it’s a sizable upgrade over Android 2.2. Due to Google’s desire to make the operating system more desktop-like in its functionality, iOS 4.3 might look rather obsolete next to it.

4. Don’t believe the apps hype

Apple was quick to point out at its March 2 event that it has 65,000 iPad applications available to customers. The company said that the Android Market currently has about 100 applications available to tablet owners. However, Apple failed to point out that more and more developers are moving to Android to bring their applications to tablets. Over time, the discrepancy in mobile applications won’t be nearly as great as Apple would like users to believe. It’s a problem now, but it won’t be a major issue by the end of the year.

5. The superior browsing experience

There’s no comparing the browsing experience on the Motorola Xoom to that of the iPad 2. Apple’s iPad 2 comes with the same, basic Mobile Safari experience customers have grown accustomed to. Apple’s iOS 4.3 improves browsing a little by increasing surfing efficiency, but it does nothing to answer the vastly improved Chrome browser in Honeycomb. Not only is surfing much faster than in previous versions of the software, but the software has real tabbed browsing, like users would find on the desktop. It also has Google’s Incognito Mode, auto-fill options, and many other services typically found in desktops. Simply put, it’s the best mobile-browsing experience on the market.

6. Where’s the advantage?

A quick glance at the basic specs of both the Xoom and the iPad 2 reveals no sizable advantages for Apple. Both devices come with a dual-core processor, have dual cameras, and offer WiFi and 3G connectivity. Both platforms record video, snap photos and support video conferencing. In other words, the key features are basically the same. The iPad 2’s most important advantage might simply be that it comes from Apple.

7. The price is right

Much has been made about the price of the Motorola Xoom. Those who support Apple products say that Motorola’s option, which starts at $799 with no contract, is quite expensive, considering the iPad 2 starts at $499 with WiFi and $629 for WiFi and 3G. But what those folks seem to forget is that the most relevant competitor to the Xoom, the iPad 2 featuring 32GB of storage and 3G connectivity, goes for $729. Moreover, those who are fine with entering into a two-year contract with Verizon can pay just $599.99 for the Xoom. As one can see, the Xoom’s pricing is right where it should be.

8. The battery consideration

Since tablets are mobile devices, battery life matters quite a bit. Although Steve Jobs was quick to tout the iPad 2’s battery life, it’s important to note that the Xoom features up to 10 hours of life surfing the Web over WiFi and up to nine hours on 3G. The iPad 2 has 10 hours of battery life over WiFi and nine hours of battery life on 3G. So, if battery life matters, Apple’s iPad 2 doesn’t seem to hold an advantage.

9. The extra ports matter

The Xoom comes with an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) port and USB port for customers to pump video out of the device, connect other devices and more. The iPad 2, on the other hand, lacks those ports. Apple said that it will sell an HDMI-out adapter, but that costs customers an additional fee that they shouldn’t have to pay. After all, considering how much users are spending on a new tablet, wouldn’t an HDMI out and USB port be expected?

10. The mobility factor isn’t major

It’s important to note that the iPad 2 is both thinner and lighter than the Motorola Xoom. Since tablets are mobile devices, that might matter to some folks. But it probably shouldn’t matter as much as they think. The differences aren’t major. For most customers, the Xoom will be quite easy to carry around in a bag or purse. Would it be nice if it had a slightly smaller footprint and less heft to it? Sure. But it’s not enough of a problem to be a deal-breaker. And it certainly isn’t enough of a problem that customers should ignore its other benefits and opt for the iPad 2.

>Ars reviews the Motorola Xoom(Foto Galery)

>

Motorola’s Xoom tablet is the first device to ship with Android 3.0, codenamed Honeycomb, a highly anticipated new version of Google’s mobile operating system. 

Honeycomb introduces a sophisticated new user interface that was designed for the tablet form factor—a major step forward for Android. Motorola has matched Google’s software with a compelling piece of hardware that delivers great performance and reasonable battery life.
Although the Xoom has a lot to offer, the product feels very incomplete. A surprising number of promised hardware and software features are not functional at launch and will have to be enabled in future updates. The Xoom’s quality is also diminished by some of the early technical issues and limitations that we encountered in Honeycomb. Google’s nascent tablet software has a ton of potential, but it also has some feature gaps and rough edges that reflect its lack of maturity.
In this review, we will take a close look at the Xoom hardware, the Honeycomb user experience, and the Android platform’s potential as a tablet operating system.
Hardware
The Motorola Xoom’s impressive hardware specifications are sure to turn some heads. Much like Motorola’s Atrix handset, the Xoom is powered by an NVIDIA Tegra 2 SoC, which couples a dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor with an 8-core GeForce Ultra Low Power GPU.
The Xoom’s 10.1-inch capacitive multitouch display has a 16:10 aspect ratio and a resolution of 1280×800 pixels. The device has 1GB of RAM and a roomy 32GB of internal storage capacity. In addition to the usual assortment of sensors—a gyroscope, compass, accelerometer, and ambient light detector—the Xoom has one unexpected addition: a built-in barometer, just in case you happen to be a tornado hunter.
Although the Xoom was designed to support Verizon’s new 4G LTE network, support for this network is not enabled out of the box. Consumers will have to ship the device back to Motorola to have it fitted with the necessary components. The 4G hardware upgrade will be available at no cost, but will take 6 business days to complete.
It’s not clear yet exactly when Xoom buyers will be able to send in their Xoom to receive the upgrade, but Verizon says that it will be available “shortly” after the product’s launch. Reports suggest that “shortly” means within the next 90 days.
LTE isn’t the only hardware feature that’s not working right out of the box. The Xoom’s microSD card slot is also non-functional, due to software issues that are attributed to Honeycomb. Motorola says that the feature will be fixed soon in an over-the-air update. The Xoom’s much-touted support for Adobe Flash is also absent at launch and will similarly be delivered in an upcoming software update.
Ports
The Xoom’s microSD card slot and 4G SIM card slot are positioned back-to-back inside the top edge of the device. The slots are protected by a plastic insert and cover that can be slid out with a thumbnail. Motorola ships the device with translucent plastic placeholders in both slots.
A conventional miniaudio headphone jack is positioned near the card slot at the center of the device’s top edge. Motorola doesn’t provide headphones with the Xoom, but it worked well with standard earbuds and my Sennheiser HD-280 headphones. The bottom of the device has a micro-USB port, a mini-HDMI output, a port for the Xoom’s charger, and contact points for the Xoom’s dock.
The Xoom comes with its own proprietary power adapter. It has a very large two-prong wall wart that plugs into conventional power sockets. The prongs can be flipped down into the brick. The end that fits into the Xoom’s charger port is a round plug like the kind you would find on a laptop charger, but much thinner. It doesn’t appear to be possible to charge the Xoom via micro-USB.
Buttons and build quality
Unlike Android-based phones, the Xoom doesn’t have the standard back, home, menu, and search buttons built into the device. These features are exposed through the Honeycomb user interface, obviating the need to integrate them into the hardware. This is a big win for usability compared to previous Android-based tablets like the Galaxy Tab, where we found ourselves accidentally hitting the capacitive buttons on the bezel.
The Xoom has a total of three hardware buttons integrated into its shell. A pair of volume buttons is conveniently located near the top of the left-hand edge. There is also a power button on the back side near the top-left corner on the same plastic plate as the camera. The power button is round, inset, and slightly concave. We didn’t have any issues with hitting the buttons by accident on the Xoom.
The Xoom’s build quality is very good. It has a smooth matte black finish on the backside that feels soft but not quite rubberized. The front has solid glass nearly from corner to corner. The glass covers both the screen and bezel, but the back part of the case creates a plastic lip around the edges of the screen. The lip is thicker than the one on the Galaxy Tab and is quite noticeable when you hold the device.
Dimensions and form factor
The Xoom is 9.8-inches long, 6.6-inches tall, 0.5-inches deep, and weighs approximately 1.6 pounds. The weight and depth are roughly comparable with that of the original iPad, but the Xoom has a more rectangular widescreen form factor.
The shape of the case is slightly tapered—when you hold it in portrait orientation, the top is a little bit thicker than the bottom. It feels pretty evenly weighted in landscape orientation and is relatively comfortable to use. When I hold it on each side, my thumbs can meet in the center of the screen, which means I can pretty easily reach user interface elements that are at the center.
I generally felt most comfortable operating the Xoom in landscape orientation and using it with my thumbs, but users with smaller hands might need to hold it with one hand and use an index finger. The device really feels like it was intended to be used in landscape orientation.
It’s a bit less comfortable in portrait orientation. Due to the length, the way that the weight is distributed feels off when it’s held vertically. You can get a better balance if you hold it near the top rather than near the keyboard when you use it in portrait, but it’s still not great. The taper also makes it feel strange when held vertically.
The dimensions are excellent for video, but not particularly good for intensive reading. When I’m holding the Xoom in portrait orientation, I feel like only the top two-thirds of the screen are in clear focus for text readability and I have to re-angle it a bit when I start to get down to the bottom.
Whether the Xoom’s 16:10 ratio or the iPad’s 4:3 ratio is better is going to depend on what you are doing. The Xoom’s aspect is better for video whereas the iPad’s is arguably better for reading.
The relative awkwardness of using portrait mode on the Xoom isn’t a huge issue, because most of the Honeycomb software seems to favor landscape orientation. One issue that’s worth noting, however, is that a lot of the existing Android phone applications are designed to be used in portrait orientation. Until more third-party developers start making native Android tablet software, Xoom users will end up having to use portrait orientation more often than they might like.

>RIM CMO Out on Eve of Playbook Tablet Launch

>

RIM might be close to making its tablet debut with its upcoming Playbook, but there’s one thing that won’t be accompanying this device to the market: an ongoing chief marketing officer.

According to a Friday report by the Wall Street Journal, RIM’s chief marketing officer Keith Pardy is leaving the company following a six-month transition period. 

According to a statement by RIM, “personal reasons” are behind the departure, but there’s been no elaboration—official or otherwise—as to what those could be. Pardy allegedly made the decision to depart a month ago.

RIM poached Pardy from Nokia in late 2009. The departure now leaves RIM without an executive on top mere weeks before the company is expected to launch its flagship Playbook table—either in late March or early April, depending on which batch of rumors you subscribe to. However, according to IHS iSuppli analyst Rhoda Alexander, the executive departure isn’t likely to affect the Playbook’s launch.

“Hopefully, when you’re weeks away from product release, you’ve laid most of the groundwork for the marketing efforts,” said Alexander in an interview with Reuters. “Others can execute the groundwork that’s been laid out.”

Although RIM still enjoys considerable success amongst U.S. smartphone owners—it’s currently tied with Apple for a 27 percent market share, says The Neilsen Company–jumping into the Apple-focused tablet market is another battle entirely. According to the latest figures from Strategy Analytics, Apple cruised to a 95.5-percent tablet market share in the third quarter of 2010 before dropping to 75.3 percent in the fourth quarter. Over all of 2010, however, Apple commanded 84.1 percent of the tablet market, with Android-based devices barely making a dent at 13.1 percent.

A total of 9.7 million tablet devices sold globally made up the aforementioned fourth-quarter statistics. That’s an important number, because Digitimes has reported that RIM allegedly expects to sell one million playbooks in the first quarter of 2011. Pretending, for a moment, that those sales occurred in the fourth quarter of 2010, one million Playbooks sold would have put the RIM at a market share of 9.35 percent.

But remember, by the time the RIM Playbook’s launch rolls around, it will be staring down the barrel of two of the market’s fiercest competitors: Apple’s iPad 2, and what’s been heralded as the first true Android-based competitor to the iPad, Motorola’s Xoom. With these two heavyweights duking it out, one million units sold for RIM’s Playbook could be a difficult target to hit—and might not give RIM even ten percent market share in the aftermath.