RIM demonstrates PlayBook with faster Web browsing than Apple's iPad
Research in Motion has offered a hands-on glimpse at its forthcoming 7-inch touchscreen tablet, the PlayBook, in a new video that shows the device offers Adobe Flash and has superior Web browsing speed to Apple's iPad.
The video posted this week by RIM is entitled "BlackBerry PlayBook and iPad Comparison: Web Fidelity." The video shows the PlayBook loading a number of websites much faster than Apple's iPad.
RIM also touted that their device can run Adobe Flash, demonstrating the interactive front page of adidas.com with the PlayBook. Loading the same site on the iPad shows a message that says Flash is not available on the device.
The video also shows an Acid3 test to demonstrate HTML5 performance of the PlayBook and iPad. Both Apple's and RIM's tablets earn a perfect score of 100 out of 100, though the iPad has a rendering artifact in the top right corner.
Of course, the iPad has already been on the market since April, while RIM's PlayBook will not go on sale until early 2011. Apple is expected to announce its next-generation iPad about the same time.
RIM also hopes to take on the iPad with a competitive starting price of under $500. But the device will also come with a smaller 7-inch screen than Apple's 9.7-inch iPad display.
Screen sizes of tablet devices has been a hot topic since Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs criticized iPad competitors, like the PlayBook, for their smaller 7-inch screens. Jobs said that Apple's own internal testing has found that a 7-inch display is too small to be functional for most users.
The video posted this week by RIM is entitled "BlackBerry PlayBook and iPad Comparison: Web Fidelity." The video shows the PlayBook loading a number of websites much faster than Apple's iPad.
RIM also touted that their device can run Adobe Flash, demonstrating the interactive front page of adidas.com with the PlayBook. Loading the same site on the iPad shows a message that says Flash is not available on the device.
The video also shows an Acid3 test to demonstrate HTML5 performance of the PlayBook and iPad. Both Apple's and RIM's tablets earn a perfect score of 100 out of 100, though the iPad has a rendering artifact in the top right corner.
Of course, the iPad has already been on the market since April, while RIM's PlayBook will not go on sale until early 2011. Apple is expected to announce its next-generation iPad about the same time.
RIM also hopes to take on the iPad with a competitive starting price of under $500. But the device will also come with a smaller 7-inch screen than Apple's 9.7-inch iPad display.
Screen sizes of tablet devices has been a hot topic since Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs criticized iPad competitors, like the PlayBook, for their smaller 7-inch screens. Jobs said that Apple's own internal testing has found that a 7-inch display is too small to be functional for most users.
Comments
The apparent speed differences could be due to them exploiting differences in caching behavior. It's not exactly a controlled test, it's a propaganda film, so it's hard to determine how much weight should be given to it.
Or it could not. You don't know. The user did type the web addresses manually. The flash part did not look that impressive to me. What was more telling was the supposed Flash killer canvas/js demos which reduced the ipad to a crawl. That needs to improve for ipad 2.0 and if fuel for the fire that canvas+js is not ready to be a drop in replacement for flash yet... at least on mobile devices.
Or it could not. You don't know. The user did type the web addresses manually. The flash part did not look that impressive to me. What was more telling was the supposed Flash killer canvas/js demos which reduced the ipad to a crawl. That needs to improve for ipad 2.0 and if fuel for the fire that canvas+js is not ready to be a drop in replacement for flash yet... at least on mobile devices.
That's why I said:
it's hard to determine how much weight should be given to it.
Same applies to the js demos. Obviously these are all handpicked sites. Without independent testing, it's pretty meaningless.
What I did want to mention is that gawd awful adidas flash site. All I have to say is thank goodness that mess of a website doesn't come up on the ipad. It's an utter waste of bytes, an wonderful example of "flash" (both literally and figuratively) over function and frankly, good taste. One should note that the iphone version of the site is much nicer but still manages nice graphics and loads way faster (notice the flash animation stuttering along on the playbook, yeah, that gets me excited about flash).
I won't speak to the performance differences, they are likely using the latest greatest whatever browser whereas the browser on the ipad is getting a bit long in tooth whilst waiting for 4.2 to come out, call me when they test a release version of their browser with whatever is the current ios version when they ship the thing.
What I did want to mention is that gawd awful adidas flash site. All I have to say is thank goodness that mess of a website doesn't come up on the ipad. It's an utter waste of bytes, an wonderful example of "flash" (both literally and figuratively) over function and frankly, good taste. One should note that the iphone version of the site is much nicer but still manages nice graphics and loads way faster (notice the flash animation stuttering along on the playbook, yeah, that gets me excited about flash).
It is a shame 4.2 wasn't the big announcement today.
This video would have been rendered moot.
Research in Motion has offered a hands-on glimpse at its forthcoming 7-inch touchscreen tablet, the PlayBook, in a new video that shows the device offers Adobe Flash and has superior Web browsing speed to Apple's iPad.
This kind of specmanship is just crazy. Even if the RIM is faster, I'm pretty sure that it will FEEL slower.
For my money, I'll take Apple and its proven quality/reliability/customer service record over RIM any day of the week.
Oh, and did I neglect to mention . . . THE PLAYBOOK IS VAPORWARE! Got it? V-A-P-O-R-W-A-R-E! It doesn't exist, except in the minds and friendly hands of the RIM engineers and obsequious sales staff! Just wait until grandma and grandchild get ahold of this thing! Just wait. THEN we'll see how fast it runs, IF it runs, WHEN it runs, HOW it runs, and the like.
Damn, but I get tired of Courier Tabs, Slates, Pink Projects, Zune HDs, and more too numerous to mention. Let REAL, SHIPPING, INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS speak for themselves . . . not VAPORWARE!
That's the "benefit" of a 7" tablet!
</sarcasm>
I won't speak to the performance differences, they are likely using the latest greatest whatever browser whereas the browser on the ipad is getting a bit long in tooth whilst waiting for 4.2 to come out, call me when they test a release version of their browser with whatever is the current ios version when they ship the thing.
The problem is that Apple doesn't update their browser that often.
Chances are that the browser in 4.2 will have an older webkit core than even some of the newly launched androids.
This only heightens my anticipation for the iPad2. Crisp browsing like that on a proven platform will be great. It's a shame that the PlayBook won't be competing with the iPad they just tested it against...
Of course RIM's 'Playbook' is faster it only has 45% of a screen to fill up!
That's the "benefit" of a 7" tablet!
</sarcasm>
Specifically, the Playbook pushes around 614,400 pixels while the iPad is pushing around 786,432.
But even that is irrelevant because RIM is demonstrating a prototype using pre-production hardware and software while the iPad has been out and selling for 7 months.
When RIM is actually selling a product we can do a comparison. And by the time that happens it will likely be a faster iPad 2 that they will be comparing themselves with.
-kpluck
Research in Motion has offered a hands-on glimpse at its forthcoming 7-inch touchscreen tablet, the PlayBook, in a new video.
This is not a "hands on glimpse." It's some Canadian dude's hands. If this were a video of RIMM handing some playbooks to a roomful of journalists, THAT would be a hands on glimpse.
For all we know... the playbook they are showing is just showing a video that the dude rehearsed his taps to. We know that in the real world... there is zero chance this will have the multitouch elegance of the iPad.
That said, the Apple ecosystem with App store/iTunes and the iWork AirPrint AirPlay MobileMe etc, still make the iPad much more desirable In my opinion.
We know that in the real world... there is zero chance this will have the multitouch elegance of the iPad.
If you throw enough CPU power into it, you can have multitouch elegance on MS-DOS.
Also, until they actually get one of these in the hands of a "real" person this is just speculation.