RIM will not dump Playbook tablet

CANADIAN MOBILE SELLER Research in Motion (RIM) is staying committed to its Playbook tablet despite suggestions otherwise.

This week an analyst said that the company was ready to discontinue the tablets, but in a statement to Reuters RIM brushed this off, adding that the suggestion was "pure fiction".

"Rumours suggesting that the BlackBerry PlayBook is being discontinued are pure fiction," RIM spokeswoman Marisa Conway said in a statement. "RIM remains highly committed to the tablet market and the future of QNX in its platform."

The firm was reacting to a research note from an analyst at Collins Stewart that alleged that RIM had already stopped production.

"We believe RIM has stopped production of its Playbook and is actively considering exiting the tablet market," said semiconductor analyst John Vihn. "Additionally, our due diligence indicates that RIM has canceled development of additional tablet projects."

RIM has already cut the price of its tablets in the US and the UK, and has reported that sales for the Playbook and its smartphones are falling.

The company shipped just 200,000 Blackberry Playbooks in its second quarter this year, a fall of 300,000 against the first quarter. RIM also saw smartphone sales drop by just under three million to 10.6 million quarter-on-quarter. µ