BlackBerry PlayBook
tablet computer
The BlackBerry PlayBook is a mini tablet computer that was developed by BlackBerry. It was manufactured by Quanta Computer, an original design manufacturer (ODM). It was first released for sale on April 19, 2011, in Canada and the United States.
The PlayBook was the first device to run BlackBerry Tablet OS, based on QNX Neutrino, and run apps developed using Adobe AIR. It was later announced that the BlackBerry Tablet OS would be merged with the existing BlackBerry OS to produce a new operating system, BlackBerry 10, that would be used universally across BlackBerry's product line. A second major revision to the BlackBerry PlayBook OS was released in February 2012. The PlayBook also supported Android OS applications, allowing them to be sold and installed through the BlackBerry App World store.
Early reviews were mixed, saying that the hardware was good, but several features were missing. Shipments totaled about 500,000 units in the first quarter of sales, and 200,000 the following quarter. Many of the 700,000 units shipped to retailers allegedly remained on the shelves for months, prompting BlackBerry to introduce dramatic price reductions in November 2011 to increase sales. Sales rebounded following the price cuts, with BlackBerry shipping about 2.5 million BlackBerry PlayBooks by June 1, 2013.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “BlackBerry PlayBook” as tablet computer. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as tablet computer. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q880005. The Library of Congress control number is sh2011005818. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2011, 2012 and 2013.
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This entry incorporates text from “BlackBerry PlayBook” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.