RIM is suffering from being unable to sell PlayBook inventory-- so it does like HP and slashes prices by around $300 per model.
The price reductions follow Q3 2011 PlayBook sales reach 150000-- down from 25000 in Q2 and 500000 in Q1.
Still, RIM is not giving up on the tablet market... yet. Together with hopes of price slashing boosting consumer adoption (as it usually does, at least on the short-term), RIM promises the long-awaited 2.0 upgrade to the PlayBook OS will be available on February 2012.
HP not only shifted remaining TouchPad inventory through heavily reduced prices, it even produced one last run of the now-abandoned tablet to "meet unfulfilled demand."
Meanwhile, RIM has even more troubles-- unruly employees. A pair of RIM employees forced a non-stop Air Canada flight from Toronto to Beijing to stop in Vancouver (disrupting travel plans for over 300 people) after downing a drink too many. The result? A pair of fines worth $35878 each and a suspension from the company.
Go RIM 3rd Quarter Provision Related to PlayBook Inventory