RIM Deny PlayBook Power Problems: Any Testing Was On "Pre-Beta" Units

RIM has blamed absent power management systems for any BlackBerry PlayBook tablet power issues, claiming that third-party testing would have been looking at pre-beta units without the necessary software. The statement, passed to Erictric, comes on the heals of suggestions by Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu that the PlayBook can only manage "a few hours" of runtime and that issues with prolonging usage have delayed the slate's release.

"Any testing or observation of battery life to date by anyone outside of RIM would have been performed using pre-beta units that were built without power management implemented. RIM is on track with its schedule to optimize the BlackBerry PlayBook's battery life and looks forward to providing customers with a professional grade tablet that offers superior performance with comparable battery life."

That's a suggestion RIM dismiss strongly, claiming to be "on track" for PlayBook optimization and promising "superior performance with comparable battery life" in a "professional grade tablet" when the PlayBook goes on sale. Both the slate's dual-core processor and QNX OS had been blamed for the reported power issues.

RIM expects the entry-level PlayBook to be priced at under $500 when it first arrives in North America at the end of Q1 2011. It'll then spread into other regions in Q2, though 3G/4G versions won't be available from the start.

[via Engadget]