We Want RIM's PlayBook, Poll Says

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- What iPad 2?

Despite the unsurprising hype surrounding the recent release of Apple's new tablet -- which hits store shelves today -- more than 56% of TheStreet readers would rather wait to buy Research In Motion's (RIMM) long-awaited PlayBook device.

Of the 1,850 readers who participated in our poll, about 34% said they would purchase Apple's (AAPL) iPad, while the remaining respondents were split between Google (GOOG) Android-based tablets like Samsung's Galaxy Tab and Motorola's (MMI) Xoom.

The PlayBook is the tablet of choice for TheStreet readers.

But it's RIM's PlayBook that has readers most excited, despite the scant details available about the device. The PlayBook, rumored to be released sometime this spring, has a 7-inch screen, includes front and rear-facing cameras and supports multi-tasking and Flash.

It may also have access to Android's more than 130,000 apps, according to reports.

RIM is looking to get into the rapidly-exploding tablet sector, as its share of the U.S. smartphone platform market declines. The company represented 30.4% of the market in the three-month period ending in January, down from 35.8% in the previous quarter, according to Comscore.

In terms of tablets, Gartner expects 54.8 million units to ship in 2011, up from 19.5 million last year.

--Written by Olivia Oran in New York.



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