BlackBerry PlayBook Launched, But There’s No Need to Queue

As of last weekend, customers can finally buy RIM’s long-awaited tablet. Although it’s quite late for the BlackBerry PlayBook to enter the Indonesia tablet market, RIM is still optimistic about its product. But much to my own surprise, I’m not seeing customers queuing for it anywhere.

I took time to stroll into several shopping malls in Jakarta last weekend, hoping to witness some public enthusiasm for BlackBerry’s shiny new PlayBook. After visiting three malls, I couldn’t find any special event dedicated to promoting the device. I found the same situation in official retailer shops. I could see no queues for the PlayBook like there were for the Samsung Galaxy Tab, earlier this month.

It was a strange phenomena considering Indonesia has more than three million BlackBerry smartphone users. It seems that people reluctant to buy the tablet because it only features WiFi connectivity, while smartphones already addresses their need to update Facebook or Twitter over the cellular networks. When users need internet access over a mobile operator’s data network, they are left with the inconvenient option of pairing it over Bluetooth to thier smartphones.

Even so, RIM remains (outwardly) confident of the Playbook’s success in Indonesia. As Hastings Singh, the vice president of distributions and sales, East Asia at RIM, said via email, “We deem the success of the PlayBook in Indonesia not only in terms of sales but also customer satisfaction.”

According to the company’s Q1 financial results, over 500,000 PlayBooks had shipped globally since its initial launch in April. Optimism is certainly something the company needs right now, especially when it has to deal with Indonesian people who are very comfortable with their smartphones.

So what do you think? Can the Playbook continue RIM’s success in Indonesia? Let us know what you think.

[Photo: BlackberryRocks.com]