* Update: Read the Official Statement from RIM regarding this news. *
Granted, it's not the best news we've heard all day but at least the issue was recognized and all affected units -- if not sold, are being recalled. Yes, an issue has been found in over 900 BlackBerry PlayBooks that were shipped to Staples those being that of the 16GB flavor so, if you purchased yours from Staples then you may wish to check the list that can be found after the break.
Sadly, no explanation of what, exactly was faulty in the devices nor has any official communication come across as of yet but here's to hoping RIM will do the background work and with the help of Staples get them all pulled in and replaced as soon as possible. PS: The list is long -- it allows for easy searching.
Source: Engadget
Reader comments
RIM recalling over 900 faulty BlackBerry PlayBooks, is yours on the list?
i work for Wireless Advocates in Staples and our playbook displayed is definitely defective because it stays On the same screen where it says to connect to the wifi and doesnt go anywhere else even if you put the password in it does not work!! Im goin to check the serial numbers to the display model and the ones for sale and notify RIM
I had to return a 64GB PB due to constant browser crashes.
I don't see the big deal, RIM did the sensible thing to acknowledge the problem, some of us seem to forget game consoles when they first come out always have issues. Let us not forget when PS3, Xbox 360 had issues on their first runs and I'm sure many of us own these consoles till this day.
Here's the reply I got from RIM:
Thank you for contacting BlackBerry Customer Support. We are pleased to assist you.
At this time there is no communication about a recall. As for the website, we only go by our internal information.
If you require further assistance, please feel free to contact us either by replying to this message or by calling us at one of the numbers below.
Thank you again for contacting us. Have a great day.
great... the stock will drop even more to the bottom... Is RIM finally giving up?? how can there be so many negative news happening in a roll??
Mine is also on the list, only problem I had was being unable to activate it. Did the "unbrick" update and it's worked with no problems since, I have not used HDMI or rapid charging ports though.
Am going to contact RIM and see what they say.
My guess is that's it. I had that happen but I got it 8am the first day so did not know about this. But why make people go through the process if they don't need to.
Honestly I don't see the big deal 900, Jeez didn't they give away 6000 at BB World. 900 is nothing.
As if the working models weren't bad enough now they're shipping units they know are defective. Good job RIM.
Antenna Gate..... God how soon we forget.
Maybe RIM should hold a press conference, deny the problem exists but instead give us all something to help with the non-existent problem.
Ok, mines on the list. It would be nice to know what it is for, since I don't seem to be having problems. Of course, I'm not using all the features either, like the hdmi port or rapid charging port. So do I just take it back to the store, or do I have to call RIM? Never had to deal with a recall before.
edit: emailed RIM support for more information, waiting for a reply.
Epic
The last thing RIM needs is their non selling tablet failing even more. Puts more pressure on the new phones coming out
Well if it's not selling,then the recall would be pointless.
What makes you think it's not selling? The people I've talked to at Best Buy and Staples are very pleased with their sales numbers.
He's a known Troll slagging off the phones and now the playbook. Yawn.
I wsih I had time to go to apple sites and slag off their products (and there is pleanty of amo there) but even if I had the time it would be so pathetic I couldn't bring myself to do it.
"Not selling" in your mind doesn't equate to reality. Recalls are very common as these devices ARE manufactured after all. It was funny how the rep at Best Buy said how the PB was very popular at their stores, in terms of sales and interest.
Hey tsecor, how is your iPhone working, I said HOW IS YOUR IPHONE WORKING? Hello, HELLO can you hear me? Damn put the rubber band back on your phone so it works.... :D
Good for rim acknowledging and addressing the issue unlike apple just slapping a skin over their faulty antenna.
It looks like anything above the 134305's is in the clear. Thank God, mine is in the 134308's.
It was probably something defective with the charging port. One that I got at Best Buy had a defective charging port and I have heard of others have a few similar problems.
funny story here. my first playbook was giving tons of trouble,RIM tech staff told me to return it,it was manufacture defect with the wireless card and bluetooth card. like on my playbook it worked good for 3-4 days then i called got it replace no problem since with my new.
I had a similar problem... my first PlayBook couldn't charge, returned it, got a model with a defective wireless card, etc... but my 3rd PlayBook works as intended.
It's sucks
How did you manage to screw the grammar up so badly in a post of just two words?
There are only 900 of these. That's pretty good considering there are billions sold. Well maybe not billions.
At least it's not a Toyota or Tylenol where death can occur.
I got a 32GB, and it works great.
For those of you who are going to return your 16GB (if it was on the list), it gives you the 'out' to upgrade to the 64GB. Do it !!! It's worth it!
The truth will just scare many and deter others from the most powerful tablet on the market because its blissful inside of the lies.
I would like to know whats inside of these recalls of 900 PB's.
Read my post near the top. it's a non-issue really. RIM just wants people to avoid the frustration I had. It was annoying but not as if the PB is going to blow up or something.
Crap, the media will have a field day with this, and all the options traders will have yet another reason to hammer the stock shares.
I still want to get one, and this does not discourage me at all. They really need to get Mac support worked out, and get the software more worked out, then I would get one.
It would be nice to know some sales figures of some sort. Even Samsung reported those for their tablet.
mine is on the list... it works perfectly fine, has a flush power button, and had an issue with the initial activation till i forced an OS reload.. apart from that it's perfectly okay!
it's worth mentioning that i bought it off an online vendor overseas, so i'd REALLY like to know the fault to determine what to do :(
Mine is on the list. I actually just developed as issue with it where the only way to fix it would be to replace the playbook. The issue is with my hdmi port, it worked great not too long ago but recently started distorting the picture. Right now I can barely get the picture to show up on the screen and when I do its badly distorted. I think the issue is in the hdmi jack its self because when I wiggle the cord in the jack it effects the picture.
how to use search function on playbook browser?
a. scrolling sucked on my pb just now. b. no pb search function, and since it replaces my laptop most of the time, i'll check it out monday. something tells me this list will expand, and we should find out why. they usually do that on recalls. super curious.
If they recall mine I'm going to say screw it, mine works great and I'm not taking it back.
Feewww! Dodged that bullet.
i love my playbook!!! good thing i got the 32gb model.
good lord, we've seen hip replacements, cars, breast implants all get recalled: this situation occurs. let's just hope the recalls end here. ps i'm not over the excitement of this Playbook1, you all are making my mouth water with PB2 chatter.
Hmm.......unfortunate development.
It will be interesting to see what the issue is. Especially as the person whose PB is on the list, says he/she didn't notice any problems.
It will also be interesting to see if this will just be limited to Staples. Not really sure how or why that would or could be, though.
Good to see that RIM caught on to it quick.
you early adopting fools. that's what you get for living on the edge you rich bloated pigs. Nothing personal.
I'm living on the edge and still enjoying my playbook. Recalls happen. It was only 900. I wonder if it was a heat issue or something? Normally they would list the recall issue. I find that strange. Sounds dangerous though.
Pfffffffft.
Stupidest statement I've read all day. I am seventeen and I will be getting the PlayBook. I'm not rich or "living on the edge". I wouldn't call saving money for something I'd like to treat myself with either of those things. You're the fool. Nothing personal.
I'm really enjoying mine, that's what early adopters get. No seriously I'm an early adopter and I know for a lot of products it does lead to frustration but I have to say compared to a lot of gadgets the Playbook has been a real joy.
Juuuuuuuuuuuust missed the list. Phew.
Best way to see if your 16GB PlayBook is on this list is to hit Ctrl-F to search the page and begin typing in your serial number. If yours is in the list it will tell you immediately.
and i was actually thinking about buying the 16G from Staples.. lol good timing Bla1ze.. Now i shall wait for the playbook 2
So...because one of the MANY retail outlets across the country that sells the PB MAY (and I say MAY because, IIRC, there are over 1,800 Staple stores in America, which means that, based off of probability, at least 2 RMA'd units will be at each store) have those recalled units in their possession, that's enough to keep you from buying it and waiting for the next model...?
See, if you had said something like "This is the reason I don't buy 1st Gen products", I COULD respect that. That's a common consumer tactic that makes great sense. Your reasoning, on the other hand, does not.
Ridiculousness.
SS -__-
I know the trolls suck and are annoying. The reality is they wouldn't be here if they weren't at least a little curious about the Playbook. As annoying as the black and white canned responses are (I have an iPad and I find it annoying and embarrassing) the traffic has to be great for this website. In a few months these folks that obviously dont have a lot going on will move on to the next obsession that will rattle around in their p brains, traffic will decrease and Crackberry will have a LOT less drama. Is that a good thing for crackberry.com? I'm sure from an administrative standpoint Kevin would say yes
I think that's only a half a unit at each store, which only makes your point stronger.
+1
Mine's on the list... :(
But I've had no problems with it...
make sure to let us know what they do with it.
is it only for 16gb playbooks? i got mine at staples but im not going thru that list. not good for rim, this will certainly be used against them to drop the stock even more.
Just go to find option of your browser and type your serial number.
wooh dodged the bullet with a 64gb model. i still went through the list for shits and giggles. a few close relatives mine. you know 8355 he always had to be and individual, always thought he was special. but no look at him grouped with 899 others just like him bahhh i knew he wouldn't amount to more then a 16gb model.
Good lord! Longest scroll-down EVER!
And while this isn't a big deal in concept of business (recalls happen all the time in different industries), I can imagine that this is more ammo the elitist media will be using to attack the Playbook. But I suppose the trolls gotta eat sometimes....maybe.
SS 9__9
LOL I thought there was an error in the page at first!
Yikes!
Looks like I will be getting Playbook 2 next year.
Oh the Crackberry cry babies will be loving this. I think I got one of these. The user agreement doesn't come up so it isn't useable. After an hour with tech support I took it back. The guy at tech support said they were having issues with some units purchased at staples.
The same day I went to office depot and got another one which worked perfectly. Then I got my pre-order unit from Best Buy and it worked perfectly as well.
My guess is a lot more than 900 units were affected but they figure about 900 of these are left at staples.
Meanwhile I'm really enjoying my Playbooks, probably more than you are enjoying "waiting" for the playbook 2. Although given that you are on here I'm sure you enjoyed putting up your lame post.
so what's the defect?
Software, the user agreement won't load so it's not useable.
couldnt they just push out a patch? or will it not go through cause of the user agreement prob?
Yes, If you don't accept the agreement then there is no way to do anything.
i had this issue too...but i wasn't on any wifi...once i was on the agreement did show up so i guess i'm still good
Update: Yup this is all it was ... what a yawner, but it gives the bloggers another chance to declare RIM bankrupt. It's amazing apple puts out a phone that doesn't work and Apple simply tells it's customers to F-off and slap a condom on it, and everyone says "OK you're great Stevey we wuv you!"
lol agreed
hows that working out for you??