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IDC has updated its tablet forecast, raising Apple's iOS share at the expense of Android, while RIM's Blackberry fades to irrelevance.

IDC now expects iOS to grab 62.5 percent of the tablet market in 2012, up from 58.2 percent in 2011. Meanwhile, Android's share will slip to 36.5 percent from 38.7 percent in 2011.

And where does that leave BlackBerry? Virtually nowhere. RIM's tablet platform fades to 1 percent of the market in 2012, down from an already-tiny 1.7 percent share in 2011.

The market researcher is not currently forecasting Windows 8 or Windows RT tablets … Read more

The cheapest version of Research In Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook has been discontinued.

RIM today told CNET in an e-mailed statement today that the company has decided to stop "making the 16GB model of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet." However, the company was quick to point out that the 32GB and 64GB models will remain on store shelves and will continue to be manufactured.

"We continue to remain committed to the tablet space and the 32GB and 64GB models of the BlackBerry PlayBook continue to be available from our distributors and retailers around the world," the company … Read more

Eager to see Research In Motion's latest and greatest phones at BlackBerry World next week? Prepare to be disappointed.

RIM will be taking a software-heavy approach this year, using the event to formally unveil its BlackBerry 10 operating system.

"We are not unveiling any BlackBerry 10 hardware," a company representative confirmed to CNET.

There's never been a more crucial BlackBerry World than this next event. The annual confab is a chance for BlackBerry developers, product enthusiasts, and business partners to take in RIM's latest and future wares. This year, RIM has the added task of … Read more

Perhaps acknowledging that ironclad security isn't always fun, Research In Motion announced plans to allow users of its BlackBerry Messenger service to view updates from the popular social-media platforms Facebook and Twitter.

It may come as a shock, but loyal BlackBerry Messenger addicts exist in a corporate walled garden lacking a link to the engaging (or distracting) social-media action their friends and followers are up to. That's all about to change with RIM unveiling plans to add Facebook and Twitter sharing via their respective apps (version 3.0) in the BlackBerry App World store. … Read more

Wall Street expected Research In Motion to report weak results, and the beleaguered smartphone vendor didn't disappoint.

The Canadian company today reported a fiscal fourth-quarter loss of $125 million, or 24 cents a share, reversing a year-earlier profit of $934 million, or $1.74 a share. Excluding one-time items, the company reported an adjusted profit of $418 million, or 80 cents a share.

Revenue fell by 25 percent to $4.2 billion.

Analysts, on average, expected the company to post per-share earnings of 81 cents a share on revenue of $4.54 billion, according to an estimate provided by … Read more

Research in Motion ceding its smartphone title to Apple in Canada may be seen as a minor hiccup after the struggling RIM posts its fiscal fourth-quarter results next Thursday.

Expectations for RIM this period are decidedly low, with a product line sustained by heavy discounts and the company lacking any new smartphones. It'll mark the first quarterly report for new CEO Thorsten Heins, who has opted to stick with the company's established strategy of a gradual move to its next-generation smartphone platform.

Wall Street analysts have been steadily lowering their earnings and revenue estimates over the past few … Read more

RIM's new accessory is something even PlayBook haters of the world can grudgingly give a nod. Attaching to the much-maligned tablet, the Mini Keyboard harnesses the PlayBook's new-found native e-mail capabilities to provide a laptop level of functionality on the go. … Read more

Apple should be blowing us away with the iPad 3, but it probably won't.

The latest rumors call for a higher resolution screen on par with the iPhone's Retina Display, a possible upgrade to the iOS software, and possibly a few other improvements. That's certainly enough to draw the Apple faithful and sell a ton of iPads. But with the rapid advances that the competition is making, will it be enough to secure the company's continued dominance in the tablet business?

Sure, the iPad has been a blockbuster franchise for Apple. In the fourth quarter alone, … Read more

Have consumers forsaken the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet? Not at one large Canadian retailer.

In a tweet on Friday, RIM linked to a Future Shop tweet that cited the PlayBook as the bestselling tablet this week. Future Shop is a major Canadian reseller.

That may have something to do with the price, of course. The 16GB PlayBook is selling for $199 in Canada, as it is in the U.S. at retailers like Best Buy.

Like Future Shop, Best Buy is also selling the 32GB model for $249.99 and the 64GB model for $299.99.

The low price isn't … Read more