BlackBerry PlayBook suffers limited recall over software fault
Nearly 1,000 BlackBerry PlayBook tablets that shipped with a dodgy version of the operating system have been recalled by manufacturer RIM.
Not a great start for the BlackBerry PlayBook -- the business-minded tablet is only just going on sale in the UK and already its maker RIM has confirmed it's had to recall nearly 1,000 units.
BlackBerry news site CrackBerry spoke to RIM, which confirmed that "approximately 1,000" 16GB PlayBooks were shipped with a faulty operating system that might result in the tablets being "unable to properly load software upon initial setup".
"The majority of affected devices are still in the distribution channel and haven't reached customers. RIM is working to replace the affected devices," said a spokesperson for the Canadian company.
It doesn't look as though many borked units have actually wound up in the hands of punters -- possibly because no one's buying the thing anyway. RIM's advising anyone who's bought a PlayBook that won't load software properly to get in touch. If you're worried you might have acquired a duff unit, CrackBerry's got a list of serial numbers from the recalled batch (hit Ctrl+F to search 'em).
One thousand dodgy units isn't a massive crisis, but this is still bad news for the PlayBook -- rumours of dodgy software can scare buyers away, and a bumpy launch can severely hamper a tablet's chances of success. Especially when it's running an unproven operating system and is holding off heavyweights like the iPad 2 and the Android-sporting Motorola Xoom.
Are you still psyched about the PlayBook? Or are you struggling to work up much enthusiasm? Let us know in the comments, or scrawl something on a brick and hurl it through the window of our Facebook wall.