BlackBerry PlayBook receives a dramatic price cut in Canada - as low as $250

Things might not be looking that great for RIM right now, especially after reporting some less than invigorating news in their latest earnings report, which caused its assembly partner in Quanta to reduce its production line of late. Well, in their quest to jump-start sales, it seems that a variety of retailers in Canada selling the BlackBerry PlayBook are dramatically lowering prices – with some being more official than others.

Specifically, consumer electronics giant Best Buy and its little brother Future Shop reduced the price of all PlayBook models by $200, which places the entry-level 16GB version at a reasonable $299.99. However, it’s worth noting that you’ll be given a $200 gift card if you happen to purchase it at a store – while buying it online, it’ll be in the form of an instant rebate. Of course, the big box retailer mentions that the price cuts are valid during their two-week sale, which happens to end on October 6th.

On the other hand, Staples is selling the 16GB at $299.99 as well, but it seems that their price change is firm since there is no mention of an end date for the new pricing. Furthermore, a recent Walmart customer managed to nab the 16GB model for an even better $249.99 – albeit, the pricing might not be honored at all stores. Instead, it seems that it’s a case-by-case scenario.

Nevertheless, it begs the question if we’ll be seeing similar price drops in other markets besides Canada. Without a doubt, sales will probably increase since it’s at a price point that very few respectable tablets have gone – with the exception of the HP TouchPad of course. Now that fall is officially here, PlayBook owners can at least look forward to the new PlayBook v2.0 software update that will bring some much-needed functionality – like a native email client and support for Android apps.

source: MobileSyrup via Electronista