[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s72rGDUn2uo[/ame]

RIM has today fired a bold shot across Apple’s bows in the tablet wars with the release of a video directly comparing the browser on its forthcoming BlackBerry PlayBook with that of the iPad. Maximum PC, reporting on the story, says that if the video is anything to go by (bearing in mind it does come from RIM, so it is a bit biased!), the iPad may have “met its match”, at least as far as its browsing experience is concerned. I'm not so sure.

The comparison between the two shows the PlayBook loading pages faster than the iPad, but it’s hard to say how accurate the video is when the device isn’t even on the market yet, and given that the iPad usually loads web pages very quickly anyway, I can’t see there being much difference between the two once they’re both released. A comparison between a retail-available iPad’s browser and a retail-available PlayBook’s browser would surely be more convincing. There is one area, of course, where the iPad really does get beaten by the PlayBook, and that’s in loading Flash content, which the iPad can’t do at all due to Apple’s policy of banning Flash from all iOS devices. RIM is clearly hammering this home as a big selling point for the PlayBook, so it will be interesting to see what sort of reply Apple comes back with, if any! Also, has RIM made a mistake by showing the PlayBook and iPad side-by-side and inadvertently highlighting how much smaller the PlayBook’s screen is in comparison with the iPad’s, and especially how the PlayBook’s keyboard takes up almost all of the screen space?

Source: MaximumPC

depending on the build quality, screen quality and battery life this could be, hello Playbook and goodbye iPad.

Was that iPad running 4.2? Graphics performance and memory utilisation are much improved in the new IOS so that is something to consider as well if the iPad is running 3.2.2.

Well this is convenient... A RIM review against an Apple product. I would like to see this review from Apple....you know the iPad would outperform it then. I think I'll wait until a real review is done.

Anyone notice they never once do they try scrolling the page with the playbook? Every time a competing product does a browser comparison its always how quickly it loads a page!! Who knows how that could be stacked....2 wifi signals...one is slower than the other. The iPad could be using 3G while the playbook is on wifi....or the playbook might actually load pages faster....

But honestly would you rather wait an extra second or two for a page to load then have a very fast and smooth experience on the page or have it load instantly than be frustrated that it doesn't respond immediately and lags when you scroll...I did however notice a lot of fidgety scrolling and pinch zooming on the iPad tho...maybe because it is so smooth they figured do it on the one that works and people will think they saw it on the playbook.

I would like to see a head to head with a 3rd party doing the review. I have generally seen some good reviews from gdgt, gizmodo, engadget and Ars Technica. Side-by-side with random websites from all over with a verified Wifi connection AND 3G connection as well.

The mere milliseconds of difference are really not even worth fretting about anyway. We are not always going to have the most pristine environment and while I am a stickler for clearing cache, not everyone is. Clearing cache on a regular basis will always have you reloading the pages from scratch anyway resulting in full downloads...

They are all subjective anyway.

And besides, I am a big fan of RIM products, so it isn't that I am hating on them.

The problem is it is hard to see anyone do a truly subjective review. Someone has one product in mind for the win. CNet does some decent head to heads occasionally....but most of them have an agenda....Giz tends to be more Apple biased, while engadget tends to lean towards android. Most independent youtube videos are fans of a particular product and will find ways to highlight and inferior product. Best thing to do is go to a store and really try it for yourself. The good thing about the playbook is it will be treated like a phone which means you will have 30 days to make that final decision!

oh yeah, anyone else think the 7" looks insanely small now next to the iPad??

Very small. I had an Archos 704 wifi for a while and sold it to raise the cash for the iPad, and when I put them together the difference was very noticeable.

It does load fast, but I'm with Gentlefury - show me how it works once your inside!

neither my Mac nor PC scroll as fast or as smoothly, and just offer a generally not as rewarding experience. Yeah, ok. They do load faster...