<div><div class="yn-story-content">
                <p>The end of the wait for RIM's eagerly awaited <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/didaglassshortageslowthearrivaloftherimblackberryplaybooktablet/41002241/SIG=12iqpobce/*http://www.pcworld.com/article/222876/playbook_on_sale_april_19_at_best_buy.html">BlackBerry PlayBook tablet</a> is coming April 19 but could the tablet have arrived sooner? Perhaps. If so, you might blame Apple, which created a touchscreen glass shortage with its iPad 2 manufacturing.</p>
                <p>

		
Trade magazine <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/didaglassshortageslowthearrivaloftherimblackberryplaybooktablet/41002241/SIG=1383is5cv/*http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/NewsSearch.asp?DocID=PD000000000000000000000000019283&amp;query=PLAYBOOK">Digitimes</a> reports that the reason that the <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/didaglassshortageslowthearrivaloftherimblackberryplaybooktablet/41002241/SIG=11b7kihkh/*http://us.blackberry.com/playbook-tablet/">launch of the BlackBerry PlayBook</a> is later this month is partly because Apple tied up the supply of <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/didaglassshortageslowthearrivaloftherimblackberryplaybooktablet/41002241/SIG=11j4e3miu/*http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20110406PD206.html">touchscreen panels</a> from various Asian suppliers.</p>
                <p>

		
According to Digitimes, "Sources from touch screen panel makers also pointed out that PlayBook shipments were postponed for about a month from the original schedule due to a delay in software testing as well as shortage of touch panels because Apple already booked up most of the available capacity."</p>
                <p>

		
The hot new <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/didaglassshortageslowthearrivaloftherimblackberryplaybooktablet/41002241/SIG=11j4e3miu/*http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20110406PD206.html">iPad 2 is selling faster than expected</a>, and faster than the first-generation iPad. Digitimes estimates that 12 million units will ship in the second quarter.</p>
                <p>

		
The iPad 2's impact extends beyond other tablets to the whole laptop category, in which <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/didaglassshortageslowthearrivaloftherimblackberryplaybooktablet/41002241/SIG=12r1lodn5/*http://www.pcworld.com/article/224628/apple_ipad_hammering_laptop_sales_analysts_say.html">sales growth stopped dead in early 2011</a>.</p>
                <p>

		
The PlayBook will run the new PlayBook Tablet OS, which is based on the <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/didaglassshortageslowthearrivaloftherimblackberryplaybooktablet/41002241/SIG=12voqb3jm/*http://www.pcworld.com/article/206520/playbook_tablet_os_might_move_to_blackberry_phones.html">QNX operating system</a> RIM purchased. The PlayBook was first announced in late September 2010.</p>
                <p>

		
There definitely is interest. The RIM video for the PlayBook has more than 2.5 million views on YouTube. Take a look (audio has been disabled due to copyright restrictions):</p>
                <p>
            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class="rssreadon" rel="external" title="Did a Glass Shortage Slow the Arrival of the RIM BlackBerry Playbook Tablet?   (PC World)" href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20110408/tc_pcworld/didaglassshortageslowthearrivaloftherimblackberryplaybooktablet" target="_blank">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20110408/tc_pcworld/didaglassshortageslowthearrivaloftherimblackberryplaybooktablet</a></p>