If you’re a Research in Motion fan, chances are good that you’re both excited and agitated by the rise of the BlackBerry Playbook. Now, we’re pretty big crackberry people around here, but we have to come out with the obvious question: can the BlackBerry brand be saved?

It’s a really hard question to answer. First and foremost, you have to assume that the BlackBerry brand is something that needs to be saved. If you’re a die-hard crackberry type that’s owned just about every BB since the very beginning black and white variety, you might feel that the Playbook is just a smart move by BlackBerry.

Unfortunately, the general public doesn’t feel the same way. For starters, the Playbook requires you to already own a BlackBerry — something that is a failed marketing move. Instead of giving people the chance to really experience the BlackBerry brand without the iconic phone getting in the way, Research in Motion decides to cripple the Playbook from day one. It’s a bad move on several fronts.

Consider first the new user that has no idea how to navigate through a BlackBerry. They probably own another type of phone, and thanks to RIM’s mistake with the Playbook, they always will. Instead of seeing the BB phone as an asset, they’ll feel like they’ve been pushed into making a larger commitment than they would have otherwise if the Playbook already had all of the functionality required.

For those not in the loop about the Playbook, you must own a Blackberry phone already to get the productivity tools that you’re used to. Everything else is replaced by a webOS type of interface, which is something that can be a bit irritating — especially if you’re not familiar with the BlackBerry brand.

This is something that can turn into a major turn off for new users, and this really isn’t the era of Research in Motion. When you’re Apple, you can demand that people have an iPhone before they work with your hardware and no one bats an eyelash. The marketing machine has already softened the market in this respect. When you’re Research in Motion, you’re a lot better off trying to get people back into your brand by putting out a polished product.

Because of the differences in market share, a polished product is really the best way to go. Unfortunately, Research in Motion fails here as well. Most of the major reviews for the Playbook had to have several updates as RIM issued last minute software patches and upgrades. Again, is it slightly unfair to call RIM on the carpet for this when Apple and Google do it themselves? Sure, but iPhone and Android are very, very hot right now. BlackBerry has to catch up to being hot outside of traditional business circles.

Even within traditional business circles, Apple is chomping up valuable market share, which is even more troubling. Research in Motion has a lot of work to do if they really want to move forward and get things done — how will they do it? Only time will tell.

So, what do you think? Would you purchase a Playbook as it is, or would they need to really add in independent functionality in order for you to put down hard earned money? Sound off in the comments, we would love to hear from you!