Motorola Xoom: Is Anticipation Worth $800?

[Guest]

Boy, if iSuppli is right and we will be buying 66 million tablets this year, the tablet manufacturers appear to be unlocking a new goldmine, especially if tablets are not decreasing, but increasing in price.

Motorola Xoom: Is Anticipation Worth $800? : Read more

 

[Guest]

ukuk

 

[thillntn]

I sure can get a loaded laptop for 800....

 

[Guest]

Why is every website repeating the same news that is a week old. Stay up with the news and get new things to write about.

 

[Guest]

I think the comparison of $628 ipad is misleading -- the $729 ipad 3g with 32 GB memory is the appropriate comparison model -- add tax and accessories to this and the Xoom isn't really all that much more, for a lot more capability. While I'd like to see all high end tablets come down in their price range, all this hoopla about the Xoom being so overpriced seems to me to be more of a sour grapes argument. Just like the article noted, the original ipad pricing was viewed skeptically but the market ultimately blew away all the skeptics because the product delivered an experience people are willing to pay that much for -- no reason to assume at this point the Xoom will be any different. I have had two ipads and the Galaxy Tab and enjoyed each of them but am still looking for a "tablet" that will really satisfy "all" my needs.

 

[thlillyr]

I agree with brucewilsonpa. You can't compare these other tablets to the base ipad. Becuse they all seek to out do the top end ipad. Aslo the ipad unfortunetly set the economy for tablets. People don't wat to pay that much for a tablet. People want 500$ or much less for a tablet. It's hard for us to imaging that a sheet of digital glass that play angry birds costs 5-900$ It never sits right in our heads. But becuse apples loyal following and their unfortunete ability to deliver a featureless device that gives an amzingly senstional experiance has set the standard for tablet prices. I read an artical that parts for the ipad are arpoxamitly 150$. Theres no way the cheap suicidale chinese labor justifies the 600$ price increses. I think that its true price incress is due to marketing. AKA paying jobs under the table to call the ipad a magical device. Well my farts are magical too. They take over people senses and cause them to leave the area but i don't get paid billions for it. It's straighforward profitering. Android tablets "USING A FREAKING FEE OS" cost more than the ipad for minor incresses in performance and features and somtimes poorer quality. This reminds me of the housing boom. A breif high incressing demand causes an inflation of extreame prices wich will break the peoples budgets and later cause a collapse in sales and prices as noone is able to by tvs,radio, ipods, software, cause tablets and other overpriced devices have sapped all the money.

And for those pro apple anti android fanboys who read this and want to burn me understand that I HAVE MY OWN IPAD AND I LOVE IT. I also have a droid AND LOVE IT but am sick with how slow it's become. HERE I COME DROID 2. But i hate myself everday for paying 700$ for the ipad. Ask any woman how she feels when she eats 10 pounds of chocolate. Thats how i feal about paying for modern mobile computing devices. A satisfied state of euphoric misery of joy and self lothing.

 

[fonzy]

I'm more interested in the Asus transformer same specs as the Xoom but for a rumored price of $399 for the wifi only model..more in my price range.

 

[Guest]

$799 plus 1 month 3G service for the Xoom is insane. Not a chance I (or most people) would buy it for that price. $500 is the sweet spot - low enough to undercut the iPad and establish a market and buzz for the device but high enough to pay for most of the initial production costs (which will go down if the tablet is a hit). Motorola is overreaching here. They should have produced a WiFi-only version first at a lower price point, then offered the 3G/4G-upsell.

 

[Guest]

I think by saying that the Xoom is a copy of the iPad is going a bit too far, I don't call a new cell phone a copy of an older cell phone, but simply just a better and newer one. The Xoom has little copying tech wise to the iPad, other than it has a capacitive touch screen, and the size of that screen is roughly 10 inches. I believe Honeycomb will offer a much more in depth customization experience in comparison to the iPad. Although the iPad, as are all Apple products, have a great familiarity, even to those who have never touched one of their products before. One thing that Apple has done a wonderful job of is getting many apps available to consumers, and most, if not all of them are outstanding in quality. Personally, I don't think this leak is going to hold true, at least not entirely. I believe that if Motorola has any hopes of getting sales, that they will be releasing multiple models, ranging in storage capacity, and 3G/4G/WiFi capabilities. If they follow the iPad's pricing, then Xoom sales will sky rocket. I myself will be purchasing the WiFi only model, no matter the price, I just hope it is released sooner than April in Canada.

 

[jmchien]

Also keep in mind that the top of the line iPad (i.e. iPad 2) will probably be released in the summer with similar price range as the current line and I'll bet heavily that it will set the next bar in functionality and usability.
So I guess what i"m trying to say is that $800 for the Xoom doesn't look too appealing...

 

[zodiacfml]

maybe motorola is starving for profits but they just can't immediately do this or they just can't manufacture plenty enough and control demand.

 

[Guest]

I still can't believe their comparing the IPAD to the XOOM. The Ipad doesn't do half the stuff the Xoom can, and it won't until the 3rd or 4th gen (if at all). Other than the fact that they are both tablets, there is no comparison, the Xoom has more features, scalability, it's upgradeable, and if you put feature for feature, the Ipad is bloated in price like much of Apple's products. The one thing that is going to make or break the Xoom or any other tablet is DO THEY WORK. The thing about the Ipad is regardless of what it doesn't do, the things it does.....it does well. Other than that the comparison is just dumb. I will buy the Xoom if for no other reason than to have a legitimate opinion of it.

 

[dtm4trix]

I for one considered the Xoom product all the way up until I saw the price. Thats a BIG NO way. I thought Android was supposed to be a cheaper and better alternative to the locked down OS that is iPad. Now Motorola wants to charge $130 to $230 premium? Suck it up boys I totally agree with this article that its not gonna fly. If this product was in the 500 to 600 dollar range I would consider it. As it stands now, I won't. It's too bad to tell you the truth I really like the look, form and functionality of the Xoom but not at these horrendous prices.

 

[flybri]

Some people are saying that because of the better tech in the Xoom compared to the iPad, that the price is justified. Problem is, Motorola doesn't have the same brand recognition as Apple. As such, even if the tech is better, you need to bring the price at least in line with iPads.

Add to that the fact that on top of the $799 price, that Best Buy will supposedly only sell it to you if you activate it with Verizon right then and their, and pay for at least one month of service an the activation fee. That's more of a killer for me than the price...it's just the principle of it that ticks me off. So where I thought I'd be getting a Xoom pretty close to launch date, it looks like I'll be waiting until the price is cheaper and they don't force you to activate it. Either that or I'll wait for something better to come along...

 

[Guest]

I have a MyTouch 4G that will quench my Android thirst. I will couple it off with the ipad 2 because I am drawn to the high end graphics that the App Store offers. I was set on the Motorola Xoom until I saw the possible price tag. Lets face it, the Android Market is subpar to the App Store in terms of having a large offering of useful apps, most of them are unfortunately recycled junk. The presentation looks Nintendo-ish! I do like the honeycomb operating system as far as functionality & customization.

 

[Griffolion]

I didn't know Wolfgang secretly worked for Apple.

I'll be getting a Xoom by the way, my money, my choice.

 

[eddieroolz]

$800 is just plain too much for something less capable than a laptop. Even an iPad, which is priced at $500, is too much for me as I can replace my current laptop with a thin-form laptop that will still give me much more power than any tablet ever will.

If Motorola and others continue to price their offerings above the iPad while requiring a contract, then it is in my view that their business is finished.

 

[gsxr1181]

$800 is a nice laptop. I bought a cheap $300 Black Friday special a few years ago, and use it as a Win7/Ubuntu machine. No way would I pay $800 for a cut in features that I could get in a laptop. Now if they offered it for $399, I would at least think about it. Good luck Motorola....

 

[Guest]

here iam in china,my friend just sent me an ipad,to be honest,i dont like it.
i even cant understand why so many people love so much for this.
if xoom debut in china,i am eager to have one.

 

[chunkymonster]

The Xoom would be worth the money if it could also be used as a cell phone and if carriers offered a combined voice/data plan. Carriers and manufacturers are losing out big time by selling a tablet without phone functionality, at least in America, because in Europe you can get a tablet that has phone functionality along with a reasonably priced voice/data plan.

Before anyone replies with something like, "What you gonna put a tablet up to face to make phones calls?!" I encourage you to first think outside the box and consider the fact that a tablet with phone functionality would easily replace many singular function devices like an MP3 player, a video player, a netbook, GPS, cell phone, and mobile internet device.

A tablet with phone functionality, like the European version of the Samsung Galaxy Tablet, is what manufacturers and carriers need to offer in the United States instead of selling castrated devices and forcing the consumers to pay for separate voice and data plans.

I blame a lack of visions and corporate greed for this paradigm. Let's face it, it is not in the best interest of profit to sell a tablet with phone functionality that would effectively undercut smart phone sales; but why should the same manufacturers and carriers be allowed to sell the same product in different countries with different functionality.

I WANT A TABLET WITH PHONE FUNCTIONALITY AND A REASONABLY PRICED VOICE/DATA PLAN!!!!