It's confirmed. The Motorola Xoom will sell for $800, unsubsidized (meaning, no service contract). There will also be a wi-fi only version of the first Honeycomb (Android 3.0) tablet which will sell for $600.
Those prices, although they are bound to be criticized, are very much in line with comparable iPad pricing. In fact, when considering the differences between the hardware of the Motorola Xoom vs. the first-generation iPad, they are better pricing than a comparable iPad.
A 32GB (same storage size as the Xoom) wi-fi only iPad is $599. A 32GB wi-fi + 3G iPad sells for $729. However, the Xoom outspecs the iPad with a dual-core processor, front-and-rear-facing cameras, and still more.
In a month or two, however, the iPad 2 will be announced. It probably won't blow the Xoom out of the water in an oranges-to-oranges comparison, but it remains to be seen how that announcement will affect Xoom sales.
There was no mention in the Reuters report about a ship date, or anything said about the rumor that although no service contract is required, a Xoom 3G customer will be forced to sign up for one month of Verizon data before activating the device.
Honeycomb is the first tablet-optimized Android version. It's significantly different than prior versions that some relearning will be required, but it also makes it the first version of Android that truly stands up to the iPad's iOS version.
Really, there will be plenty of buyers, and comparing sales of one tablet vs. Apple's only tablet is unfair. Combine all the Android tablet sales, and there are many variants coming from HTC, LG, Samsung, and more), and someday you will likely see them surpass the iPad.
There's a hand-on video from Mobile World Congress (MWC) below.
Those prices, although they are bound to be criticized, are very much in line with comparable iPad pricing. In fact, when considering the differences between the hardware of the Motorola Xoom vs. the first-generation iPad, they are better pricing than a comparable iPad.
A 32GB (same storage size as the Xoom) wi-fi only iPad is $599. A 32GB wi-fi + 3G iPad sells for $729. However, the Xoom outspecs the iPad with a dual-core processor, front-and-rear-facing cameras, and still more.
In a month or two, however, the iPad 2 will be announced. It probably won't blow the Xoom out of the water in an oranges-to-oranges comparison, but it remains to be seen how that announcement will affect Xoom sales.
There was no mention in the Reuters report about a ship date, or anything said about the rumor that although no service contract is required, a Xoom 3G customer will be forced to sign up for one month of Verizon data before activating the device.
Honeycomb is the first tablet-optimized Android version. It's significantly different than prior versions that some relearning will be required, but it also makes it the first version of Android that truly stands up to the iPad's iOS version.
Really, there will be plenty of buyers, and comparing sales of one tablet vs. Apple's only tablet is unfair. Combine all the Android tablet sales, and there are many variants coming from HTC, LG, Samsung, and more), and someday you will likely see them surpass the iPad.
There's a hand-on video from Mobile World Congress (MWC) below.
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