360° Coverage Can the $599 Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi compete with the iPad 2?
Can the $599 Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi compete with the iPad 2?
$599 Motorola Xoom Tablet ships on March 27th.
Mar 17 2011, 8:04am CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr
Motorola made the Wi-Fi Xoom Android Tablet official this week. The $599 Xoom will start shipping on March 27th. You can pre-order the Wi-Fi Xoom now on Amazon.
The Motorola Xoom has a 10.1-inch screen and a 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra processor. It offers 1GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Other features of the Xoom include HDMI out, microSD card, 2MP camera, 5MP camera, Wireless-N and 10 hours of battery life. The Xoom is the first Tablet that runs Android 3.0 (Honeycomb).
With the iPad 2 out of stock the Xoom has a chance to find some buyers, or does it? The Wi-Fi Xoom is considered the entry-model. The 3G/4G version is $200 more expensive. Motorola argued that the Xoom is more expensive because it has faster download speeds with the 4G upgrade. This argument does not work for the Wi-Fi Xoom. Motorola is matching the price of the 32GB iPad with the Wi-Fi Xoom that has the same amount of storage. Why is Motorola not offering a 16GB Wi-Fi model. Or even better, selling the 32GB Xoom for $499. We are talking about attacking a dominating market leader here, just matching prices will not do much. Offering more for less money will start to get consumers considering a Xoom purchase. Especially when an iPad 2 is hard to find.
In my opinion the only path for Android Tablets to compete with the Apple iPad is over price. The analyst's predicting that Android tablets will have the biggest marketshare in two or 3 years time assume that things will play out like they did in the smartphone market. A major driver for the success of Android phones is the low price. You do not find Free iPhone deals with a contract in the United States, but you get plenty Android phones for $0 with a new contract.
As long as iPad competitors cost the same as the iPad or even more, Apple will continue to dominate. Apple managed to make it really hard to compete on price with the iPad. That is why we have not seen a $399 Tablet with specs comparable to the iPad. This is very different when comparing it to the PC and Laptop market where Apple competitors are able to offer the same performance for considerable less money.
I actually see the iPad future more aligned with how the iPod dominates the portable media player market. Carriers play a lesser role in selling tablets as Wi-Fi Tablets are a reasonable alternative. Especially with personal hotspot features becoming more common on smartphones. Paying more and having to get another contract for a tablet prevents the 3G tablet from being a choice for many.
Sponsored Update
Updates
Young scientists wins $50,000 for quick phone-charging invention
Source: United Press International
Eesha Khare and her supercapacitor. Credit: Intel SARATOGA, Calif., May 20 (UPI) -- A young California woman has won a $50,000 science award for inventing a "supercapacitor" that could allow a smartphone to be ...
Full article at: United Press International
More like this 7 minutes ago
White Girl Super Stain Remover Powder - 1 Gram Bloom Plant Feeder 1 Gram Powder or 5 table
Source: LongIsland.com
Looking to Buy Herbal Incense, Bath Salts at Wholesale prices? We are the premier supplier in the game. We can provide you top notch customer service, fast shipping and reliable quantities. The minimum you must ...
Full article at: LongIsland.com
More like this 16 minutes ago
Will Google Threaten This Pioneering Radio Service Giant?
Source: Motley Fool
Tedra is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited. Pandora (NYSE: P) is getting ready to release its latest earnings report this week. As t ...
Full article at: Motley Fool
More like this 16 minutes ago
where to buy
Don't miss ...
news
Seagate GoFlex Satellite 500GB Wireless Storage aimed at Apple iPad Users
May 16 2011
Seagate packs a 500GB HDD in a small Wi-Fi enclosure with...
news
iPad 2 Shipping Times ease to 1-2 Weeks ahead of Apple Q2 Earnings Call
Apr 20 2011
The Apple Online Store updated the shipping times for the...
Luigi Lugmayr
Luigi Lugmayr (Google) is the founding chief Editor of I4U News and brings over 15 years
experience in the technology field to the ever evolving and exciting
world of gadgets. He started I4U News back in 2000 and evolved it into
vibrant technology magazine.
Luigi can be contacted directly at ml@i4u.com.
blog comments powered by Disqus
Latest stories
Stronghold Kingdoms immediately, Stronghold Crusaders HD after instructions that take under 10 minutes
Following Barnes & Noble's admirable decision to bring Google Play access to its Nook e-readers, we are hearing reports that the company will soon add a web browser and email feature to its Simple Touch e-readers,...
More From the Web
Viral Stories
- Visit our Homepage for the Latest Rumors, News and Shopping Tips
Viral Videos and Photos
The Hottest Cheerleaders of 2013
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2012
