Price Tag Makes Xoom Not So Fast

[Hooch Tan]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.gottabemobile.com/2011/02/07/best-buy-ad-reveals-motorola-xooms-unfortunate-price-tag/' target='_blank'>http://www.gottabemobile.com/2011/0...nate-price-tag/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"The Motorola Xoom may be priced on the high side with an $800 price tag for launch on February 24th according to an advertisement from Best Buy. The Android 3.0 Honeycomb capacitive touchscreen tablet will initially launch with Verizon Wireless&rsquo;s 3G CDMA/EV-DO support and will have the radio be upgradeable to 4G at a later date. At $800, the price point may be comparable to the highest end iPad model&ndash;the iPad 3G at 16 GB retails for $629, 32 GB for $729, and 64 GB for $829."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/lpt/auto/1297197783.usr20447.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>Sure, the Motorola Xoom has some impressive specifications and looks like it is a great device to have, but ouch.&nbsp; That price is high enough to make me seriously reconsider a purchase at least seven or eight times.&nbsp; They say that tablet sales are cannibalizing notebook sales and no wonder!&nbsp; I imagine that a great deal of people are unable to afford anything after buying a Xoom and its requisite data plan.&nbsp; All I can think of is that $800 these days can buy a pretty powerful notebook, even one that is portable and lightweight.&nbsp; Does the Xoom really command that much desire in people?&nbsp; What about you?&nbsp; Is the sticker shock enough to turn you away or will you be buying the Xoom regardless of how many children you have to sell?</p>

[Sven Johannsen]

I don't get it. A $729 iPad with 3G, WiFi, and a data plan is perfectly alright, but a XOOM with 3G, WiFi a data plan, SD slot, USB port, HDMI out, camera, at $800 is unbelievably expensive? Yea, either one is twice what a decent laptop will run you these days, but at this point, with tablets being 'relatively'* new, they demand a premium for what they deliver, that a laptop can't. IMHO that is largely portability and battery life. Portability being not just weight, but the ability to use on the move. Quick startup, operate with one hand while holding with the other, are essential I believe.

*relatively new because tablets apparently didn't exist before the iPad, Apr 2010, Windows XP Tablet Edition circa November 2002, not withstanding.

[John London]

Way to expensive! Both the iPad and Xoom. I will wait. Nothing that really makes me say I have to have it. With small notebooks/netbooks will do the trick for me. Everyone has their own requirements and this device fails for me.

[Macguy59]

I don't get it..

I think a couple of things would change the perception of it. A cheaper Wi-Fi only version and not requiring data plan activation to be able to use it. I don't have a problem with the price though. You're either a player or you are not :p