Yesterday, after the iPad announcement, I went to Verizon and bought a Xoom.
When the first iPad came out, I was nearly an early adopter. What kept me away was knowing that a dual camera model was an absolute certainty (especially after Face time and the iPhone 4) and understanding that it wasn't just a first-gen device, but the first-gen of a new hardware segment of successful, consumer tablet computers. I don't believe either of these to be Apple's fault or, as some suspect, intentional obsolesence, but more so just an attemt to get the device to market at a competitive price.
So yesterday, I expected the iPad 2 to be announced with certain features, and for the most part, Apple delivered. There's no 4G, but in the era of tethering smartphones and wifi hotspots, that's not too important to me. Also absent is an SD card slot, but I understand Apple's concern for security and, frankly, I own three or four devices which I've never removed the SD card, so again, not much of a disappountment.
One of the iPad's greatest strengths is IOS. It really is so simple your grandmother could pick up the device and use it. If you haven't used an iPad, then you really don't know just how akin it is to the epitome of simplicity. Rows of apps. What do you want to do? Touh-it-and-go. The interface shows just truely how in-touch with consumers Apple is.
So why did I get a Xoom?
In many ways, I feel Honeycomb is the vice of IOS. It's not easy or simple, and has a bit of a learning curve. But you gain widgets, which can give you information like weather, what song you're listening to on pandora, latest headlines from your favorite news source, and more WITHOUT having to open an app. I have a powerful desktop for heavy computing, a laptop for when I need processing (or WoW, hehe) on the go, and a smartphone for when I'm out on the road. I wanted a tablet for fast, light computing: checking a quick email, seeing what the weather was like, fact-checking the TV, and reading a news article on the couch. Widgets, and granted there aren't many great ones yet, to me, are key to the design philosophy of a tablet, and Honeycomb arguably does them best.
Android also doesn't shy away from customization. On IOS, you can change your picture in the background or move around apps, but Apple sure won't let you root it and surely won't allow unapproved apps. I've heard the walled garden argument to death, and I can understand Apple's drive to provide a uniform, safe experience. I would rather have the flexibility to modify my device as I wish, even if I never do. Every time I see an IOS device, I can't help but feel they are all the same.
As per the price, the Xoom is a good value in my eyes for what it does. I understand the computer industry to be heavily comoditized with narrow margins. There's a lot of cutting edge technology in the Xoom, and the comparable 3G iPad doesn't cost significantly less than the soon-to-be 4G Xoom. I suppose everyone has a budget, and the Xoom fits comfortably in mine.
So there are my reasons. Not facts, totally opinions. So far, I've been loving my Xoom!
When the first iPad came out, I was nearly an early adopter. What kept me away was knowing that a dual camera model was an absolute certainty (especially after Face time and the iPhone 4) and understanding that it wasn't just a first-gen device, but the first-gen of a new hardware segment of successful, consumer tablet computers. I don't believe either of these to be Apple's fault or, as some suspect, intentional obsolesence, but more so just an attemt to get the device to market at a competitive price.
So yesterday, I expected the iPad 2 to be announced with certain features, and for the most part, Apple delivered. There's no 4G, but in the era of tethering smartphones and wifi hotspots, that's not too important to me. Also absent is an SD card slot, but I understand Apple's concern for security and, frankly, I own three or four devices which I've never removed the SD card, so again, not much of a disappountment.
One of the iPad's greatest strengths is IOS. It really is so simple your grandmother could pick up the device and use it. If you haven't used an iPad, then you really don't know just how akin it is to the epitome of simplicity. Rows of apps. What do you want to do? Touh-it-and-go. The interface shows just truely how in-touch with consumers Apple is.
So why did I get a Xoom?
In many ways, I feel Honeycomb is the vice of IOS. It's not easy or simple, and has a bit of a learning curve. But you gain widgets, which can give you information like weather, what song you're listening to on pandora, latest headlines from your favorite news source, and more WITHOUT having to open an app. I have a powerful desktop for heavy computing, a laptop for when I need processing (or WoW, hehe) on the go, and a smartphone for when I'm out on the road. I wanted a tablet for fast, light computing: checking a quick email, seeing what the weather was like, fact-checking the TV, and reading a news article on the couch. Widgets, and granted there aren't many great ones yet, to me, are key to the design philosophy of a tablet, and Honeycomb arguably does them best.
Android also doesn't shy away from customization. On IOS, you can change your picture in the background or move around apps, but Apple sure won't let you root it and surely won't allow unapproved apps. I've heard the walled garden argument to death, and I can understand Apple's drive to provide a uniform, safe experience. I would rather have the flexibility to modify my device as I wish, even if I never do. Every time I see an IOS device, I can't help but feel they are all the same.
As per the price, the Xoom is a good value in my eyes for what it does. I understand the computer industry to be heavily comoditized with narrow margins. There's a lot of cutting edge technology in the Xoom, and the comparable 3G iPad doesn't cost significantly less than the soon-to-be 4G Xoom. I suppose everyone has a budget, and the Xoom fits comfortably in mine.
So there are my reasons. Not facts, totally opinions. So far, I've been loving my Xoom!
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