$799 for the Xoom? Ouch!

I understand that the Notion Ink and Viewsonic products are cheaper (in price, specs, and build quality), but let's compare products from reputable companies for a second.

Dell Streak 7 - 7" screen (800x480), 1Ghz Dual-Core, 512mb RAM, 16gb internal storage, Dell Stage skinned Froyo
$199.99 plus required 2 year agreement (minimum $24.99 for 200mb) = $799.75 (plus taxes and fees)

Galaxy Tab - 7" screen (1024x600), 1Ghz, 512mb RAM, 16gb internal storage, Touchwiz skinned Froyo
T-Mobile - $549.99 full retail or $249.99 plus required 2 year agreement (minimum $24.99) = $849.75 total plus taxes and fees

Verizon - $499.99 full retail plus $20 (1 month of data) = $519.99

Sprint - $299.99 plus required 2 year agreement (minimum $29.99) = $1,019.75 (or pay $200 EFT for a total of $529.98)

iPad 3G 32GB - 9.7" screen (1024x768), 1Ghz processor, 256mb RAM, 32gb internal storage, iOS
Direct - $729

Motorola Xoom -10.1" screen (1280x800), 1Ghz Dual-Core, 1gb RAM, 32gb internal storage, Vanilla Honeycomb
Best Buy - $799.99 full retail plus $20 (1 month of data) = $819.99

Still seems like a no-brainer to me.

All of my local Costco stores have plenty of VZW Galaxy Tabs for $399 with NO contract. You still have to pay that nasty first month's service, sadly. So you can shave a cool $100 off of your $519.99 price listed above. At that price, I'd go ahead and get a Galaxy Tab IF it was by any manufacturer other than Samsung, OR we had a 100% guaranteed OS update coming down the pipe OR even if the Galaxy Tab used standard microUSB + mini or micro HDMI instead of that lame proprietary Samsung connector.
 
All of my local Costco stores have plenty of VZW Galaxy Tabs for $399 with NO contract. You still have to pay that nasty first month's service, sadly. So you can shave a cool $100 off of your $519.99 price listed above. At that price, I'd go ahead and get a Galaxy Tab IF it was by any manufacturer other than Samsung, OR we had a 100% guaranteed OS update coming down the pipe OR even if the Galaxy Tab used standard microUSB + mini or micro HDMI instead of that lame proprietary Samsung connector.

I don't know which way you were trying to go with your point but you just made him look really good with all the ORs and IFs in your statement.

I understand the price is VERY high but in my eyes its worth it.
 
I don't know which way you were trying to go with your point but you just made him look really good with all the ORs and IFs in your statement.

I understand the price is VERY high but in my eyes its worth it.

Sorry, that didn't come out clearly-was trying to post & talk on the phone at the same time.

Simply put, my point was:

-Galaxy Tab is still a nice little unit in comparison to Xoom, especially at $399 w/ no contract
-Samsung sucks for updates
-Samsung's proprietary connector sucks
-Xoom is an awesome device, no doubt, but IMHO too pricey for mass-market appeal. Glad to hear you can justify the price tag!
 
Sorry, that didn't come out clearly-was trying to post & talk on the phone at the same time.

Simply put, my point was:

-Galaxy Tab is still a nice little unit in comparison to Xoom, especially at $399 w/ no contract
-Samsung sucks for updates
-Samsung's proprietary connector sucks
-Xoom is an awesome device, no doubt, but IMHO too pricey for mass-market appeal. Glad to hear you can justify the price tag!

Its hard to, I know. But I get what I want. And right now this is the hottest tablet on the market and I want it! =)
 
All of my local Costco stores have plenty of VZW Galaxy Tabs for $399 with NO contract. You still have to pay that nasty first month's service, sadly. So you can shave a cool $100 off of your $519.99 price listed above. At that price, I'd go ahead and get a Galaxy Tab IF it was by any manufacturer other than Samsung, OR we had a 100% guaranteed OS update coming down the pipe OR even if the Galaxy Tab used standard microUSB + mini or micro HDMI instead of that lame proprietary Samsung connector.

You might want to take at look at that pricing closer. According to the costco website its 399 with a 2 year contract

Mobile Phones with Free Shipping and Activation - Mobile Phone Plans from AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless
 
Samsung Galaxy Tab - $499 at Costco (online only) - month to month data plan

While it can very likely vary from region to region and even from store to store, I have seen the cardboard signs at all of my local Costcos' wireless kiosks where it clearly states that the $399 price has a month-to-month data plan. Costco's website often varies drastically from what is in their warehouses.

You still have to pay initial activation but can cancel the data service after 1 month. I'll take a pic of it next time I stop in there. They didn't have a demo Tabs out for display, surprisingly. Just a huge endcap full of those cardboard signs describing the item (like how they sell their netbooks & GPS receivers).
 
I take it back, read right below the pic:
"To activate WiFi functionality on this device, a minimum of 1 month data subscription is required"

That is likely a BB Exclusive. They only get paid by VZW if you get a plan, so they are trying to force you to get a plan so they get paid.
 
Here is my issue, I not really in the mood to wait. I would like a tablet by mid-March. I won't be a guinea pig of Motorola's for $800 when I can get a tested and proved iPad for less. It is amazing that $100 can sour me so much on a product, but I just refuse to pay $800 for this tech.

Yeah, I'm waiting until june or so. By then, iPad 2 and a healthy selection of honeycomb tablets should be out for the choosing.

Looks awesome as long as it's not $800+ as well. :/

The required data plan is the worst part of the Xoom at this point. Although the price point is pretty terrible as well.

It's wifi only and they said price similar to a comparable iPad. $600 would be my assumption.
 
Eh, still waiting for the BB Playbook tablet. Right now either the Galaxy Tab or the Archos 5 gives the best bang for buck.
 
I'd expect at least a $100 price drop a week or two before iPad 2 release. Only way they'll come close to competing.
 
Got a response from Moto. Most likely throwaway material, but they say pricing is not official for the Xoom at least:

"Dear Eric,

Thanks for reaching out to Motorola.

We understand your concern about the new products of Motorola. Regarding the price and launch date, we do not have the exact information when will the product be released in the market. For updates about these products, please click on the link provided:

To register for atrix updates: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...orp/campaigns/coming-soon/USA/&token=XwqhekBW
For Motorola XOOM:
https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...w.verizon.com/tablets/android/&token=HZox_0NW
or
MOTOROLA XOOM - Android Smart Tablet - Experience - Motorola Mobility, Inc. USA

Media Notes with Specs:
http://mediacenter.motorola.com/Pre...Largest-and-Most-Reliable-3G-Network-353f.asp

We hope that you find this information useful

Thank you for contacting Motorola e-mail support.

Best Regards,

Kurt"
 
Got a response from Moto. Most likely throwaway material, but they say pricing is not official for the Xoom at least:

"Dear Eric,

Thanks for reaching out to Motorola.

We understand your concern about the new products of Motorola. Regarding the price and launch date, we do not have the exact information when will the product be released in the market. For updates about these products, please click on the link provided:

To register for atrix updates: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...orp/campaigns/coming-soon/USA/&token=uvYCTBcN
For Motorola XOOM:
https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...w.verizon.com/tablets/android/&token=nI4WHKP-
or
MOTOROLA XOOM - Android Smart Tablet - Experience - Motorola Mobility, Inc. USA

Media Notes with Specs:
http://mediacenter.motorola.com/Pre...Largest-and-Most-Reliable-3G-Network-353f.asp

We hope that you find this information useful

Thank you for contacting Motorola e-mail support.

Best Regards,

Kurt"

Actually, he says he understands your concerns regarding both but only says that the launch date isn't official.
 
I've pretty much stopped reading these threads, because honestly, I don't care what everyone else thinks about the price for the Xoom.

Sure, I could get a Viewsonic GTab, a Galaxy Tab, or a Notion Ink for a lower price. Not interested in a Viewsonic product, a half-assed attempt at a tablet from a company who historically sucks at updates, or a product from a company with no history of doing anything, ever. All lower screen resolution, the most expensive part of the device.

Sure, I could get a "decent" laptop (don't get me started on some people's definition of decent) for less than $800, but I already have a laptop, and I'm interested in buying a tablet.

My first smartphone was the HTC Harrier back in December 2004. 6 years ago, and that thing couldn't do crap, but it was pretty awesome at the time. $499 with a 2 year agreement, after credits/rebates. Again, only 6 years ago, that was pretty much the cutting edge smartphone to some extent. 3.5" touchscreen (240x320), 400mhz processor, 128mb of RAM, 64mb internal storage, vertical slide-out keyboard, 0.3mp camera, 3/4 inch thick, weighing in at about a half pound. (by the way, still have it, still powers up, and still holds a charge)

6 years later, $300 more will get me a Xoom with no contract. Done.
 
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I've had an Archos101 since they first came out. without going into a number of other reasons, the one that's enough for me by itself is that I'd be happy to pay $400 more just to have 4 times the RAM in the device I have let alone all the other stuff the Xoom has.

Kind of like ckeegan's point only even more so. The screen size, Android and the other specs easily make this worth more than my wife's admittedly attractive iPad.

And make no mistake, the Archos is fine for what it cost. My daughter will love it when I "graduate".
 
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Yeah that's what I was thinking too, but even then, there's never been anything stopping me from buying a device at full retail and walking out without it activated. I'm curious to see how VZW plays this.

there is a new stipulation in full retail pricing that the device is that price with activation. so there is something stopping you now, a new policy.
 
Yeah rumor mill going around is that neither Verizon or Best Buy will allow you out of the store without at least activating one months worth of data. Now, trying to find this thing online on eBay or something like that is a different story. ;)