Xoom--will Ipad 2 announcement have an effect?

[watchout4d]

Stop stop stop stop stop saying the iPad is a big iPhone/ iPod it is RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! We can love Android without saying stupid things!

For the record, type a document on the iPhone, then type it on an iPad and tell me that the experience is even close. It's Not. The functionality of the word Doc programs on the Ipad are farrrrrrrrr superior to those of an iPhone or iPod touch. Try spreadsheet, power point, presentations, it's night and day people! It's like comparing a Lamborghini Murcielago to a souped up 2 door accord, the difference in capabilities is that Big. Try CNN app on android or iPhone then look at it on the Ipad, night and day.

The Ipad UI sucks, but when you get to any task, you know, the purpose of using a device, the Ipad in every way is a tablet.

Tell a business person who is doing a 200 page presentation from his iPad with clients observing on their Ipad that he could have done that on the iPad touch, yeah right, get a clue.

 

[Bald Steve]

NOTE: I am an Android guy to the bone. I love the OS and can't ever see myself moving to iOS for a smartphone. That said...

This is pretty brutal for the future of the Xoom, though it should drive the price down somewhat. We live in an instant gratification world, ladies and gentlemen, and iPad 2 gives people what they want, and it offers it right now. The Xoom is a device that is promising great things down the line. You are buying potential. Need LTE? Box it up and send it back. Flash? Coming soon. WiFi-only? We'll let you know.

The iPad 2 fixed almost everything people complained about with the original iPad. Lighter, thinner, cameras, faster than first gen, a heap of apps, and above all: Cheaper out of the gate with an unaltered pricing structure from gen one. Insane. Like or not, Apple obliterated the Xoom today. They stole Moto's thunder a week after launch, will overtake them on the priority list in Best Buy and Big Red stores, came in at a lower price point, are offering a device that does what they say it will do right now, and has thousands of apps available right out of the gate. I went to a Best Buy yesterday and they had the Xoom tucked back with the PCs off the main aisle, while there were iPads hooked up on endcaps. I couldn't even find the Xoom. I had to ask someone where it was. Can you imagine what the displays will look like in a few weeks? Hell, I'm sitting here as an Android fanboy and just shaking my head in respect - I can't detract from what Apple did or how they did it. Strategically, they have virtually wiped the Xoom from the public radar, and they did it how they always do - Prepare, prepare, prepare, make sure all software is in place, then announce a device that is a stunner out of the gate and available for pre-order and purchase about a week later.

Do I think the Xoom is a great device? Of course it is. It's awesome. I tried one the other day and thought it killed. Honeycomb? Uber-slick. That isn't the problem here. The problem is chasing innovation, and Android tablets are, public perception-wise, a solid year behind iPads. It's a loooooong road to try and capture a piece of a market that Apple quite literally created when you are offering an alternative that is more expensive (or smaller and more expensive, like the Samsung Tab -DOA, like Jobs himself even said it would be), doesn't do what you say it can do at release, and doesn't offer comparable application choice. Seriously, it is utterly ridiculous that Xoom owners have to bubble wrap their tabs, put them in the mail for a hardware upgrade and wait a week for them to install the LTE hardware and return it. Take heed, HP - These devices need to be ready for primetime in EVERY ASPECT at, not release, but announcement.

Apple created the demand for these devices. It's up to Android hardware and software devs to offer comparable devices that meet that demand, and more importantly, meet it at launch.

 

[2CupsWithString]

Don't worry, android will catch up and overtake. Everyday there are new android apps that now work right in honeycomb and I'm sure devs are working hard on tablet versions of their apps using all the new APIs.

Apple has done a great job in getting the tablet platform off the ground, now it's time for the adults to take over and make it useful.

 

[cparker5]

Stop stop stop stop stop saying the iPad is a big iPhone/ iPod it is RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! We can love Android without saying stupid things!

For the record, type a document on the iPhone, then type it on an iPad and tell me that the experience is even close. It's Not. The functionality of the word Doc programs on the Ipad are farrrrrrrrr superior to those of an iPhone or iPod touch. Try spreadsheet, power point, presentations, it's night and day people! It's like comparing a Lamborghini Murcielago to a souped up 2 door accord, the difference in capabilities is that Big. Try CNN app on android or iPhone then look at it on the Ipad, night and day.

The Ipad UI sucks, but when you get to any task, you know, the purpose of using a device, the Ipad in every way is a tablet.

Tell a business person who is doing a 200 page presentation from his iPad with clients observing on their Ipad that he could have done that on the iPad touch, yeah right, get a clue.

This is my point before. The reasons these guys will come up with why the Xoom is so different from the DroidX is probably similar to reasons people could come up with between the iPad2 and iPhone.

There seems to be some fanboy antics going on here.

I understand the need to defent your purchase, but sometimes it is silly.

 

[Treknologist]

I'm sorry but the iPad IS nothing more than a big iPod, like it or not. Yes, the experience can be difference because of the screen size, however, the actual capability/function is the same. Or can you not open the CNN app in both?

 

[XzombieX66]

I have had all three devices ipad, iphone and ipod touch. Yes the ipad is very much exactly the same thing to the others. Yes the apps that are designed for the ipad are different than those on the other devices but overall the UI is EXACTLY the same. Its a tablet because its bigger and some apps are made for it. Xoom is a tablet simply because the os was built around the tablet, Its been out for 6 days and theres not alot of apps for it, i delt with the exact gripe when the ipad came out last year. Of course there will be something better than the on the ipad than the xoom, the damn thing has been out for almost a year id sure hope so. Again i paid 599.00 for mine which is what it should be priced, and at that price it triumphs the ipad.

 

[bubbatex]

They may be doing something about pricing sooner rather than later, IMO: Motorola: Detwiler Sees Xoom Struggling - Tech Trader Daily - Barrons.com

 

[wynand32]

I'd put it this way: iOS 4.X on the iPad is a glorified app launcher. That's okay for what it is, because iPad apps are definitely outstanding.

However, the more I use Honeycomb, the more I'm appreciating it. The ability to add widgets to a much larger home screen(s) and the excellent notifications system makes the OS itself more functional. The apps will come, I'm sure, but iOS will for awhile be nothing more than a means to get to apps.

In short, I see more potential for Honeycomb on tablets than I do for iOS, unless Apple starts making some serious changes to it. And Google won't be standing still, either. As a webOS fan, I was bummed to see Duarte leave Palm. As an Android tablet fan, however, I can already see his influence. Give him some more time and Google's resources, and I can imagine some great things coming relatively soon.

 

[AtomicAge]

I really hope that the iPad 2 announcement will have an effect in that it will force Motorola to announce the US wifi only release date. If the release date remains a mystery by the time the iPad 2 are available for purchase, motorola will have effectively surrendered a big chunk of potential customers.

 

[anon(52425)]

NOTE: I am an Android guy to the bone. I love the OS and can't ever see myself moving to iOS for a smartphone. That said...

This is pretty brutal for the future of the Xoom, though it should drive the price down somewhat. We live in an instant gratification world, ladies and gentlemen, and iPad 2 gives people what they want, and it offers it right now. The Xoom is a device that is promising great things down the line. You are buying potential. Need LTE? Box it up and send it back. Flash? Coming soon. WiFi-only? We'll let you know.

The iPad 2 fixed almost everything people complained about with the original iPad. Lighter, thinner, cameras, faster than first gen, a heap of apps, and above all: Cheaper out of the gate with an unaltered pricing structure from gen one. Insane. Like or not, Apple obliterated the Xoom today. They stole Moto's thunder a week after launch, will overtake them on the priority list in Best Buy and Big Red stores, came in at a lower price point, are offering a device that does what they say it will do right now, and has thousands of apps available right out of the gate. I went to a Best Buy yesterday and they had the Xoom tucked back with the PCs off the main aisle, while there were iPads hooked up on endcaps. I couldn't even find the Xoom. I had to ask someone where it was. Can you imagine what the displays will look like in a few weeks? Hell, I'm sitting here as an Android fanboy and just shaking my head in respect - I can't detract from what Apple did or how they did it. Strategically, they have virtually wiped the Xoom from the public radar, and they did it how they always do - Prepare, prepare, prepare, make sure all software is in place, then announce a device that is a stunner out of the gate and available for pre-order and purchase about a week later.

Do I think the Xoom is a great device? Of course it is. It's awesome. I tried one the other day and thought it killed. Honeycomb? Uber-slick. That isn't the problem here. The problem is chasing innovation, and Android tablets are, public perception-wise, a solid year behind iPads. It's a loooooong road to try and capture a piece of a market that Apple quite literally created when you are offering an alternative that is more expensive (or smaller and more expensive, like the Samsung Tab -DOA, like Jobs himself even said it would be), doesn't do what you say it can do at release, and doesn't offer comparable application choice. Seriously, it is utterly ridiculous that Xoom owners have to bubble wrap their tabs, put them in the mail for a hardware upgrade and wait a week for them to install the LTE hardware and return it. Take heed, HP - These devices need to be ready for primetime in EVERY ASPECT at, not release, but announcement.

Apple created the demand for these devices. It's up to Android hardware and software devs to offer comparable devices that meet that demand, and more importantly, meet it at launch.

Well put.

 

[bigguy_132]

Whoops you are correct it is Weather Bug. My apologies!

Weather Channel or Weather Bug? I really prefer Weather Channel but they are usually late to the party and I have not heard anything about them supporting Honeycomb soon.

 

[accordngs]

Forgive me if this was said....I tried to read this whole thread but at 12 pages I couldn't do it.

But after the first 6 I can't believe what I see. Why is it that people keep comparing the high-end Xoom to the low-end iPad?

Let's be fair here and compare Apples to Apples (no pun intended )

iPad2 32GB Wifi only=$599
iPad2 32GB Wifi/3g =$729
iPad2 64GB Wifi/3g =$829

Xoom 32GB Wifi only =$599
Xoom 32GB Wifi/3g/4g = $799
Xoom 64GB Wifi/3g/4g = $843 (newegg sdhc card)

Those prices are all much closer. No difference in WIFI models. Minor differences in devices with 3g/4g capability. But you are still getting much more in the specs department and capabilities out of the Xoom. Had the iPad2 had a newly designed OS special for tablets I might feel different.

But the fact of the matter is the ONLY advantage the iPad currently holds over competitors is the number of Apps. And all of us using an android phone know how little that can mean. We have seen the apps in the android market sky rocket in very little time. I expect just the same as more of these tablets come out.

 

[JZambrano]

What I'm wonder is...who's gonna buy the Ipad 2? People already have Ipads. If they have an iPhone 4 they have the 2 cameras. Other that...the ipad = ipad 2. Plus, if they don't have an Ipad now, they can get one pretty cheap. I doubt they'd get an ipad 2 cause of the price.

I personally dont think the Ipad 2 is going to be the home run apple thinks its going to be. Every product they have is the same. And with them coming out every 6 months/ 1 year, people are only going to upgrade so much before they're satisfied it waphat they have.

It won't be the year if the ?ipad 2" but more of the year of android. People like variety, and Xoom is the first other choice they have.

 

[crspy]

You cannot compare apples to apples because the average person is not going to do that. They will compare the cheapest iPad to the cheapest XOOM.

I know I'm going to get a iPad 2 solely based on priced.I love android, and even sold my Verizon iPhone and went back to my droid incredible after a week of usage (missed the notification) but unless Motorola releases the Wifi version at $499 then the XOOM is as good as gone. If anyone is comparing the iPhone 3gs to the Droid, you gotta remember the droid was priced VERY aggressively compared to how the XOOM is priced.

It's really marketing 101 and steve jobs mastered it.

 

[accordngs]

You cannot compare apples to apples because the average person is not going to do that. They will compare the cheapest iPad to the cheapest XOOM.

I know I'm going to get a iPad 2 solely based on priced.I love android, and even sold my Verizon iPhone and went back to my droid incredible after a week of usage (missed the notification) but unless Motorola releases the Wifi version at $499 then the XOOM is as good as gone. If anyone is comparing the iPhone 3gs to the Droid, you gotta remember the droid was priced VERY aggressively compared to how the XOOM is priced.

It's really marketing 101 and steve jobs mastered it.

That isn't true at all.

That is like comparing the lowest price android phone to the iPhone4.

Or comparing the entry level BMW to the highest model Mercedez.

There is a reason variations of the products exist. So people should compare models that are in the same class.

 

[slinky317]

People look at the iPad and the Xoom both in the same class - it's a tablet. And right now, the cheapest iPad is $399 and the cheapest Xoom is DOUBLE THE PRICE.

People don't compare spec-for-spec, they compare dollar-for-dollar. And right now the Xoom is losing that battle badly.

 

[flashpiti]

That isn't true at all.

That is like comparing the lowest price android phone to the iPhone4.

Or comparing the entry level BMW to the highest model Mercedez.

There is a reason variations of the products exist. So people should compare models that are in the same class.

Besides 3G/4g, what exactly does the xoom do that the wifi iPad 2 doesn't? The iPad2 does netflix, skype video, and a bunch of apps. The xoom does...?
That's what most consumers are going to be thinking anyway ands it's $300 less.

 

[Treknologist]

People look at the iPad and the Xoom both in the same class - it's a tablet. And right now, the cheapest iPad is $399 and the cheapest Xoom is DOUBLE THE PRICE.

People don't compare spec-for-spec, they compare dollar-for-dollar. And right now the Xoom is losing that battle badly.

Clearly we are dealing with very informed consumers here, aren't we?

 

[wynand32]

We're going to hear all this pricing insanity until Motorola releases the wifi-only version. Even then, we'll hear how the Xoom is "$100 more than the iPad." Doesn't matter that the $100 is for more RAM (at an equal increase to Apple's), and that the equivalent iPad 2 is also $599. That's the reality distortion field in effect.

And I don't know that Motorola will push a 16GB for $499 either, because they don't have the iTunes/iBooks/App Store revenues to rely on. So, we should all just get used to it.

 

[accordngs]

Besides 3G/4g, what exactly does the xoom do that the wifi iPad 2 doesn't? The iPad2 does netflix, skype video, and a bunch of apps. The xoom does...?
That's what most consumers are going to be thinking anyway ands it's $300 less.

Those are "apps" you are referring to....not exactly what the ipad does.

The Xoom will have all of those apps and many more in time.

Will the iPad2 ever have 4G capability? No
Customizable home screens, including live wallpapers? No
Widgets that allow me to see what is going on without opening an app? No
SD Card support? No
100% freedom from connecting to computer? No
Ability to download music/movies/media outside of iTunes, ie for free? No
Take pictures in low lighting via led flash? No
Go on websites that utilize flash? No

Plus I get 2x the ram, better screen resolution with more PPI. True widescreen format instead of a goofy square.
The list goes on and on.

Essentially there is NOTHING that the iPad can do which the Xoom can not, outside of talking about APPS. But APPS can be made for any product --- and with the popularity of Android growing, they will.