My take:
I own both the ipad2 and the Xoom, and have owned and sold the Galaxy Tab and the Ipad 1.
Right now, I can't say that the Xoom is a competitor to the Ipad 2. While I love Honeycomb and thing it is a MUCH and I stress MUCH better os than iOS, there is more to the tablet experience than just the OS.
-The ecosystem is lagging behind iOS...now I truly believe that it will catch up. But since everyone is SO focused on tablet specific apps (the app wars sort of start over), the xoom is like the OG Droid....so I am assuming half a year to a year to catch up. I think the android phone apps have pretty much caught up to the Iphone, but in the tablet space it is still no competition.
-The problem is that Google does not 100% control android's destiny...they need hardware companies to step up, which is hard for them since their only revenue (Assumption here) is from hardware sales, where as apple takes some of the pie from ap purchases, and will now be gauging the in app purchases. I don't think many people will claim that the Xoom feels better in the hand than the iPad 2...I for one was a HUGE skeptic and thought no way does being that thin/light have any bearing on me (I bought the Xoom first on the first day it came out). I was wrong, the ipad 2 blows the Xoom away in hands on feel. I think the galaxy 10.1 can do very well since it is VERY light, but people also want something that LOOKs cool. You may deny it, but looks play a huge role in purchase decisions…think luxury cars. REALLY wish Nokia stepped into the Android world.
-I just got the feeling that Apple thought the iPad 2 out much more than Motorola with the Xoom. To me, Apple’s rise to the top was beyond the product/software/marketing efforts. Their supply chain and actual operational management has been phenomenal. I mean, look what they brought to the table from day 1…a well designed tablet, redesigned apps (iMovie and Garageband are cool no denying that), a new cover (that while I think is stupid and a waste of money, LOOKs cool and has enough feature points that they will definitely make money on it), and shipped right away.
- Xoom on the other hand…no wifi version (whether carriers had an influence or not is moot, there is still no wifi version), a half-assed movie studio (again don’t care if it is free, people compare two products…$5 isn’t much anyways and there is definitely more than $5 worth of features on iMovie), a crappy ass case, and a craptastic box. Why do I care about these things? Honestly, I don’t but I am reviewing the product…
The Xoom price point is awful. I know the value, when you compare the Xoom versus the 32GB 3g version, is good, but the point is that 800 is too much for most people. It’s the same thought, there are Ferarris for $100,000 that are GREAT value for the performance, look, etc, but I still won’t buy one…Even if the wifi was more expensive than the wifi equivalent iPads, they still should have released them. I think people ARE open to paying more for an Android tablet, but it still needs to be within a certain price range. I would have jumped on a 32GB Xoom if it was even 650-700.
Apple claims their product is “magical” and I will be honest, everything from the second you get the box to opening the item etc is about as “magical” as a company can make it. That is what Apple gets and Motorola doesn’t….the product isn’t everything, it is the experience…the total experience of ownership. It is that feeling when you get your first brand new car, your first house, which Apple recreates with their tablets/phones/etc.
Right now I think the Xoom is going back, but I still use a Nexus S because there are things on the Android phone I can’t live without…Google Nav is one HUGE thing…which is sort of useless as an argument in the tablet world…I use my phone for nav not my tablet. Customization is more important on my phone than my tablet…when I am on my tablet, I am on it to do something, so apps are more important to me in that space.
My 2 cents. Looking forward to what HTC and Samsung can offer. IMO HTC is the hope of the best hardware for android devices. Their phones are built better than Apple’s…I hope this translates into the tablet world. HTC (IMO) gets what Apple has been doing. What Google needs to do is brand a Nexus line of Phones and Tablets that are stock and meant to go head to head with Apples products directly. Right now, in the consumer mind, it is Droid versus Apple…Google needs to reshape everything to be Nexus versus Apple…everything else android can be there, but they need that ONE device that beats the piss out of apple from a hardware and software side. Pair up with HTC and build an amazing Nexus phone and tablet.
