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Motorola, your silence is deafening

StreakTheQuad

Well-Known Member
Dec 7, 2010
193
27
You are taking a PR beating right now, and not just from the phandroids and isheep of the message boards. Most independent tech sites (cnet, pc mag, etc) are highly critical of your pricing strategy, all of which stems from a scanned advertisement from a third party retailer. Either confirm or deny this ad (which had numerous spelling mistakes), or sit back and watch bloggers continue to run wild with potential misinformation and sensational headlines.

If the price really is $800, so be it, but make sure that the general public knows that they shouldn't benchmark the xoom against the entry level ipad. tell the general public why the pricing makes sense.

Don't let this ruin the positive momentum for the xoom and honeycomb. Take back control of the message instead of having it written for you. overwhelming negative publicity is not doing you or your potential customers any favors.

Rant over
 
Just look at the comments people have left on articles dealing with best buy ad. 90% seem to think that when they buy the Xoom they will be tied down by 2 year agreement becuase the mention of data plan to unlock wifi.


Exactly.

It's plausible that the best buy ad was poorly worded and should refer to wifi hotspot functionality, or normal 3g data service. It certainly spelled "activative" and other words incorrectly.

It's also plausible that the best buy ad is 100% correct.

I guess I'm hoping that they are testing consumer attitudes unofficially and will make adjustments, but there are much better ways to do this without making yourself a target for everyone with an agenda
 
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Pretty sure they would have tested consumer reaction to different price points WAY before now. I mean, we're 16 days away from launch. However, it's obviously not too late to change the price, and it's interesting that the Thunderbolt delay information, also included "There has been a delay with the creative for the Moto Xoom."

Anyway, honestly, the 90% of people who think the Xoom will require a contract, were probably also the 90% of people posting that a $500 price point would have been better. They're idiots.
 
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Not sure what you're getting at here. You aren't saying that you think people who believe in a $500 price point are idiots, are you?
Yep.

People were living in a dream world if they thought this hardware, branded by Verizon, and a Google Experience device, would be anywhere close to $500. That would make an off contract Nexus S $29.99 more expensive than a Xoom. :rolleyes:

Idiots. (sorry for my bluntness)
 
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Well, without taking a similar I-am-superior attitude, I will just say that everyone is entitled to their opinion I suppose. Even dreamers who think a $800 XOOM can be competitive in an iPad dominated tablet world. I guess that what makes for good conversation (or laughable ones in this case ...)
At no point did I say the $800 would be competitive. I just believe that the thought of the Xoom needing to be $500 is ridiculous. Honestly, it's not even logical on any level.

Maybe a 7" 16GB Wi-Fi only version, but even that's a stretch because it would make a superior product cheaper than the Galaxy Tab.
 
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It is logical in this way: They will get many many many more XOOMS in people's hands. If they only make a slight profit on this model, they then have a much much larger base and a more loyal following among the general public from which to tout future devices at slightly more premium prices. This is a superior long term approach to the super aggressive pricing structure that is rumored, and which will gain the XOOM a insignificant market share.

Lower pricing to gain some good market share from a leader who has perhaps 80% of the market is illogical? Idiots think this way? Who knows. Everyone can have their opinions, I don't pretend your opinion is any more "idiotic" than mine.

All I know is that they have very little chance of much wide success at a $800 price point. I am definitely getting one, many here will too. Very few of the general public will though at $800. And that is a shame. Of course this is only my illogical, idiotic opinion ... ;)
 
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I do not believe the $800 price point is out of line at all. The highest end iPad is more or less the same price, and half the spec.
I think people who spend that kind of money on a tablet(more specifically the iPad) are kind of silly, but if you have the money to burn, why not... I probably would if I could.
 
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Following the price rants.... amazing. Motorola as we all know will introduce the WiFi only version sometime this spring at somewhere between $500.00-600.00.

Yet here and on the Apple forums this is somehow ignored in favor of some weird perspective that the Xoom price will forever be tidally locked with $800.00 with little discussion of the varying models.

I would expect it on a competitors (Apple) forum but here Its very strange.
 
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.. Motorola as we all know will introduce the WiFi only version sometime this spring at somewhere between $500.00-600.00.

...

That would be good for sure if true. But I think that was the point of the OP in this thread. Since Motorola hasn't said ANYTHING, we have no official word. So in fact Motorola's silence is hurting them ...
 
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It seems to me that the company who should be speaking up here is Verizon. It's their device to sell and mark up (or subsidize) to any value they so choose.

More importantly, if the speculated release date of Feb 24th holds, we are t-minus roughly 2 weeks. Where are the Verizon marketing campaigns that we saw a whole 20 days prior to the original Moto Droids release? I realize that Verizon would probably invest more money into a flagship phone device versus a flagship tablet device, but their silence is what bugs me the most.
 
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Following the price rants.... amazing. Motorola as we all know will introduce the WiFi only version sometime this spring at somewhere between $500.00-600.00.
Don't know where you got that from, but I still HIGHLY doubt Verizon is going to allow Motorola to launch a Wi-Fi only Xoom in the US anytime in the near future. I have always said this isn't likely to happen before 3rd quarter, and honestly, I wouldn't expect to see it before mid-3rd quarter (i.e. August/September) at the earliest.

However, it's still possible that Motorola's 7" tablet could come to the US in a Wi-Fi only version, since it's not likely to be included in Verizon's exclusivity agreement. At the same time, the 7" version probably won't be another Google Experience Device, so I could definitely see it having Blur. That is probably where the confusion was with the executive who said the Xoom would have Blur on it.

All speculation on my part, by the way.
 
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It seems to me that the company who should be speaking up here is Verizon. It's their device to sell and mark up (or subsidize) to any value they so choose.

More importantly, if the speculated release date of Feb 24th holds, we are t-minus roughly 2 weeks. Where are the Verizon marketing campaigns that we saw a whole 20 days prior to the original Moto Droids release? I realize that Verizon would probably invest more money into a flagship phone device versus a flagship tablet device, but their silence is what bugs me the most.

Poor marketing kills most of the Android os products...it's such a shame you'd think a lesson would be learned at some point. I wonder what concessions Verizon made to secure the iPhone deal, I wouldn't be surprised if they agreed to to tone down Android product marketing for a set period of time while the iPhone launches.
 
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Poor marketing kills most of the Android os products...it's such a shame you'd think a lesson would be learned at some point. I wonder what concessions Verizon made to secure the iPhone deal, I wouldn't be surprised if they agreed to to tone down Android product marketing for a set period of time while the iPhone launches.

I think the Nielsen Data Found Here disputes your claim that "Poor marketing kills most of the Android OS products."

nielsen1.png


Talk about painting a vivid picture with a simple graph. At the end of 2010, Blackberry, Android and iOS all took up the exact same amount of the market for mobile operating systems. What
 
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I total understand and respect what you are saying but...
The funny thing about that statement is that The Android OS is free!

And I'm pretty sure everyone in this discussion is not just whining that they cannot afford an $800 Xoom, the way I read it, the point of this thread is that an $800 Xoom will not succeed.


The point of this thread was that motorola should be more proactive, instead of letting their flagship product get hammered by the media. Someone made a good point that verizon could also step up.
 
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Don't know where you got that from, but I still HIGHLY doubt Verizon is going to allow Motorola to launch a Wi-Fi only Xoom in the US anytime in the near future. I have always said this isn't likely to happen before 3rd quarter, and honestly, I wouldn't expect to see it before mid-3rd quarter (i.e. August/September) at the earliest.

However, it's still possible that Motorola's 7" tablet could come to the US in a Wi-Fi only version, since it's not likely to be included in Verizon's exclusivity agreement. At the same time, the 7" version probably won't be another Google Experience Device, so I could definitely see it having Blur. That is probably where the confusion was with the executive who said the Xoom would have Blur on it.

All speculation on my part, by the way.

Maybe sooner than we think.

WiFi-only version of Motorola’s XOOM tablet makes an appearance on the FCC? |
 
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I think maybe I should have been more specific with my statement. I know the overall number of Android OS activations each day are exceeding that of iOS but I think that is in part because of number of Android devices being so large and the early marketing of the Droid (Verizon) in particular. Other than the Tmobile myTouch commercials and the few EVO commercials there isnt a whole lot of marketing. Most of the Android sales are the result of a combination of low prices and high number of choices. You get a lot of people going into cell phone stores not wanting to spend a lot of money and walking out with a full featured smart phone for under $100 (in some case 2 for 1 deals, or free with contract, etc..)
While this is technically part of "marketing" I was more referring to advertising and brand awareness. Most people I know see my Evo and ask me if it's that "Droid". I tell them "no, it's an Evo" and they give me a blank stare and ask me "if it's like a Droid". I know it's tough because you have so many different companies competing with similar products running the same OS unlike Apple which markets their 1 phone. Also Apple has ridiculously deep pockets. I just wish more product manufacturers would advertise and market their own phones rather than rely on the carriers to do so. HTC has been doing a commendable job although the ads don't have a lot of "punch" to them. If Verizon holds back advertising from newer Android phones(Thunderbolt) or the Xoom in particular because of a potential Apple deal, it's really going to hurt as they've more or less done the Lion's share of Android marketing / advertising. I would love to see a lot of new partnerships announced between Android devices and whomever, it's such an effective method of brand building. That's where Apple really kills it, partnerships and free press via celebrities or any other means...
All that being said I just wish Motorola would give some response to this whole situation. Confirm or deny that the AD is real so that we can move on and stop speculating. I want my XOOM!

Whether you like their marketing strategy or not has nothing to do with the fact they (Android and Android Retailers) DO in fact have a marketing strategy. Why would they spend millions or tens of millions on marketing to gain a share that they already possess? NO ONE in the market today, not Apple, Blackberry or Android is going to own the market. I think all have come to the conclusion that they will receive about the same market share. I get your point that this tablet is special and new, but so was the Nexus One. Remember the conversation about it when it came out? It was eerily similar to the Xoom. "Google should NEVER have dipped it's toe in the water of smart phones if they weren't going to back it with advertising". Or how about, "The ONLY ads we see for the N1 is in Google ads or on the net, this thing will flop". Now we see the benefit from the N1. Welcome to the Incredible, Evo, Droid 2, Thunderbolt, Bionic. The success of all of those phones are directly attributed to the excitement that the N1 created. By shear number of units sold, the N1 was a flop and the BATTLE was lost. By number of units born of the "idea" of the N1 the WAR has been won. Google and Android's marketing strategy is unconventional. They drop hints, leak photos, make statements, plant ideas THEN people think they stink at what they do. Until a year from now they lead market share, NOT with the Xoom but with the idea of Xoom born in 20 tablets to be released over the next year. If you think that Motrola's not promoting this device, you're just not listening to how Google talks.

All the while they are tens of millions of dollars richer for keeping their conventional advertising dollars in their pocket. Pretty smart if you ask me.
 
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I know I've said this before, but I find it hard to believe that Moto before CES had no idea what the price point for this device would be. They told us it would be competitively priced among it's peers. This price doesn't seem to reflect this if you asked me. The Samsung galaxy tab was not this price the iPad is not this price, and all the would be tablets are not this price. Usually the word competitive means at or around that price not almost $100 dollars more after fees. Now a lot people will sit here and say well it has X, and Y feature so that should demand a premium over it's competition. While the Xooms features are the pillar on which it stands now, the same was said about the Samsung Tab. Lets also remember the tab wasn't this price either when it came out to the public. Entry price among most people seems to be $600-700 if your tablet isn't that price people suffer from ticket price shock.
The Problem now is if this price is true, and that's the price they want release with stand by it. Why stay so tight lipped about this so close to supposed release? What benefit does it have to your product to keep people guessing? Also while your at it stop being so general about the release date! Seriously you have big issues if at the beginning of the month that you said your device would be coming out, and you still don't know? I mean doesn't a lot have to come into play here starting now!? Advertisement on T.V., store, and moving product out the door to there respective stores this all needs to start happening if your release is "at the end of this month".
 
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That is pretty interesting. I wonder how they would distribute the Wi-Fi only version, and I also wonder if it's 7" or 10". Motorola has already said they're making both.

Hmm, that should be interesting. I personally don't think it will be much less than the 3G/4G Xoom though, unless it is 7", but I guess we'll find out.

I would still buy the 3G/4G version, even if they came out on the same day.
 
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I would like to play devils advocate with a couple senarios here and some what if quesitons:

What if the ad for Best Buy and the Facebook post was a publicity stunt to draw up a bunch of talk? They succeeded.

What if the end of the month means the 24th but that is when pre orders start? Again, they have succeeded in creating talk.

As technology consumers, anticipation can be a HORRIBLE thing and we all know that. Especially when we are not being given much to go off of. We have two sketchy pictures, one from Verizon giving it a price point of 799 I believe and one more or less official looking Best Buy picture saying 799 but we have all seen the flaws in that one. We also have the Moto rep saying "end of the month." We are not only seeing but we are all participating in what is called buzz marketing.

I graduated with a degree in PR and I have worked in a few small firms and I would like to think that I know a little about what I am talking about. I am not an expert by any means but the first thing to know is that ANY advertisment whether it is good or bad is GOOD advertisment. Moto and Verizon are creating a buzz and yes, the majority of us believe that the price point is high but I bet a lot of us will still buy it.

They have cause a debate on whether people want to purchase the pruduct because of its specs, its price or the fact that it IS NOT an Apple product. Personally I feel that all of this is linked some how. Controlled "leaks" of information happen all the time in the PR/Advertising world and they work. Think about this though: how long was it between the time that we all OFFICIALLY knew the iPhone was coming to Verizon and the time the pre-orders began?
 
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Whether you like their marketing strategy or not has nothing to do with the fact they (Android and Android Retailers) DO in fact have a marketing strategy. Why would they spend millions or tens of millions on marketing to gain a share that they already possess? NO ONE in the market today, not Apple, Blackberry or Android is going to own the market. I think all have come to the conclusion that they will receive about the same market share. I get your point that this tablet is special and new, but so was the Nexus One. Remember the conversation about it when it came out? It was eerily similar to the Xoom. "Google should NEVER have dipped it's toe in the water of smart phones if they weren't going to back it with advertising". Or how about, "The ONLY ads we see for the N1 is in Google ads or on the net, this thing will flop". Now we see the benefit from the N1. Welcome to the Incredible, Evo, Droid 2, Thunderbolt, Bionic. The success of all of those phones are directly attributed to the excitement that the N1 created. By shear number of units sold, the N1 was a flop and the BATTLE was lost. By number of units born of the "idea" of the N1 the WAR has been won. Google and Android's marketing strategy is unconventional. They drop hints, leak photos, make statements, plant ideas THEN people think they stink at what they do. Until 6 months from now they lead market share, NOT with the Xoom but with the idea of Xoom born in 20 tablets to be released over the next year. If you think that Motrola's not promoting this device, you're just not listening to how Google talks.

All the while they are tens of millions of dollars richer for keeping their conventional advertising dollars in their pocket. Pretty smart if you ask me.

I see your point but I still disagree with some of what you are saying. Google will win the war because there is an army of Android OS phones to compete against. It's an extremely powerful, free OS any manufacturer can install on their phone. That is the advantage. The N1 served as an example of what can be done on quality hardware with the OS. Where Google failed with the N1 was the attempt to sell it online through Google. They tried a different business model and it failed. Google even acknowledged the business model was not correct to sell the N1. Ultimately the N1 was for the developer to learn what could and couldn't be done with Android, which was necessary. But the thing is I'm not complaining about Google / Android marketing. I have a problem with individual manufacturer advertising. I want to see a specific Android product become a dominant force. The Droid did that, but again that was hugely in part from the Verizon / Motorola campaign. I want to see them keep it up and for the Xoom to be successful. There will be a significant amount of Honeycomb tablet competition in the next few months. The Xoom (motorola) & Verizon are getting killed right now by the media because of the price($800 which I really don't think is so horrible for all that you get) and the required 1 month data plan purchase. If the Asus or LG tablets drop around the same time as the Xoom for cheaper with better PR and good reviews will the Xoom be as successful at that price point and with having to jump through the carrier hoops?
My whole point to this was that the bad marketing affects individual Android products not the Android market share as a whole. There are dozens of Android phones and even tablets (combined) but we only know of a few of them that have done the advertising and create brand awareness. Motorola can't sit back on their heels and assume that the Xoom will be successful regardless of what they do. Moto need to be proactive. They are competing against the current selection of iPads, the iPad 2, current android tablets and the new Honeycomb tablets.
 
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I know I've said this before, but I find it hard to believe that Moto before CES had no idea what the price point for this device would be. They told us it would be competitively priced among it's peers. This price doesn't seem to reflect this if you asked me. The Samsung galaxy tab was not this price the iPad is not this price, and all the would be tablets are not this price. Usually the word competitive means at or around that price not almost $100 dollars more after fees. Now a lot people will sit here and say well it has X, and Y feature so that should demand a premium over it's competition. While the Xooms features are the pillar on which it stands now, the same was said about the Samsung Tab. Lets also remember the tab wasn't this price either when it came out to the public. Entry price among most people seems to be $600-700 if your tablet isn't that price people suffer from ticket price shock.
The Problem now is if this price is true, and that's the price they want release with stand by it. Why stay so tight lipped about this so close to supposed release? What benefit does it have to your product to keep people guessing? Also while your at it stop being so general about the release date! Seriously you have big issues if at the beginning of the month that you said your device would be coming out, and you still don't know? I mean doesn't a lot have to come into play here starting now!? Advertisement on T.V., store, and moving product out the door to there respective stores this all needs to start happening if your release is "at the end of this month".

I agree completely.
 
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