The Motorola Xoom is one of the most anticipated tablets of the year. The device hasn’t hit the market yet, but pricing details are already available. A WiFi-only version will run $600, whereas a 3G-enabled model is priced at whooping $800. That’s the unsubsidized price. The carriers may offer subsidies which could reduce the cost.
Motorola has justified the high price tag by saying that the 3G model will eventually get a free upgrade to 4G. The company is also highlighting many other features that make the Xoom a better tablet (at least on paper) than the iPad. The tablet, for example, has a dual core NVIDIA Tegra processor, 1GB of RAM, a 1280 x 800 pixels display and front and rear facing cameras. iPad lacks many of these features.
Still it is too early to predict whether the market will accept a tablet that costs thrice as much as a typical netbook. After all, the Xoom can’t replace a netbook or a smartphone. It also requires a monthly data plan. The fact that iPad was a huge success doesn’t necessarily mean that there is a huge demand for tablets. A non-Apple company like Motorola or Samsung may not be able script a similar success story if that can’t offer a price that beats the iPad.
Motorola has justified the high price tag by saying that the 3G model will eventually get a free upgrade to 4G. The company is also highlighting many other features that make the Xoom a better tablet (at least on paper) than the iPad. The tablet, for example, has a dual core NVIDIA Tegra processor, 1GB of RAM, a 1280 x 800 pixels display and front and rear facing cameras. iPad lacks many of these features.
Still it is too early to predict whether the market will accept a tablet that costs thrice as much as a typical netbook. After all, the Xoom can’t replace a netbook or a smartphone. It also requires a monthly data plan. The fact that iPad was a huge success doesn’t necessarily mean that there is a huge demand for tablets. A non-Apple company like Motorola or Samsung may not be able script a similar success story if that can’t offer a price that beats the iPad.
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