The Xoom hasn't launched outside the USA yet...I'd put that fact as #1. I've been waiting for a Canadian release for months and it still isn't here. What a bummer, I really want to own one. It's only available to 4.5% of the world's population so it's no wonder nobody's buying it. Only rich Americans are even given the opportunity to buy it. That's why its sales are low.
Honestly this article is an embarrassment and is exactly why I don't read CrunchGear.
I have a WiFi Xoom and the thing is a disaster. The feature I use most is the hard reset. Everyone I've spoken to agrees this is the problem with the Xoom. TechCrunch's resident Android fanboy Jason Kincaid even said he was returning the thing because it's so buggy (http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/05/ipad-2-xoom-fight/)
To not even mention that in an article about why the Xoom is failing is insane. As for the author's other points...
1. Xoom's aren't sitting on the shelf because Google decided to hold back the Honeycomb source. Motorola HAD to Honeycomb source. So the first point is just stupid.
2. The ads do suck. On this he's right.
3. If Apple's superior retail presence caused products not to sell than no one would ever buy a PC laptop.
I saw the Xoom for sale at Costco last weekend - the demo unit was in a locked case, powered up and running a demo but untouchable. Not the best way to sell a touchscreen.
Sales of individual android phones/tablets are inconsequential - wait until the OEMs have flooded the market and then look at platform market share. Until then, most of these articles are fluff and filler.
There was a missed opportunity by the author here when blaming Motorola. I can forgive poor advertising because I like to think I'm one of those people who will make a purchase based more on research than something I saw on TV. However, I was flabbergasted that the Xoom was rushed to market so quickly that it had a non-functional SDHC slot and required you to send it in at some later date to get a 4G antenna put in. It is unbelievable that such a large company would release a product that is so clearly unfinished. What I find sad is that I'm sure plenty of non-technical users will miss the memo about the 4G upgrade and will either return the product because the internet connection is slow or even worse, will live with a product that didn't deliver the featureset on the box.
As much as I like to pick at Apple for all of their nonsense, the competition in the tablet space (and in many ways the mobile phone space) should be embarrassed with themselves.
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[ 4.2 ms ] story [ 33.6 ms ] threadI have a WiFi Xoom and the thing is a disaster. The feature I use most is the hard reset. Everyone I've spoken to agrees this is the problem with the Xoom. TechCrunch's resident Android fanboy Jason Kincaid even said he was returning the thing because it's so buggy (http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/05/ipad-2-xoom-fight/)
To not even mention that in an article about why the Xoom is failing is insane. As for the author's other points...
1. Xoom's aren't sitting on the shelf because Google decided to hold back the Honeycomb source. Motorola HAD to Honeycomb source. So the first point is just stupid.
2. The ads do suck. On this he's right.
3. If Apple's superior retail presence caused products not to sell than no one would ever buy a PC laptop.
As much as I like to pick at Apple for all of their nonsense, the competition in the tablet space (and in many ways the mobile phone space) should be embarrassed with themselves.