Heated up? Not likely. The XOOM will sell a few more now that there is a better entry model, but there is no way that its going to be "real" competition for the iPad 2. What will be important is getting more XOOMs into developers and "testers" hands so that development for Honeycomb (and future Android tablet OSes) can get going.
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So much for the Xoom/Android will crush iPad argument
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Heated up? Not likely. The XOOM will sell a few more now that there is a better entry model, but there is no way that its going to be "real" competition for the iPad 2. What will be important is getting more XOOMs into developers and "testers" hands so that development for Honeycomb (and future Android tablet OSes) can get going.
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
the battle heated up because the xoom is releasing a device that has a $100 premium on the entry level iPad?? I don't know about that... Sure I'll give you that it's a 32gb device, equaling the iPad 32gb, but still there are a lot of people that don't need/want that much storage. Plus the iPad hardware overall is superior to the xoom. The only real edge the xoom has is the camera, but who buys a tablet to take pictures... not me.
I think it's also sketch that motorola doesn't announce this wifi version till now and release it later this month. That'll be a month after the $800 version came out, and after the commercial barrage. I think anyone who was interested in the xoom has already looked at it and said $800!! no way! and that was the end of the xoom. Even if Xoom advertises "Xoom now only for $600!" Those same people will say. "haha, wow the xoom must be failing so badly they had to lower the price by $200."
I'm sure android tablets will pick up over time, but I think by being the first, motorala caused its device to fail, not succeed.
I pretty much agree: they had a window and they got greedy. However, it looks like they are committed and should be around for awhile. In addition, the other tablets look to be dropping their pricing, with the 7" premium tablet price point quickly becoming $399. http://www.precentral.net/hp-touchpad-targeting-june-release-priced-499-7-inch-coming-september
And there is always the rooted Color Nook for the Android fans who want a bargain.
As an iPad owner, competition is good: better and cheaper will be accelerated as of result. The long term question is whether or not Apple will accept a lower market share for a higher overall profit, which has been their business plan in the past for computers and phones. At this point it is not a concern as they are selling everything they can build.
jdg
The iPad had 500 apps at lunch. When the Xoom came out it had 16.... just saying
And Steve said the Xoom had 100 at best
I agree about the competition. It helps us all. However the Xoom isn't it. Even at $600, I just don't see the too much value of it. Motorola needs to beat the 16G wifi price or it's still a niche device.
Personally if I were to pick a non-Apple tablet, I'd be much more interested in the HP WebOS. It's backed by the largest PC maker in the world and it has many of the iOS virtues - intuitive and polished UI, tasteful designs - as well as some of the features touted by Honeycomb, namely an excellent multitasking UI and a superior notification. Also the HP tablet will likely have a faster GPU than the Xoom. (Yes, Tegra 2 is every dualcore's doormat now
) Oh and this HP thing is rumored to come out at $499 too. That's still nowhere near closing on the gap of the iPad's lead, but if I were a person who truly hated getting an Apple product, I'd look at this first. Then again, hating on Apple and liking the open Android is now a serious business online, so unfortunately WebOS doesn't get much love.
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
I assume you mean iPhone. The iPad had about 2,000 optimized apps.
And additional info: the iphone app # jumped to 800 three days after the app store launched. And in less than two months there were 3,000.
And of course now the app store has over 400,000 apps, but now at this point it's quality over quantity. Honestly, I'm sure apple could kill half of the apps on the app store and no one would care (outside of the outrage of the principle of the thing). But the app store has such a great environment that I bet you 9 times out of 10 a dev will create an iOS version of their app first, or at least in conjunction with other OS's. Meaning it is extremely rare for another OS to get an app BEFORE iOS.
Also, the quality of iOS apps seems to be superior to others... is there any particular reason for that?
Does it come with wifi or will I have to send my unit in?
Yeah silly you have to send it in, but if I get 4G LTE support for free that's better than Apple. You'll have to pay $600 again in a year or two for 4G LTE. Upgrades FTW!
Thats even better that it was 2,000 apps and not 16 like the Xoom. Can you imagine if the **** storm Apple would have got if the iPad can out with only 16 apps?
I agree with quality over quantity but iOS has both of that over Android.
Good rule of thumb is support the company's who innovate, (Apple), and blackball those, (everyone else), who copy, knock off and manufacture inferior quality.
Great to see some civil conversation on MR for a change about competition. I've been using the Xoom now for a week and the iPad 2 since Sunday evening. Just a few thoughts on the Xoom.
First and foremost I hope the other tablet makers follow Apple and Moto's lead and use quality parts, the Xoom feels very solid and well built. Sure the LCD is not glass and that imo is a turn off as it just doesn't feel as smooth when using gestures and swipes. Not to mention the quality just doesn't hold up in picture quality to an IPS screen.
That aside the things I do like about the Xoom (Android tablet hopefuls)
1) Built in HDMI/USB, already dealing with Apple "dongle" is a pita. Hate carrying extra crap with a mobile device.
2) Notifications are done very well, making it nice to see/preview emails when doing any other application.
3) Sound quality of the speakers I have to give the edge to the Xoom, both devices are crisp but the Xoom simply is better imo.
4) Stock web browsing in landscape w/quick controls on Android is a very user friendly UI. Basically contextual menu's pop up from anywhere you slide your finger/thumb from either side with all your browser controls. Very cool. Also Tabbed browsing and overall load speed is very much on par if not faster than the iPad 2.
5) Portrait to me is just to odd on the Xoom. iPad 2 feels much more usable with websites and apps vs the 16:10 ration on the Xoom
6) Weight - .3 lbs doesn't seem like much, but take into consideration the shape of each device it makes a substantial difference for something you maybe holding for extended periods of time. The distribution of weight adds to the bulky feel of the Xoom.
7) Not Xoom specific but the widgets are very handy and pretty cool to be able to do the types of customization with Android. I do believe however once Jailbroken the iPad can have widgets and many of these items. Stock however Android does have some nice features in this arena.
8) Movie playback. Prefer the Xoom due to the movie is actually larger, on a 16:10 ration and as mentioned I find the speakers to be louder and a bit better quality sound.
9) Apps - Not much to say, Honeycomb needs time to mature and i'm sure it will. What they do have however is very nice. Vindetta online is pretty damn cool if you like a space style MMO shooter. It runs very well, smooth and the controls are nice.
Overall I have to admit I wish I could justify both, but not going to have 1500+ wrapped up in a 3g, 32gig iPad 2 and the Xoom. I will be keeping the iPad 2 mainly due to the fact I have a laptop, so the ability to side load info is not much of an issue for me and with apps such as iSwifter I can now watch Hulu and other flash sites on my iPad with no real issues.
I look forward to what the tablet market will bring us in 2011 and 12 but for now I'll be using the iPad 2.
First and foremost I hope the other tablet makers follow Apple and Moto's lead and use quality parts, the Xoom feels very solid and well built. Sure the LCD is not glass and that imo is a turn off as it just doesn't feel as smooth when using gestures and swipes. Not to mention the quality just doesn't hold up in picture quality to an IPS screen.
That aside the things I do like about the Xoom (Android tablet hopefuls)
1) Built in HDMI/USB, already dealing with Apple "dongle" is a pita. Hate carrying extra crap with a mobile device.
2) Notifications are done very well, making it nice to see/preview emails when doing any other application.
3) Sound quality of the speakers I have to give the edge to the Xoom, both devices are crisp but the Xoom simply is better imo.
4) Stock web browsing in landscape w/quick controls on Android is a very user friendly UI. Basically contextual menu's pop up from anywhere you slide your finger/thumb from either side with all your browser controls. Very cool. Also Tabbed browsing and overall load speed is very much on par if not faster than the iPad 2.
5) Portrait to me is just to odd on the Xoom. iPad 2 feels much more usable with websites and apps vs the 16:10 ration on the Xoom
6) Weight - .3 lbs doesn't seem like much, but take into consideration the shape of each device it makes a substantial difference for something you maybe holding for extended periods of time. The distribution of weight adds to the bulky feel of the Xoom.
7) Not Xoom specific but the widgets are very handy and pretty cool to be able to do the types of customization with Android. I do believe however once Jailbroken the iPad can have widgets and many of these items. Stock however Android does have some nice features in this arena.
8) Movie playback. Prefer the Xoom due to the movie is actually larger, on a 16:10 ration and as mentioned I find the speakers to be louder and a bit better quality sound.
9) Apps - Not much to say, Honeycomb needs time to mature and i'm sure it will. What they do have however is very nice. Vindetta online is pretty damn cool if you like a space style MMO shooter. It runs very well, smooth and the controls are nice.
Overall I have to admit I wish I could justify both, but not going to have 1500+ wrapped up in a 3g, 32gig iPad 2 and the Xoom. I will be keeping the iPad 2 mainly due to the fact I have a laptop, so the ability to side load info is not much of an issue for me and with apps such as iSwifter I can now watch Hulu and other flash sites on my iPad with no real issues.
I look forward to what the tablet market will bring us in 2011 and 12 but for now I'll be using the iPad 2.
There are several.
Probably not the least important of which is Apple has a universe of 100 million customers with credit cards, the vast majority of which have shown at least some willingness to spend money on online content. Developers aren't stupid - and they are going to develop for the device that has the lrgest pool of potential users.
There is also the matter of curation. People moan about Apple's approval process - but it does keep out unstable or non-working Apps. And it does discourage what I call "Junk Apps." You can't use the name of a famous person (ie. no Dale Earnhart Jr Racing - unless you really have Dale Jrs. permission).
But most importantly: Google's Android store has pretty rotten terms for Developers. Sure - they take the same 30% that Apple does. But they ALSO limit the storage they provide for hosted apps to a mere 50 megabytes. Meaning the developer has to pay for hosting of anything bigger than that. He also has to figure out how to handle tedious (but necessary) admin stuff like a license checker, asset downloader, a "resumer" if you stop halfway through a purchase, and an installer and uninstaller for any external data. These are all services Apple provides to Developers. The Android market DOESN'T - at least for apps larger than 50mb.
Big App developers can probably handle this sort of stuff. But for the smaller, independent guys? Its no contest - Apple is MUCH better to work with.
Yep, Google should raise their 50MB hosting limit for those games and other apps that need the space. But at least there's no actual OTA limit if the developer can handle it.
Speaking of which, Apple should raise their 20MB over-the-air download limit. It's ridiculous to have to physically tether to your own iTunes mothership computer in order to download a larger game. What if you're on vacation?
Speaking of which, Apple should raise their 20MB over-the-air download limit. It's ridiculous to have to physically tether to your own iTunes mothership computer in order to download a larger game. What if you're on vacation?
The OTA limit is probably in Apple's contract with the carriers as it only involves the 3G network.
You can download any size app over a wifi network on device...I think the only app I've downloaded on my computer then synced is Navigon, just cause it is 1.7 GB.
Plenty of people here said the iPad 2 will not sell as well as the original iPad due to an unimpressive update as well as the competition closing in.
Anyway, iPad 2 blew that away. Two things:
1. I wish people would stop saying that Android will overtake the iPad. These are two different things. One is an OS, the other is a piece of hardware.
2. Most people (read: non-geeks) don't care about all the specs and speed tests, etc. They want something that works now, and works well. That is the iPad. There might be an android-based tablet in the future that can compete with the iPad in the eyes of the public. However, there isn't one now. A big problem with that is there will be so many people with iPads by that time, that regardless of what comes out, people will not be willing to buy another one just to have a new gadget. Mostly geeks think like that. What Apple is doing is closing off a certain segment for the next couple of years. The people who buy these iPads will not be in the market for another tablet for the next couple of years. It doesn't matter what comes out.
Apple may not have won the spec test, however, they have won the popularity test. Ask most people about a tablet and they would say iPad. Kinda like mp3 players. Today mp3 players is the same as saying iPod.
Just a thought.
Anyway, iPad 2 blew that away. Two things:
1. I wish people would stop saying that Android will overtake the iPad. These are two different things. One is an OS, the other is a piece of hardware.
2. Most people (read: non-geeks) don't care about all the specs and speed tests, etc. They want something that works now, and works well. That is the iPad. There might be an android-based tablet in the future that can compete with the iPad in the eyes of the public. However, there isn't one now. A big problem with that is there will be so many people with iPads by that time, that regardless of what comes out, people will not be willing to buy another one just to have a new gadget. Mostly geeks think like that. What Apple is doing is closing off a certain segment for the next couple of years. The people who buy these iPads will not be in the market for another tablet for the next couple of years. It doesn't matter what comes out.
Apple may not have won the spec test, however, they have won the popularity test. Ask most people about a tablet and they would say iPad. Kinda like mp3 players. Today mp3 players is the same as saying iPod.
Just a thought.
Yes, Honeycomb does tend to get flakey over time, especially when I use non-optimized apps or Labs features. Being rooted and overclocked certainly doesn't help.
I prefer having 5 apps truly multitasked (7 if you hold the Xoom in portrait mode) rather than the ipads 98 "placeholders".
Bit late with this reply...
I think that Apple's approach to the multitasking tray is another post-PC change. What they are attempting to do is eliminate the distinction between running and not-running Apps from the user interface. Only showing running Apps in the multitasking tray would obviously break that abstraction. It's better to think of it as a recently-used tray and not a multitasking tray.
I think that this is a worthwhile change as it hides another implementation detail from normal users. However I have to admit the abstraction is somewhat leaky. If the App I want to use isn't running then it will take longer to start up and it won't always return me to exactly the same place as I left it. Well written Apps should do this (before iOS4 it was essential that they did), however few get 100% of the way there. For example Reeder will take you back to the post you were reading but it won't take you back to the source web page. Games are also a problem as returning to a non-running game often returns you to the closest checkpoint and not the exact position that you left the game. The extra memory in the iPad 2 should make this problem less noticeable as Apps will have to be restarted from scratch less often.
I tried it out the other day and was rather underwhelmed. Here are a few things I noticed:
1. highly convoluted interfacing
2. lag while scrolling
3. much better camera than ipad2
4. resolution variance makes no difference and in fact, ipad 2 has a better screen.
5. Its a bit louder than ipad 2 which is nice.
6. LED flash is good as well.
7. Android Market is pathetic
8. very buggy and jittery scrolling on xoom
9. widgets are kinda neat i guess but totally unnecessary for the most part.
10. its a bulky device and doesnt feel great in your hands
11. more customizable options (may or may not be a good thing)
12. the device and OS itself seem very sterile
Overall, its not a terrible product but really needs a ton of work. Where it excels is the rear facing camera w/ flash and volume of stereo speakers even though I dont believe stereo was necessary. Its also nice to be able to just dump files on there as you wish without something like itunes.
1. highly convoluted interfacing
2. lag while scrolling
3. much better camera than ipad2
4. resolution variance makes no difference and in fact, ipad 2 has a better screen.
5. Its a bit louder than ipad 2 which is nice.
6. LED flash is good as well.
7. Android Market is pathetic
8. very buggy and jittery scrolling on xoom
9. widgets are kinda neat i guess but totally unnecessary for the most part.
10. its a bulky device and doesnt feel great in your hands
11. more customizable options (may or may not be a good thing)
12. the device and OS itself seem very sterile
Overall, its not a terrible product but really needs a ton of work. Where it excels is the rear facing camera w/ flash and volume of stereo speakers even though I dont believe stereo was necessary. Its also nice to be able to just dump files on there as you wish without something like itunes.
I don't mind the longer start up time for app that haven't been used as recently, but I agree that resume needs to be more seamless. Garageband has an interesting approach for this. Instead of trying to maintain saved state while using the app, it caches out in the background AFTER you switch tasks. This would be a great implementation for other apps. This could even preserve state between reboots. If an app becomes unstable, allow a 'force kill' to purge this cache.