So not only is the Xoom $800, but by the looks of the Best Buy ad, I have to at-least have paid for a one month 3G service to activate Wi-Fi. 
Attachments
Last edited:
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Pay to use Wi-Fi on Xoom
- Thread starter bluemonkeyguy
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Sounds like something borderline criminal. I would suspect that within 3 days of this crappy device being on the market, the Android community will have a patch to 'jailbreak' it.
TEG
TEG
They will get a couple of hard core haters that will buy it. They will buy anything non-Apple, no matter how expensive it is or how poorly it performs. (not saying the Xoom will perform poorly, but not saying it will be great either). You know, the ones that buy crap to try and impress their friends, but deep down secretly want a iPad, but are afraid of what others will think of them.
Last edited:
What the hell? What does motorola expect to achieve by charging users for wifi? omg... youd think theyd be a little smart since they have some tough competition (iPad). not to mention this thing is WAYYYY overpriced. this idea is SO STUPID I DONT EVEN KNOW HOW THEY CAME UP WITH IT.
/rant
/rant
It says "To activate WiFi functionality on this device, a minimum of 1 month data subscription is required".
This is so ridiculous! I'm sure most of the people who buy Xoom will jailbreak it
Exactly. To come out with a competing device that costs more than the equivalent iPad is madness.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-gb) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)
If true, this will be illegal by European law. Not sure how it can fly in America either!
If true, this will be illegal by European law. Not sure how it can fly in America either!
One of the most ridiculous things ever. Basically, "to use your device for any type of internet connection, you HAVE to pay".
This is very stupid from Motorola. The price of the Xoom will certainly not help it in succeeding. Apple has nothing to worry about as long as there is no Android tablet of good quality at 500$.
It seems the WiFi functionality is any WiFi: In order to connect it to your home WiFi you'll have to buy a month's 3G connectivity. And people complain about the "Apple Tax"....
i think the WIFI that we know (connect to wireless network, bla bla bla) is "free" to use but the hotspot thing must be payed.
$70 more for a device with significantly better specs than the current iPad is not going to kill it.
-----
While I agree that forcing the data is dumb, in this case I think its a non-issue. Why would you buy a 3G/4G tablet if you didn't plan on using data on it after all?
I really don't see the problem. Verizon signed a deal to distribute a device with built-in 3G, so they want to make sure people use that functionality at least once. Consider it a one-month contract and stop complaining.
Who's going to buy a 3G tablet and get angry that they're required to pay for the 3G?
Who's going to buy a 3G tablet and get angry that they're required to pay for the 3G?
Well, many people would like to buy a Wifi model only. That is the problem! Those people would have to buy a data plan in order to use Wifi. This is ridiculous.
Exactly. To come out with a competing device that costs more than the equivalent iPad is madness.
I'd have to agree!
Those people will very likely be targeted by a WiFi-only model (possibly with a different name) in the near future. This is just the first salvo, and I'm guessing Motorola decided to release their most feature-packed model first.
But it's going to be competing against the iPad 2 at, probably, the same price points, and the original iPad at, probably, lower price points than now.
It's madness because the average consumer is not looking at specs. They look at price. They know about the iPad, so how can you entice them away with a new device they don't know much about and that also costs more? You can't.
The iPad2 is not out yet and we have no confirmed specs so right now its just a comparison against the first one.
The Xoom is not out yet either, so by the time the consumer can actually buy one, the iPad 2 will be coming up fast.