A frustrated CEO speaks: Why Android Tablets are not Selling

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by wodin

So I would be very skeptical about your average iPad or Xoom with WiFi or 3G being HIPPA compliant.

HIPAA is not a technical specification, but an end result.

You can use the afore named devices confidentially and thus protect patient data.

[Harmon]

Originally Posted by RockdaMan

I think he means to peel away at the 'it just works' mindshare that Apple has.

Yep. It's the ecosystem that Amazon has built, resulting in its being just so damn easy to go there and buy things.

Just pause & consider the situation that will exist when Amazon has a tablet focused on selling you everything Amazon has to sell, from books to movies to groceries to tv sets to electric shavers to you name it they got it. With one click. And no tax. And Prime.

it's the ultimate Mall in Your Pocket.

[tipstir]

What's not selling are the expensive ones! COBY KYROS MID7015/7015A those are selling. Anything under $150 will fly off online and locally. Best Buy Tablet Center might be a dud because right now most can only buy the lower priced tablets some might chance it and buy the $399 plus ones. Gas is high, food is high and making a tablet very high is not going to cut it today!

They can make the prices lower, but they won't do it because profit margins goals have to be met. ACER W500 Windows Tablet version that's pretty high at HSN for $599 to $649 even with the payments it still high. Most will buy that because they want to go Windows 7 instead of Android OS 3.x.

I would like to get Windows tablet but I am waiting on Windows 8 Metro Tablet OS to hit 2012 or 2014 at this rate it not going to be cheap either. How you call it!

[madsquabbles]

the xoom 3g total parts cost more than the coby sells retail. i believe the total was about ~$270 US. add r&d, shipping/distribution and it could be closer or just over $300 total.

they could build tablets at the same quality as the cheaper tablets, but they'd end up hurting their brand more than helping. i mean, would you buy a "high end" $400 sylvania tablet knowing how bad their cheap ones are? i'm not saying they couldn't build a high quality tablet, i just couldn't trust them.

also don't forget, the $400 asus eee pad transformer is literally flying off the shelves in just about every market it's available - both online and in stores.

Originally Posted by tipstir

What's not selling are the expensive ones! COBY KYROS MID7015/7015A those are selling. Anything under $150 will fly off online and locally. Best Buy Tablet Center might be a dud because right now most can only buy the lower priced tablets some might chance it and buy the $399 plus ones. Gas is high, food is high and making a tablet very high is not going to cut it today!

They can make the prices lower, but they won't do it because profit margins goals have to be met. ACER W500 Windows Tablet version that's pretty high at HSN for $599 to $649 even with the payments it still high. Most will buy that because they want to go Windows 7 instead of Android OS 3.x.

I would like to get Windows tablet but I am waiting on Windows 8 Metro Tablet OS to hit 2012 or 2014 at this rate it not going to be cheap either. How you call it!

[boswd]

maybe the title of this article needs to be udated to reflect a couple of realities. Maybe something along the lines of "Why Android Tablets sold at $800 or tablets that lock you into a 2 year contract arent' selling"

Now the Acer is starting to have trouble meeting the high demand of their tablet.

Hmm price them right, wifi only, do something a bit creative (asus's netbook conversion) and there you go. Two very big hits.

http://phandroid.com/2011/05/19/acer...rom-shortages/

[madsquabbles]

Originally Posted by boswd

maybe the title of this article needs to be udated to reflect a couple of realities. Maybe something along the lines of "Why Android Tablets sold at $800 or tablets that lock you into a 2 year contract arent' selling"

Now the Acer is starting to have trouble meeting the high demand of their tablet.

Hmm price them right, wifi only, do something a bit creative (asus's netbook conversion) and there you go. Two very big hits.

http://phandroid.com/2011/05/19/acer...rom-shortages/

good for acer. i didn't realize it was doing so well. it's got some good things going for it, but i just couldn't get over the color banding.

i plan on either finally settling with a xoom or galaxy tab 10.1.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by boswd

maybe the title of this article needs to be udated to reflect a couple of realities. Maybe something along the lines of "Why Android Tablets sold at $800 or tablets that lock you into a 2 year contract arent' selling"

This. +1

I'm tired of Android tablet makers gripping because there's not a market for $800 tablets. Price them reasonably and people will buy them.

[covfam]

Originally Posted by boswd

maybe the title of this article needs to be udated to reflect a couple of realities. Maybe something along the lines of "Why Android Tablets sold at $800 or tablets that lock you into a 2 year contract arent' selling"

Now the Acer is starting to have trouble meeting the high demand of their tablet.

Hmm price them right, wifi only, do something a bit creative (asus's netbook conversion) and there you go. Two very big hits.

http://phandroid.com/2011/05/19/acer...rom-shortages/

I agree with boswd, the 2 year contract AND $800 is a bit much even the $600 and the contract is a bit much. the device manufacturers are selling devices at mid ranged laptop prices and expecting people to sign a long contract.
Yesterday i was at verizon looking at the xoom with the new 3.1 Os (pretty slick btw) xoom without contract actually costs $200more than the 3g version with 2 year contract. Not that apples products are cheap they are overpriced too but at least you can order a wifi version of the ipad2 for $129 less than the 3g model. Does Motorolla still think they are selling $199 phones here?.

so basicly its Xoom with contract $599 +monthly data plan or $799 without contract.
Ipad 32gig with contract $729 + monthly data plan or Without contract wi fi = $599

Yes the ipad is overpriced but at least you actually have the option to get a no contract version for cheaper.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by covfam

I agree with boswd, the 2 year contract AND $800 is a bit much even the $600 and the contract is a bit much. the device manufacturers are selling devices at mid ranged laptop prices and expecting people to sign a long contract.
Yesterday i was at verizon looking at the xoom with the new 3.1 Os (pretty slick btw) xoom without contract actually costs $200more than the 3g version with 2 year contract. Not that apples products are cheap they are overpriced too but at least you can order a wifi version of the ipad2 for $129 less than the 3g model. Does Motorolla still think they are selling $199 phones here?.

so basicly its Xoom with contract $599 +monthly data plan or $799 without contract.
Ipad 32gig with contract $729 + monthly data plan or Without contract wi fi = $599

Yes the ipad is overpriced but at least you actually have the option to get a no contract version for cheaper.

you can get the wifi only Xoom at Best Buy and staples and few others for $599. Verizon I don't believe does sell the wifi only version

Motorola's big mistake was getting into bed with Verizon on this. This is just a guess though but it seems Moto has signed some certain first rights and some exclusivity deals with Verizon.

if the xoom launched the wifi only at $599 at launch, something tells me it would have sold very well

[tipstir]

Originally Posted by madsquabbles

the xoom 3g total parts cost more than the coby sells retail. i believe the total was about ~$270 US. add r&d, shipping/distribution and it could be closer or just over $300 total.

they could build tablets at the same quality as the cheaper tablets, but they'd end up hurting their brand more than helping. i mean, would you buy a "high end" $400 sylvania tablet knowing how bad their cheap ones are? i'm not saying they couldn't build a high quality tablet, i just couldn't trust them.

also don't forget, the $400 asus eee pad transformer is literally flying off the shelves in just about every market it's available - both online and in stores.

Yes I've seen that just hope this time ASUS and used better panels LED/LCD panels than it did in the ASUS Eee PC 10.1" Netbooks. I had mind replaced (after 7 months of lite usage) last year was defective badly. On their expensive of course.

COBY is all metal case and not cheap really only 7" with 720p/1080p and HDMI output for HDTV. Really all Android tablets do the same thing some have larger screens more RAM but they all do the same thing and functions. All suffer from the lag on Animated Live Wallpaper, that's Android Hardware FSB bottleneck issue even on those Tegra2.

[covfam]

your right!
I notice best buy and walmart does have a wi fi only version online.
Unfortunatly all most people see is the verizon advertizing campaign and dont know anybetter. heck my two local best buys only sell the xoom 3g in thier cellphone "store"
They have several cheaper androids on display like a Huawei ideos, Dell streak , Coby internet tablet, Blackberry playbook, as well as some more generic budget tablets, no presence at all for the WIFI xoom so nobody knows there is a quality option.

IMHO the xoom could definatly do with better marketing because with the 3.1 honeycomb its a completly different machine than when it was released with the 3.0.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by covfam

your right!
I notice best buy and walmart does have a wi fi only version online.
Unfortunatly all most people see is the verizon advertizing campaign and dont know anybetter. heck my two local best buys only sell the xoom 3g in thier cellphone "store"
They have several cheaper androids on display like a Huawei ideos, Dell streak , Coby internet tablet, Blackberry playbook, as well as some more generic budget tablets, no presence at all for the WIFI xoom so nobody knows there is a quality option.

IMHO the xoom could definatly do with better marketing because with the 3.1 honeycomb its a completly different machine than when it was released with the 3.0.

I agree, Moto needs to do something to revamp their store presence in Best Buy specifically. . In my local Best buy they are shoved in with the net books and it's always uncharged and off it's display, IOW's not well tended to nor kept up.

I have no idea why they don't have it in their tablet section like you mentioned. There they have all the cheap "Walgreen" type models.

These are the types of things that makes me reach for my tin foil hat

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by covfam

the ipad is overpriced

Why do you say this?

[wodin]

Originally Posted by madsquabbles

the xoom 3g total parts cost more than the coby sells retail. i believe the total was about ~$270 US. add r&d, shipping/distribution and it could be closer or just over $300 total.

they could build tablets at the same quality as the cheaper tablets, but they'd end up hurting their brand more than helping. i mean, would you buy a "high end" $400 sylvania tablet knowing how bad their cheap ones are? i'm not saying they couldn't build a high quality tablet, i just couldn't trust them.

also don't forget, the $400 asus eee pad transformer is literally flying off the shelves in just about every market it's available - both online and in stores.

Nook Colors seem to be doing pretty well at $249 USD.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by wodin

Nook Colors seem to be doing pretty well at $249 USD.

Agreed. We bought 2 in my household, where we never would have considered the iPad because it was so much more expensive and we would have had to re-buy all our favorite apps. (Whereas the rooted NC accessed our Google Market accounts just fine.)