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"Motorola has officially announced that the Wi-Fi only version of its Xoom tablet will be hitting U.S. retailers on March 27 for a suggested price of $599.99.\nMotorola released the 3G version of the first Honeycomb-based Android tablet in February. The $799 contract-free price left many potential users walking away with sticker shock.\nApple announced the iPad 2 just a week later and the new device boasted a faster processor (dual cores), and a lighter and thinner body, all for the same price.\nEarly reports indicate that Xoom 3G sales are underwhelming. That shouldn't be a huge surprise. Even without the iPad 2, the Xoom launched at a price point that put it out of reach for many consumers. Additionally, the fact that one of the primary differentiating features of the Xoom \u2014 support for Adobe Flash 10.2 \u2014 wasn't available at launch, makes the whole product seem rushed to market.\nIn contrast, the Wi-Fi only model will be available for $599 for a 32 GB unit \u2014 the same price as an equivalent iPad 2. Furthermore, a beta version of Flash Player 10.2 is rumored to be available later this week. With any luck, a beta or release candidate could even ship (or at least be available in the Android Market) with the Wi-Fi variant of the device.\nEven at the new price point and with Flash support, my gut tells me that the iPad 2 will continue to be the tablet that most users gravitate toward. Why? Software. Honeycomb shows tremendous potential, but developers are just now starting to release Honeycomb-optimized versions of their apps. In contrast, the iPad has had a year to build a 65,000+ library of iPad-optimized apps.\nIt is, however, possible that iPad 2 mania could work in Xoom Wi-Fi's favor. Because demand for the iPad 2 continues to be so strong, Apple is having a hard time keeping units in stock. The international launch of the iPad 2 is planned for March 25 \u2014 two days before Xoom Wi-Fi hits Amazon.com, Best Buy, Costco RadioShack, Sam's Club, Staples and Walmart stores. Customers looking for an iPad 2 at Walmart or Best Buy might be persuaded to get the Xoom (provided it is in stock) for the same price.\nWhat do you think of the Xoom Wi-Fi pricing? Does this make this Honeycomb tablet more appealing or are you going to wait for an iPad 2 or other next-generation tablet (TouchPad, PlayBook, insert-announced-Honeycomb-tablet-here) instead? Let us know."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2011/03/16/motorola-xoom-wi-fi/>