Motorola is hoping to take on Apple and the iPad 2 in the United States come March 27 with the release of its Wi-Fi-only Xoom tablet. The tablet sports a 10.1-inch display and 32GB RAM along with Google’s Android 3.0 operating system, and will be priced at US$599.
Motorola’s Xoom tablet
The Wi-Fi-only Xoom’s price point puts it inline with Apple’s 32GB iPad 2, and the inclusion of Android for the operating system will no doubt draw some customers that are looking for alternatives to iOS-based devices. Apple, however, released the iPad 2 on March 11 and hasn’t been able to keep up with customer demand.
This isn’t the first Xoom tablet to hit store shelves. Motorola released a 3G-capable version of the tablet in February with a higher price point than Apple’s iPad at $799 without a two-year contract. With a contract, that price comes down to $599.
Motorola plans to sell its Wi-Fi Xoom tablet through several major retailers and Amazon.com. There’s no word yet on whether or not Motorola expects around-the-block lines for the launch like Apple saw with the iPad 2 roll out.