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TechCrunch: Apple iPad 2: Good; Motorola Xoom: Bad

Saturday, March 5, 2011 · 7:18 pm · 66 Comments

“This week, I went to the unveiling of the iPad 2 and got some hands-on time with the device afterwards,” MG Siegler reports for TechCrunch. “Meanwhile, Jason bought a Xoom and has been extensively testing it out.”

Siegler reports, “The consensus? iPad 2: Good. Xoom: Bad.”

“I haven’t extensively played with iPad 2 yet, and Google is undoubtedly going to patch the Xoom,” Siegler reports. “But still, first impressions are key.”

Both products discussed more deeply in this week’s episode of OMG/JK. Watch it here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "ryan tr" for the heads up.]

Categories: News

Tags: iPad 2, motorola, xoom

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Comment Feed

66 Comments

84 Mac Guy

Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 7:46 pm · Reply

Watching the Android fanboy on this show admit that the Xoom is crap is priceless.
althegeo

Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 7:55 pm · Reply

How can any company sell an unfinished product?

Perhaps they aren’t really copying Apple after all. It looks like they are copying Microsoft instead.
- dish
  
  Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 10:03 pm · Reply
  
  Your actually more correct than you probably think. The iPad is about stripping away the complexity. The competitors are about adding complexity (essentially their tablets are attempting to be robust computing devices similar to a laptop or desktop) and so that is exactly what they are competing against, and that is exactly why the will/are failing. When I want to read a book, magazine, webpage I go to my iPad, or when I want to play a game or use facebook….iPad. When I want to perform do complex computing I sit down infront of my 27″ iMac. The iPad competitors are trying to give you a device that is capable of performing more of the laptop/desktop complex computing but in a tablet form factor. If you consider this for a while you inevitably conclude that your getting worked up for nothing because you still aren’t even sure why you need a tablet device since you already have a capable device such as a laptop or desktop. The iPad manages to side step that conclusion because it says here is a simple device that allows you to do certain things with out having the complexity or desktop OS getting in your way and thus enriching the experience of those few tasks. Most Android proponents seem to be unable to recognize this but regardless it is why the Android tablets will fail. Not because they aren’t good, but simply because they aren’t necessary.
  - Michael
    
    Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 10:50 pm · Reply
    
    Spot on.
  - Nightstar
    
    Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 11:21 pm · Reply
    
    Nailed it!!!!
  - gotwake
    
    Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 11:52 pm · Reply
    
    BINGO!!
  - Ansel
    
    Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 3:43 am · Reply
    
    Couldn’t of said better ….
  - adefowler
    
    Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 5:27 am · Reply
    
    This should be quoted for truth.
  - aaAttendee
    
    Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 6:42 am · Reply
    
    Agreed. You know what might actually get some sales? How about a tablet that runs only one program: a web browser. And that would be something a smaller company could do.
  - DMac
    
    Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 8:29 am · Reply
    
    You mean like a kindle? I know people willing to pay less for the thing because ALL they want to do on it is read books. They have laptops etc. They just want a simple little device for a simple task. They like my iPad, but they don’t want to shell out $500. Just give them a specialty device with minimal features at a lower price.
  - rhetoric.assassin
    
    Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 5:31 pm · Reply
    
    you summed it for me. This is exactly why microsoft could not successfully sell the their previous tablets.
    
    talk about finding the crux of the debate..
- Macromancer
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 1:05 pm · Reply
  
  Ooooh ZING!
Zune Tang®

Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 8:07 pm · Reply

Motorola has nothing to worry about. All they have to do is license Microsoft Windows for Tablets. Imagine running Microsoft Office for Tablets, staying connected to the office with native Exchange support and when you want to let your hair down you can use your Zune points at Zune Marketplace for great music, videos and apps. MAC will never know what hit them.

Consumers want choice—especially when faced with MAC’s proprietary, overpriced shiny toys for their pretentious lemming customers. Motorola, you should seriously consider a partnership with Microsoft. You won’t be sorry. What people really want is Windows on a tablet.
- harveynick
  
  Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 8:30 pm · Reply
  
  You can already get Windows on a tablet. Consensus seems to be that hardly anyone actually wants it.
  
  PS I think you mean “Mac,” not MAC.
  - Arnold Ziffel
    
    Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 8:57 pm · Reply
    
    Zune Tang is heavily into parody. Enjoy.
    - Doug
      
      Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 11:33 pm · Reply
      
      Is he? I can never tell… really! I’m not joking! It’s like how the Ricky Gervais Office leaves you thinking “Did he really just DO that?
      - Swing Geezer
        
        Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 1:26 am · Reply
        
        The very best satire should always leave you a little uncomfortable. This allows you to question the issue with greater intensity.
        
        spyinthesky
        
        Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 6:28 am · Reply
        
        Just cant believe that people still don’t get zuny. Clearly you CAN fool lots of the people lots of the time.
- dish
  
  Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 9:29 pm · Reply
  
  “Consumers want choice—especially when faced with MAC’s proprietary, overpriced shiny toys for their pretentious lemming customers.”
  
  Last year this time you might have been able to get away with a comment like that, but by now it’s become pretty obvious that you are very very wrong. Just look at the sales #s for the iPad and all of the interest in the forthcoming version. Last year like minded individuals estimated that that “pretentious lemming customer totaled somewhere in the # of 2 million but since the iPad is clearly a run away success I suppose that means untold tens of millions now fit into that category. The device in question, the iPad has the most competitive prices out of all of the competing tablets….not overpriced.
  
  Job’s has been quoted as saying if you don’t want it don’t buy it….why are you still here?
  - disposableidentity
    
    Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 11:23 pm · Reply
    
    That’s it. Feed the fire.
    Need more ZT action around here.
  - iphoneenvy
    
    Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 9:48 am · Reply
    
    dude….you’ve been Zune Tanged!
  - Derek in Milan
    
    Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 3:32 pm · Reply
    
    Zune Tang is an Apple guy, but heavily into excellent satire – he just comes up with these brilliant M$ takes that fool everyone.
    ‘Let your hair down’ – love it!
    Zune should write an office style Microsoft satire show.
- Michael A. Robson
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 12:52 am · Reply
  
  “Imagine running Microsoft Office for Tablets, staying connected to the office with native Exchange support”
  
  Wow. Sounds like a wet dream circa 2002. You find a magic lamp, get three wishes and you wish for something we already have. Brilliant.
- Bizlaw
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 12:56 am · Reply
  
  Yes! To The Cloud!
  
  Wherever that is, and yet somehow Microsoft believes it is a magical place full of perfect photos, violent housewife TV shows, and thus solving everyone’s problems. That must be what all those employees are working on in Redmond instead of Windows for Tablets (due 2012, shipping 2015).
- stophobophobia
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 2:30 am · Reply
  
  Bravo, Mr. Tang. Your subtle irony never fails to ensnare one or more unsuspecting virgins into your elaborate web of sarcasm.
  - Conan the Grammaria
    
    Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 4:25 pm · Reply
    
    It’s not irony or sarcasm. It’s satire.
- BeosDoc
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 10:15 am · Reply
  
  Sometimes people think they want one thing but actually need something else and don’t discover it until after they use it. Tablets are personal, more personal than a laptop. MS had tablet computers out for almost 10 years, since 2002, if people wanted windows on a tablet how come they aren’t flying off the shelf?
  
  Over priced shiny toy? iPad cost less than the Xoom and Tab without contract.
- innhitman
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 2:27 pm · Reply
  
  Zune… you used to be funnier and less obvious. c’mon, you are slippin’ Your posts used to make us think you were serious.. these latest posts tip us off that you are a mac owner, just being funny. Get back to work and really fool us.
  
  Thanks
- Really?
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 3:59 pm · Reply
  
  Office for tablets? Are you serious? It doesn’t actually work well enough on a normally spec’d PC. Why would anyone want that bloated, buggy, slow, universal virus vector on a tablet? What people actually want is a world without windows; where software works, and malware doesn’t.
- Apple Owns Me
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 4:11 pm · Reply
  
  I agree with Dish. Apple is about stripping away all the complexity and starting with a basic foundation at a lower price. Give consumers a device that has a smaller display with lower resolution, don’t foolishly offer a 5 MP Front and 2 MP rear camera that will never be used. Steve Jobs was wise in limiting connectivity by not including a MicroSD Expansion Slot for expansion, a card reader, USB Connections, etc in the first generation model. The Xoom overwhelmed the consumer with all of these features in its first release!!! Who uses those connections anyway. I think Apples approach to introducing new features gradually in each release every few months is a much smarter approach. There are already rumors that the Ipad 3 may be released as soon as November.
- mccfr
  
  Monday, March 7, 2011 - 5:54 am · Reply
  
  Satire acknowledged
  
  Motorola, you should seriously consider a partnership with Microsoft.
  
  Which will be a partnership until Microsoft choose to fsck you over and all of your customers.
  
  You won’t be sorry.
  
  Your customers however…
  
  What people really want is Windows on a tablet.
  
  You got some of the right words, but in the wrong order: People who use Windows often want to take tablets – Prozac, Ambien, SSRIs.
Cubert

Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 8:15 pm · Reply

The title of the article sounds like a line from the old SNL skit with Phil Hartman – Caveman Lawyer.

What a comic genius he was. Lionel Hutz forever!
- Now, Now...
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 12:05 am · Reply
  
  It kinda reminded me of those old Tarzan tv shows…
  
  “Me Tarzan! You Jane.”
Mac Plus

Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 9:47 pm · Reply

I don’t know which is more entertaining – Zune Tang® – or those taken in by his shtick.
- Bikercrd
  
  Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 11:13 pm · Reply
  
  Stop!
- Martin
  
  Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 11:26 pm · Reply
  
  i think the second one
- Bream Rockmetteller
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 12:57 am · Reply
  
  Don’t tell them!
Laughing_Boy48

Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 11:53 pm · Reply

I just watched the iPad 2 Event and Steve was really sharp. I’d been really worried from those Enquirer rumors, but he looks as well as he was last year.

I know there are a lot of jaded people out there when it comes to computer devices, but I’m a tech-head and I was still impressed at how thin the iPad 2 is. Everything loaded so fast. There is no way that Microsoft is going to get Windows 8 to run on a tablet like the iPad 2. Absolutely no way at all. Pundits and tech-heads keep saying that Apple should be able to have the iPad do more and more, but for the average consumers, I would think this iPad will still blow their socks off. There’s no way any company can come out with a tablet that’s even close to the iPad 2 and cost less than $500 unless it’s completely built of plastic and has some cheap display. The average consumer is going to go bonkers for sure. 40 million iPad 2s should be a piece of cake.
- priused
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 9:47 am · Reply
  
  Speaking of plastic and cheap displays… did you notice that the iPad 2 is now thinner than the Kindle?
- ken1w
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 5:37 pm · Reply
  
  I think Apple is able to sell iPad starting at $499 because Apple makes so much profit for every iPhone sale. No one else has that advantage, and they will not be able to make an acceptable profit from selling an iPad clone (even if they could somehow make one).
gotwake

Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 11:54 pm · Reply

But, there are 16 apps. The Xoom is a winner for sure.
cascadians

Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 12:11 am · Reply

Ah, Zune Tang is back. Where is Ampar? Really miss Ampar.
- Derek in Milan
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 3:57 pm · Reply
  
  I thought Ampar was Zune?
Bream Rockmetteller

Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 1:29 am · Reply

I love MG saying “Oh God” while JK enumerates all of his gripes.
ken1w

Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 1:57 am · Reply

The problem for the competition is that they can’t keep up with Apple. Apple basically had a two-year (secret) head start on iPad, and since iPad is an extension on what iPhone accomplished, Apple really had a four-year head start. On top of that advantage, Apple just works faster and more efficiently because it controls the hardware and software. So Apple is WAY ahead right now and accelerating away from the herd.

The competition struggles to release their “not ready for primetime” product before Apple casually raises the bar again. So many announced tablet products have been (or will be) canceled because Apple made (or will make) those products obsolete and embarrassing, by the time they are ready to be released. What’s the point of finishing work on a future product if it has no future by the time the work is completed? I predict that RIM’s PlayBook will be canceled (because it is lame), and HP’s WebOS tablet will be delayed (because it needs to be improved).

Meanwhile, I’ll bet Apple already has prototypes of iPad 3 operational in the secret underground lab.
- JesusR
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 3:17 am · Reply
  
  Let the rumors commence
- Ansel
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 4:19 am · Reply
  
  That’s right, at least 2 but maybe 4 year head start …..
  
  Brother and friend both have Android phones and I watch both struggle with their phones, just to make a note in a calendar app my buddy had to hit like five buttons ….
  - DMac
    
    Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 8:33 am · Reply
    
    Apparently M$ believes in Apple “magic” (magical, revolutionary devices), and is trying to conjure up some of their own.
  - DMac
    
    Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 8:34 am · Reply
    
    Didn’t Steve Jobs claim a 5-year head start?
    - disposableidentity
      
      Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 10:05 am · Reply
      
      Yes. When he first showed off the iPhone in 2007.
      
      I thought he was over-stating things at the time. Since then he has been proven right. Look at MS, Nokia, RIM, etc. The only one who’s really in the game is Android, and they dropped everything and started copying Apple essentially the day Steve Jobs made that statement (thanks to a sweet position on the Apple board they may have started their copying even earlier).
      - Cubert
        
        Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 11:11 am · Reply
        
        Actually, Eric Schmidt was using (abusing?) his position for that. Apparently, the prototypes that he showed Steve Jobs shortly after announcing that Google was working on a phone OS (and thus having to excuse himself from future Board meetings related to the iPhone) were of a Blackberry-style form factor. However, he always intended it to be an iPhone-style form factor and these prototypes were intentionally misleading. Heck, they even had to steal their OS from Sun/Oracle in order to get the thing into production quickly. Hmmmm…..kinda sounds like Web M doesn’t it?
- sweeps in LA
  
  Monday, March 7, 2011 - 12:20 am · Reply
  
  Actually, I believe it was in a D8 interview, Steve Jobs admitted that the iPad came before the iPhone. So, I’d add another 2-3 years to your head-start.
YipYipYipee

Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 8:58 am · Reply

OK. If the iPad 3 is revealed to be made of “Transparent Aluminium”, I’m joining the whale-watchers club.
Marco

Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 11:02 am · Reply

Remember this is a Pro Apple site… nothing Apple does is wrong. It’s always perfect – like when they introduced iOS 4.x and ran it on iPhone 3G (which was EXTREMELY ssslow) and just now the engineers gave up and said we can’t support it because we can’t fix it… so now iOS 4.3 won’t work on iPhone 3G (wonderful!) Fragmentation = Applementation!

Just remember when Jobs and Ivy are gone from Apple… it will then face hard times and be like any other company… the future is near. Jobs health isn’t great. He is even thinner than before (if that was possible) and now with talks that Ivy wants to move to UK… trouble ahead for Cupertino.
- Cubert
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 11:14 am · Reply
  
  If you’re going to troll, at least get people’s names right. Sheesh.
  
  (Hint, hint….it’s Ive)
- Arnold Ziffel
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 1:20 pm · Reply
  
  Marco, I rate you as a half-a-star (out of a maximum of five) troll.
  - You Be Trollin'
    
    Tuesday, March 8, 2011 - 10:47 pm · Reply
    
    I second that motion. Congrats, Marco, you are now a troll. Go find a bridge and maybe throw in an instructive class on how to troll properly. Have fun kiddo.
- YipYipYipee
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 2:38 pm · Reply
  
  Fragmentation already exists for the FIRST GENERATION Android based products. Having said that, it is not entirely Google’s fault. It is that of network carriers and in some cases, the device manufacturers. So, with this in mind, Apple is the best of the bunch and despite the blistering product cycle the industry sets.
- Derek in Milan
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 4:04 pm · Reply
  
  There are good points here, although I dont know why we should think about the future of Apple or anyone – its all NOW, baby!
  Apple isnt perfect, and they face the same challenges as any co. to keep the products and OS fresh.
  I think we need to see customisation of the iOS screens and icons – people like to make a product their own, and that is difficult with the current iOS.
  Hopefully developers will make home screen custom apps – or do they already?
  
  I love my Apple, but I want to see some more flexibility of how it looks and some choice for home screen setup, for example.
- Woody
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 10:46 pm · Reply
  
  Seriously, besides me, who still has a 3G? I actually lost it in a bar last night, and Find My iPhone found it for me. DAMN YOU FIND MY IPHONE, DAMN YOU!
WetFX

Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 11:41 am · Reply

The part of the Apple demonstration that impressed me is never mentioned. iMovie and GarageBand. Being able to have sensitive instruments is a breakthrough. Now imagine what musicians will be able to do with it. I have done some quick movie editing on my iPhone and iPad; iMovie looks great. This will make people see it is not just a consumption device.

The gyroscope goes unnoticed and yet it is one of the most important pieces of hardware. Apple knows how to put it to use. The cameras may not be as “good” as the competitors, but Apple make them better with stability. It can take away one of the mane complaints about painting apps, not being able to feather the strokes. The tech heads just can’t see the art school.
- Arnold Ziffel
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 1:23 pm · Reply
  
  Totally agree with your comments.
  
  Check out Les Posen’s review of Xander Soren’s presentation of Garageband:
  
  http://lesposen.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/xandersoren/
  - Jax44
    
    Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 6:00 pm · Reply
    
    Good article, thanks.
- Derek in Milan
  
  Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 4:06 pm · Reply
  
  Well said – I forgot they just hit a homer with the GarageBand thing.
  I will use it for sure.
Yoho

Sunday, March 6, 2011 - 3:56 pm · Reply

Jobs hand picks and hand fires his people. There is no reason to think that jobs has not laid out a very compelling multiple year plan for his iconic company. He moved the creative brains to the top, fine tuned them and honed their skills. There is no fear that a loss of upper brass will dramatically alter Apple’s coarse. Do you really think steve would leave Apple behind the way gates left Ms? I find this highly unlikely. I think steve is aware of his limited time and is likely using his remaining years at Apple to ensure it’s future.
As for Jony Ive, I find it hard to believe that his ability to design incredible products would flounder if he were in the UK. Granted it would be bad if he was so far from his think tank, the man could easily ‘phone in’ his job. And it should be noted that Ive doesn’t design EVERYTHING Apple makes, and he too, would likely have the best talent under him.
faith styan

Monday, March 7, 2011 - 12:17 am · Reply

Apple Ipad is really good and its a Feature of good looking and beneficial for those people who uses this ipad, I would be tell that its a really Glamourous and good using.
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