
Best Buy’s bizarro world Xoom ad « The Orange View - apress
http://theorangeview.net/2011/02/best-buys-bizarro-world-xoom-ad/
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mattblalock
The phrase "To activate Wifi functionality on this device, a minimum 1 month
data subscription is required." IS footnote 7, mentioned on the left side in
the WiFi icon.

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natch
Good point, but that requirement itself is already beyond bizarre.

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mdasen
I don't think the requirement is bizarre. It's bizarre if you're a consumer,
but not if you're Verizon or Motorola. Verizon and Motorola would rather make
more money than less money and so they want you to sign up for 3G service for
a month ($30) and hope you just get accustomed to paying that $30 - that
you'll pay the first month and forget to cancel it for the second month and
then you'll just be used to having that $30 gone from your budget and enjoy
the convenience of 3G coverage and end up continuing to pay $30/mo.

It's bad for consumers, but it makes a lot of sense if you're Motorola and
Verizon trying to make more money off consumers. Plus, frankly, if you just
want it for WiFi, it's really expensive. A WiFi iPad is only $500 making the
XOOM 60% more expensive if you just want it for WiFi. Yes, the XOOM's specs
might be better, but rumors are that an iPad 2 is right around the corner so
that might not last too long.

I think that companies are looking to make more money off it and realize that
if consumers are looking for a WiFi-only device, the iPad is already a much
cheaper option.

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jrockway
This ad will have no effect on this tablet's future. It is already doomed.
$800 and carrier lock-in? I can't even imagine they'll be able to sell _one_.

I am dying to get a Honeycomb tablet. But not under these terms.

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nhangen
It doesn't make sense that they'd require you to pay this price and buy data
on top. Sounds to me like a typo, in which they meant to describe 3G
functionality, but inserted Wi-Fi instead.

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david2777
That's what you would think, but I recall reading on Engadget that they just
won't sell them at all if you do not activate them on Verizon. Although they
also think it may be a typo. [http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/06/verizon-
locking-wifi-on-m...](http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/06/verizon-locking-wifi-
on-motorola-xoom-until-you-buy-one-month-of/)

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navan
While the table in the ad does not say which carrier for the 3G plan, the ad
does contain a Verizon logo.

