Low Motorola Xoom sales could be holding back Android 3.0
The subpar sales performance of the first commercial Android 3.0 device is apparently causing other manufacturers to delay their own Honeycomb-equipped tablets, according to sources close to DigiTimes.
When Google first demoed the tablet-specific Honeycomb back in February, it was safe to assume that the Motorola Xoom would enjoy some success for being the first tablet sporting the latest Android. Unfortunately, the expensive launch price and the high anticipation for the iPad 2 were certainly not in Motorola’s favor.
DigiTimes cites “insufficient applications and unstable performance of Android 3.0” as one of the main reasons for the low Xoom sales. Additionally, many manufacturers claim to be receiving little support and cooperation from Google during tablet development. The mix of poor first impressions set by the Xoom and the lack of apparent aid from Google could explain why there is so far no other official Android 3.0 tablet currently in the market.
As for some upcoming Android 3.0 tablets, Asus may be delaying its April launch of the Eee Pad Transformer in Taiwan to May. It should still be coming stateside to Best Buys as early as late April, though. The Android 3.0 upgradeable HTC Flyer also has no firm U.S. release date. While the tablet is confirmed for a May 9th launch in Europe, the release date for the rest of the world is still quite vague.
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