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Motorola has sold around 100,000 Xooms since launching the new tablet in late February, says a Deutsche Bank research report released yesterday.
Based on the percentage of Android 3.0 Honeycomb devices showing up on the Android Developer Web Site, Deutsche Bank estimated the total Android installed base at around 50 million units. Of those, only 0.2 percent are running Honeycomb. That points to a figure of 100,000, give or take, for the Xoom as the only known Android tablet so far outfitted with Honeycomb.
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The research firm had initially estimated sales of 50,000 Xooms during the first quarter and 150,000 for the second quarter.
In comparison, Apple may have sold 500,000 iPad 2 tablets in the first weekend it was available last month, said Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, though some analysts believe the figure could be as high as a million, according to Reuters. The original iPad sold to the tune of 300,000 units in its initial weekend a year ago.
Neither Motorola nor Apple has disclosed sales figures for the respective tablets.
Though the Xoom’s sales may seem paltry compared with the iPad, Deutsche Bank called 100,000 units after only a short time on the market “a decent start.”
The Xoom was demonstrated and awarded a prize at CES in January. It was highly anticipated as the first Android tablet that might give the iPad a run for its money. But Motorola has strained to compete with Apple.
Motorola’s current 3G Xoom sells for $799. A two-year contract brings the price tag down to $599 but then tacks on the monthly data plan charge. A Wi-Fi-only version, recently introduced, also sells for $599. Those prices compare with the cost of the iPad 2, which ranges from $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi edition to $829 for a Wi-Fi + 3G 64GB model. There is a monthly fee for 3G service on the iPad 2 but no long-term contract.
Looking beyond price, some analysts have pointed to the overall experience and lure of shopping for an iPad compared with shopping for a Xoom. Despite the long lines and wait times for an iPad 2, customers are still flocking to the Apple Store in hopes of finding one. Offered at Best Buy, Verizon Wireless, and other outlets, the Xoom simply isn’t triggering those long lines or sellouts.
The Xoom will also soon face more competition from other tablets.
Research In Motion is busy readying its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet for its debut on April 19. Estimates from Morgan Stanley reported by The Wall Street Journal call for RIM to build around 7 million PlayBooks, though it may sell closer to 3.5 million for its fiscal 2012 year, which began this month. The PlayBook will run its own proprietary operating system but will be able to run Android apps.
Other players, including Sony, Toshiba, HTC, and Dell, are prepping their own Android tablets, adding to an increasingly crowded market.
