Yes you read that right, a report by DigiTimes has came out mentioning that some OEMs may actually be delaying the release of their Android 3.0 Honeycomb Tablets. I’m not sure I believe that, why hold back such amazing devices. Sure Android 3.0 has a few small issues (it is brand new of course) as in the first tablet OS built by Google. It will take time to mature, just like a fine wine. Hopefully not that long of course.

They mentioned the Motorola Xoom and its poor sales, and low amount of apps for android tablets, the tablet ecosystem being weak. Although I would have to argue with that because the Xoom was the first Tablet OS device. Of course there isn’t going to be a huge ecosystem. That will come in due time. Good things come to those who wait. Look how amazing android is now.

Apparently they even go on to mention the Asus Transformer has only shipped in specific regions for the above mentioned reasons also. This story was brought to us by our friends over at Phandroid, and they didn’t cite the DigiTimes story either. I do understand where some of this may be coming from, but from the look of how Android in general turned out. I can’t see very many OEMs being truly hesitant, Android is full steam ahead, and Google will put forth the same amazing effort on the Android Tablet. I’d be getting in ASAP if it were me.

[via Phandroid]

13 COMMENTS

  1. Um,. it is pretty obvious. Google has not released the Honeycomb source to tablet manufacturers, so they cannot say when they will release their Honeycomb tablets. There are approximately 30 tablet OEM’s in Taiwan and only Asus, HTC, Foxconn (manufacturing for Motorola, Viewsonic and a few others) have Honeycomb. Pretty much everyone else has Tegra 2 and TI dualcore tablets ready, but cannot launch them as Google is being monopolistic and anti-competitive.

    Part of the problem is actually the Tegra 2 reference design. Most of the tabs have exactly the same hardware, and thanks to Honeycome, exactly the same software. The problem for Motorola is that they are about $200 cheeper than the Xoom. Here is the real reson why Google isn’t releasing Honeycomb. Pure anti-competitive behaviour for an “open” OS.

    • I would agree if the $200 cheaper ones (I imagine you are talking about the Transformer) didn’t have Honeycomb, but they do. So where’s the anti-competitive behavior? Google isn’t doing anything to defend Motorola specifically.

      The only condition Google is making for Honeycomb right now is tablet only (along with any minimum specs in the compatibility document, which has existed for devices all along in Android). However, anyone in the alliance already has access to Honeycomb. There are some outside that already do (saw a recent article about Hannspree having the Honeycomb source, but choosing not to use it citing, the stricter screen requirements for Honeycomb). I suspect that is the main reason instead: Honeycomb require higher res screens, which is what makes it more expensive (most people skip over screen specs when comparing tablets though).

      And it’s not like they don’t have the option of using an older version (many of them do in fact, even before Honeycomb was out).

    • I would agree if the $200 cheaper ones (I imagine you are talking about the Transformer) didn’t have Honeycomb, but they do. So where’s the anti-competitive behavior? Google isn’t doing anything to defend Motorola specifically.

      The only condition Google is making for Honeycomb right now is tablet only (along with any minimum specs in the compatibility document, which has existed for devices all along in Android). However, anyone in the alliance already has access to Honeycomb. There are some outside that already do (saw a recent article about Hannspree having the Honeycomb source, but choosing not to use it citing, the stricter screen requirements for Honeycomb). I suspect that is the main reason instead: Honeycomb require higher res screens, which is what makes it more expensive (most people skip over screen specs when comparing tablets though).

      And it’s not like they don’t have the option of using an older version (many of them do in fact, even before Honeycomb was out).

  2. Actually most websites blame shortage of IPS screens due to huge ipad 2 demand and earth quake in Japan for the delay.

  3. “I’m not sure I believe that, why hold back such amazing devices(sic).”

    You hold them back because they aren’t yet “amazing” enough to sell.

    “Sure Android 3.0 has a few small issues (it is brand new of course) as in the first tablet OS built by Google.”

    No. Honeycomb has large issues and small sales.

    “It will take time to mature, just like a fine wine. Hopefully not that long of course.”

    The Motorola Droid on Verizon sold immediately. Why isn’t the Xoom? It’s also on Verizon and heavily advertised. . . why is it failing when the Droid succeeded? Of course, the Droid was launched at the same price as the iPhone 3GS, and benefitted from the fact that Verizon customers couldn’t purchase the iPhone. Yet anyone who wants a Xoom can also buy an iPad, and generally they’re going with the iPad.

    “They mentioned the Motorola Xoom and its poor sales, and low amount of apps for android tablets, the tablet ecosystem being weak. Although I would have to argue with that because the Xoom was the first Tablet OS device. Of course there isn’t going to be a huge ecosystem. That will come in due time. Good things come to those who wait.”

    There’s poor sales and no ecosystem. The iPad launched with 1000 iPad-optimized apps. Two months in, Honeycomb has got less than a hundred, and consumers are ignoring it. You need GPS to find the Xoom at retail stores, but you need only follow the crowd to the iPads. As for what’s coming “in due time,” they said the same thing about the Zune. How’d that turn out?

    “Look how amazing android is now.”

    Yeah it’s so amazing Verizon users stopped buying “Droids” when the iPhone 4 became available. Even the new Thunderbolt, the first 4G phone, wasn’t able to outsell the Verizon iPhone’s launch.

    “I can’t see very many OEMs being truly hesitant, Android is full steam ahead, and Google will put forth the same amazing effort on the Android Tablet. I’d be getting in ASAP if it were me.”

    How’d “getting in ASAP” work out for Motorola? As for the Xoom, the only thing Google’s been good for is searching for sales on how Xoom sales are tanking. There’s a reason Google gives Android way for free: no one is willing to pay for it. Cheers.

    • The Droid wasn’t the first Android phone. The Xoom is the first Android tablet. Big difference there.

      The Xoom is more like the G1. The G1 wasn’t a huge selling device initially either. It took the Droid for Android to really take off. There will likely be a tablet “Droid,” and hopefully it starts sooner than later.

    • The Droid wasn’t the first Android phone. The Xoom is the first Android tablet. Big difference there.

      The Xoom is more like the G1. The G1 wasn’t a huge selling device initially either. It took the Droid for Android to really take off. There will likely be a tablet “Droid,” and hopefully it starts sooner than later.

    • The Droid wasn’t the first Android phone. The Xoom is the first Android tablet. Big difference there.

      The Xoom is more like the G1. The G1 wasn’t a huge selling device initially either. It took the Droid for Android to really take off. There will likely be a tablet “Droid,” and hopefully it starts sooner than later.

  5. There are many issues that are left unanswered in Gingerbread and Froyo, and because Honeycomb is such a departure from that world there are already a host of Honeycomb bugs to deal with. I am afraid that when it comes out it will not work as well as people accept

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