Motorola Xoom tablet: Would you buy it @ US$799?

Motorola has announced the official price for its Xoom Android tablet: US$799. It's specifications are pretty impressive:

• Operating System: Android 3.0
• Screen: 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 pixel resolution capacitative screen
• Processor: 1GHz Dual Core Tegra 2
• Memory: 1GB of RAM
• Storage: 32GB Flash storage
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, WiFi and 3G 
• Camera's: 2MP front camera and 5MP rear camera
• Video: 720p video capture and 1080p video playback via HDMI out

The US$799 price makes it US$70 more expensive than the Apple iPad 3G 32GB and US$30 cheaper than the iPad 3G 64GB. Locally the iPad 3G 32GB sells for Php35,900 while the 64GB version sells for US$40,990. That places the Motorola Xoom with a estimated local retail price of Php40,000.

Considering what you get, the price seems reasonable enough. The question is, will people be willing to fork out 40K for a super tablet? I wonder from Apple sales, how many iPad buyers buy the higher end 3G enabled 32 and 64GB models, versus the lower priced WiFi only and 3G enabled 16GB iPad?

My own take, it is too expensive. Given current tablet pricing, it is reasonable. But I think many of us would have been happy with a less powerful tool at a much lower price. When when wife and I saw the Samsung Galaxy Tab for Php35,900 we liked it, but would have never bought it for that price. When our local carrier offered it under a two year plan at the same price point as a Nokia N8 and at half the price of a HTC 7 Mozart, the price seemed reasonable enough compared to an iPad 3G (Php28,990), and I was availing it on retention so it was either the Samsung Galaxy Tab or the Nokia N8. So we got the tablet and I am keeping my ageing Windows Mobile phone a bit longer.

If I was buying a Samsung Galaxy Tab for cash, I really would not be willing to spend more than 20K. That is how much a netbook would cost me. For the Xoom, I would be willing to pay a bit more, but nowhere near 40K. For that price, I would pick up a 11.6-inch Sony Viao Y or get the cheaper 11.6-inch Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T and pocket the change. The Xoom is priced at the same range as a whole as a Intel Core i3 or i5 ultraportable laptop. So much for being a netbook killer. For the money, I would go with the laptop.