Costco getting ready for the Motorola Xoom on Feb 24

By Jerry Hildenbrand  | Feb 15 2011 | 5:28 pm  | 32 Comments

Costco gets the Xoom

If you're waiting for the Motorola Xoom, and a Costco member, Feb 24 looks to be a lucky day.  A tipster just sent us in this image of an internal Costco doc all about the new Honeycomb tablet, complete with a few juicy details:

  • Wireless reps at Costco will be receiving their demo device on on or about Feb 22.
  • A pallet full 'o Xoom will be shipped to each store for display on Feb 24.
  • You'll be forced to sign up for at least a month-to-month or pay as you go plan before they will sell it to you.
  • And maybe most interesting -- they'll have 10 reasons why you should ditch the iPad.

While pricing would have been nice, it seems like nobody has a straight answer for that one.  If we find out, we'll be sure to let ya know.  Thanks anon!

Jerry Hildenbrand

Jerry Hildenbrand Cowboy

"Fascinated by things that go beep."

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There are 32 comments

htowngator says:

I would bet it'll probably be $699 or something like that if its $799 at BB (not $1199). They already sell the Galaxy Tab with the same "sign up for a month" thing for $399 when no one else has it for less than $499 off contract.

danielkogan says:

Do you have to be a member to buy at Costo? Is there a way to get a one day membership?

eric6052 says:

Yes you will probably have to have membership. They only sell anual memberships unfortunately. My best advice would be to try and find someone you know with a membership. They will let you in without a card if you say you want to look around to see if you want to join. At least that way you could check out the price.

Dhamp2g says:

get a 1 day temporary membership for free .

Jaymil says:

I've only been a costco member for a couple months now, came from BJ's. I hadn't even thought of buying my Xoom there but after reading the first comment here I checked and sure enough they have the Galaxy Tab for $100 cheaper than BB and VZW. To Daniel- yes you have to be a member, their memberships are fairly cheap though. If it's a $100 savings, the membership costs like $45 so you're still saving money. Hell if prices are released before launch I may just swing by costco to pick mine up instead of BB.

eric6052 says:

I'm getting a sad feeling that we are going to be waiting and waiting for a wifi only model. Verizon probably cut Motorola a check to get an exclusive for a while.

Dhamp2g says:

of course they cut them a check and that is the downfall of all of these devices by not coming out with a wifi only version first or at the same time to give people in option .verizon has to commit to buy so many of these devices upfront weather they sell the manatt that's how they get the exclusive. everyone should learn from samsung epic galaxy s release on all of the networks that's how you do it .

durangojim#AC says:

I have a feeling that the Xoom is going to be a big failure. Too bad because I really needed a barometer in a tablet.

Cretz says:

I don't know why Verizon thinks tablets should be treated like cell phones and require service. Im sure the majority of iPad users dont have 3G...or tether. Imagine buying a TV and not being able to leave with one unless you signed up with Comcast.

babybear293 says:

very true
the majority of the iPads sold aren't even with 3G.
but they keep forcing 3G tablets down our throats. i wish these f*cking carriers will get it. we dont want another BILL!! JUST GIVE US WIFI TABLETS for a subsidize price, but they only do that if you get a contract!!! my BF wants an Android tablet but the carriers want you to sign up for a data contract just to get the subsidize price, which sucks. he refuses. so until these companies become reasonable we shall wait.
HTC & LG please release your prices on the your new Tablet!!!

Dhamp2g says:

is not pick a real far is the manufacturer fault for not release in 3g and wifi at the same time .

eric6052 says:

Um I hate to break it to you but you are completely missing the point of a subsidy. A carrier gives you a subsidy on a phone or tablet in order to get a 2 year commitment called a contract. They give you that discount because they no over the next 2 years they will make it up in guarenteed earnings. They have no reason to give you a subsidy if you don't sign a contract because they have no way of making it back.A wifi only tablet will never have a subsidy because there's no way for the carrier to make it back. If you want a tablet be prepared to pay full price or get a data plan and a subsidized device, those are your options. You could get a Nook Color for $250 and have no contract.

babybear293 says:

well in the case of the Xoom its supposedly "month to month" so how is that contract? then again we dont know.
i just want my eat and eat it too,,,

eric6052 says:

It's not a contract but that's why it may be $800 because there is no subsidy. in your original post you said you wanted wifi only model and that's fine but you'll pay full price for that right.

Icon says:

I hate to tell you this, but what you want will never happen. This is how the industry works. You sign a contract, and you get a device subsidized. You don't get a contract, you pay retail for whatever device your looking at. Plus are you not reading the whole article? This only requires you to get 1 month of service, after that you can cancel it out. There is no contract with this. Stop complaining. If you can't afford the $700-$800 price tag, then move on.

Gameboy70 says:

It's not Verizon; it's Motorola. Moto makes more money from Verizon buying volumes of tablets up front than it would by selling them directly to consumers, even if they sell fewer.

Since 10-20% of iPads are sold in Apple stores, Apple doesn't take the same hit in retail distribution of wifi versions as manufacturers that don't have their own storefronts would (pretty much everyone except Sony).

Sanjay Jha has already warned investors that Motorola won't make as much money on tablets as they do on cell phones. Phones are perceived as necessities that require a carrier subscription of some kind, while only 10-15% of tablets sold are 3G versions. Consumers treat tablets like laptops: integrated 3G is a luxury, not a necessity. Jha knows that before long, the limited demand for carrier branded tablets will be exhausted, at which point the company will have to release the wifi version that everybody wants into retail, which will eat into their thin margins.

Motorola doesn't talk about wifi Xooms because the customer, Verizon, wants to sell you a 3G Xoom now; but that doesn't mean the wifi Xoom isn't coming.

babybear293 says:

i know this is off topic but
WHEN THE HELL WILL GOOGLE MAKE IT OFFICIAL & RELEASE THE CR 48 LAPTOP THEY SHOWED US A FEW MONTHS BACK!! I WANT THAT LAPTOP!! I'LL BE MORE THAN WILLING TO SHELL OUT $800 FOR THAT BABY!! HOPEFULLY THEY DO RELEASE IT TO THE PUBLIC...
*CROSSES FINGERS FOR END OF THE YEAR RELEASE*

Cretz says:

I have one, and the fact that they gave out 60,000 for free should kind of tell you something...

babybear293 says:

wooow!!! you're lucky!! i wish i was a developer, i know most people are in that field that got one because they're still testing it & i hope every one that got one is working hard, because that is the computer of my dreams, even down to the fact that it only has one USB port, which i love.. i dont need all those USB ports in a laptop. and it's beautiful! GOOGLE HAS A NEW FAN GIRL IN ME. I BELIEVE IN THE ANDROID/GOOGLE COMMUNITY & THEY WILL COME THROUGH. WHEN THEY RELEASE THIS LAPTOP THEY WILL GET IT RIGHT! i hope Google keeps Chrome OS for themselves for a while though.. manufacturers can be greedy & selfish & we've seen that. ie this post

jaeisber says:

I hate it to you, but the CR-48 or Chrome OS for that matter is not going to be released anytime soon.

I was lucky enough to get chosen for the CR-48 pilot program and am actually posting this from it right now. However, I am in no way, shape, or form a developer. They are sending out 60,000 of these to people from every walk of life.

However, the OS itself is far from complete. There are numerous bugs (which is to be expected for a beta product) and even more features that are not yet enabled or included in the OS. I would be surprised to see a production ready unit on the market in less than 2 years.

babybear293 says:

great to know... but as long as people are reporting the bugs i'm sure Google would try to fix it. same here, i doubt it would be released this year, but it would be sweet. maybe end of 2012 or mid 2013. but i will wait for it. Google has yet to fail me. :-). i thought only developers or people of that sort would have gotten it, great to know.

Gameboy70 says:

I've had a Cr-48 for about a week, but as much as I love it, I think I understand why Chrome notebooks haven't been release into the market yet. You don't fully realize how much offline computing matters until the option to work offline has been effectively removed (with minor exceptions like Scratchpad).

For instance, I need to use the Google Keyword Tool for keyword research. The Keyword Tool exports its files to .csv. By default, you can't open a CSV file in Chrome OS, but if you enable the Advanced File System, you can download a CSV, then upload it to Google Docs. But the formatting gets mangled. In other words, I haven't found a good substitute for Excel.

When people think to themselves that 90% of their computer activities are done online, they don't stop to think how that other 10% can decisively disrupt their workflow. 10% of the functionality you use every day matters.

I'm still trying to push my adoption of cloud computing to its extreme, but I've had mixed results so far. Google wouldn't be giving away 60K laptops if they didn't need to prove to OEMs that the user experience would justify the risk of taking Chrome notebooks to market. I expect Android tablets to have more of a long term impact than Chrome notebooks.

fullofsecrets says:

I'm fine with you being a little bit off-topic. What I'm not fine with is the "yelling" in all caps and the abuse of innocent exclamation points that never did anything to you. :)

babybear293 says:

Lol.. i used Caps to add more emphasis on the word, not yelling. sorry for that

ongre10 says:

This may not be the one that succeeds, but Android is already a very big player and eventually there will be a tablet computer, a real computer, that really stands out. I don't feel Motorola has it in them to be the top of the heap though they make good stuff, it is locked into their idea of a good time. I see a current problem with so many android phones and devices coming out that the consumer can easily be confused. "Should I get this one, or wait a while for a faster, bigger???"

babybear293 says:

It may not but that can also be a problem. the problem i see are the selfish manufacturers that don't think about average Americans & that we're still in a Recession whether they want to accept it or not. they see Android as a cash cow, yes every company needs to make money to survive but price your product right. MAN I WISH GOOGLE WOULD REGULATE THIS, but i know it would go against what they truly stand for.

Stang68 says:

Looks like I may be buying my XOOM from Costco. Maybe I'll take a drive down there early next week to see if they have any to play around with.

wynand32 says:

If I'm not mistaken, by being sold with a month-to-month/pay-as-you-go agreement, there's no contract to worry about. Of course, that also means this won't be a fully subsidized price.

So what if you have to get a month's data at $20? Just cancel after that and you're good. Personally, I like the idea of having 3G (eventually 4G) data available when needed.

crxssi says:

>"they'll have 10 reasons why you should ditch the iPad."

Indeed they will:

1) Buy this way overpriced, non-WiFi pad instead of the WiFi iPad so we can make even more money off you each month.

2) Buy this way overpriced, non-WiFi pad instead of the WiFi iPad so we can make even more money off you each month.

3) Buy this way overpriced, non-WiFi pad instead of the WiFi iPad so we can make even more money off you each month.

4) Buy this way overpriced, non-WiFi pad instead of the WiFi iPad so we can make even more money off you each month.

5) Buy this way overpriced, non-WiFi pad instead of the WiFi iPad so we can make even more money off you each month.

6) Buy this way overpriced, non-WiFi pad instead of the WiFi iPad so we can make even more money off you each month.

7) Buy this way overpriced, non-WiFi pad instead of the WiFi iPad so we can make even more money off you each month.

8) Buy this way overpriced, non-WiFi pad instead of the WiFi iPad so we can make even more money off you each month.

9) Buy this way overpriced, non-WiFi pad instead of the WiFi iPad so we can make even more money off you each month.

10) Buy this way overpriced, non-WiFi pad instead of the WiFi iPad so we can make even more money off you each month.

OmegaBlitzkrieg says:

The price on the tablet will be $799 on Feb. 24 but like the article states you will need to sign up for at least one month of service starting at $20 monthly. There will also be a $35 one time activation fee with Verizon on top of said minimum $20.

Turbo8 says:

So it will definitely be cheaper than $799 but there is no price just yet. Also you can cancel the contract a day after you buy it, they just have to send you out the door with it.

However, it has no microSD capability! They will make it possible in the future but right now it's just 32gb of internal

strauss884 says:

If you are going to buy a xoom buy it at Costco. They have the best return policy in the business. 90 days no questions asked. I bought a TV there and had it for about 80 days and I found a better deal elsewhere and returned it no questions. If you buy it here and decide you want a flyer or Ipad2 you will have the opportunity to return for three months.