i'm not that stoked about this phone. UNLESS..... i could buy it dirt cheap off contract...and if there is DEVELOPER SUPPORT. If not then i doubt many people on this site will buy it. If it has good Dev support and is cheap. I may buy one to play with.
Keep in mind that this is a philosophy shift. The paridigm has been that powerful hardware = value. The trade off is < power = < expense. However there exists the problem within the US economy where < inflation + < gas prices = > jobs = > expendable money to spend on < power.
Motoogle is making the shift to quality user expereince + lower cost = value. Having the most powerful hardware is worthless unless you have the software to back it up. Everything about the Moto X phone is designed to give the end user a quality experience, from the personalization of color and engraving to the software and the contextual awareness. The tradeoff is that > cost of device = > powerful hardware. It also shows that Motoogle understands that there are fewer jobs in America and less money to spend. So they are putting Americans to work and keeping the cost to the end user down.
The important thing to consider is the opportunity cost. The opportunity cost is, what other opportunities will I miss out on if I buy product z. Here is the opportunity cost set for me.
If I upgrade to the SGS4 or HTC One I pay around $199 with an upgrade plus Verizon's $30 upgrade fee. However, the tradeoff is that I would only have enough money left over to pay for either food or for bills but not both.
I could choose to buy the SGS3 or other phone for cheaper. The opportunity cost would be that I get a phone that's been on the market for more than a year. The tradeoff is that how much longer will Sammy support the SGS3 since they have a new baby? If I went with a cheaper phone (e.g. Pantech) how long will it last?
If rumors are true that Motoogle is looking at an off contract price of >$299 then the potential for an on contract price of the phone is free. The opporotunity cost is that I will not get the powerhouse hardware like the SGS4 or HTC One. However, I will get a brand new phone that will be supported by El Goog.
The lower specs are worth the tradeoff in my situation.