Has the reign of the Kindle Fire burned out?

Awfisch · May 4, 2012, 09:36 PM

Has the Kindle fire lost its flame? It seems like their dominance in the android tablet world has fizzled and they've lost all but 4% of the tablet market. Giving way not to other android tablets, but instead the iPad. They dropped from almost 17% of the market to just over 4% in one quarter. Dropping from 4.8 million units shipped to just 750,000. All the while, Apple's market share jumped from 55% to 68%, all but eliminating the competition from Amazon. If this continues, and a 7'' tablet doesn't work, should Apple still make one(according to rumors and speculations)?

http://allthingsd.com/20120503/kindl...pments-fizzle/

DenisAuermann · May 4, 2012, 09:44 PM

I never took it as a serious competition towards the iPad. Not design/quality or otherwise.

Anti-Lucifer · May 4, 2012, 09:50 PM

If you've ever used a Kindle Fire, you would know that there is no comparison to an iPad.

The iPad IS superior to the Kindle - even the last gen model with the paltry 1024x768 was impressive enough to warrant the supreme title. With the retina iPad now, there is no competition.

The biggest problem with using a tablet is what do you do with it. Many people have laptops and clearly compare the iPad to a notebook computer but if you do that, you will never see the point of an iPad. It's not to replace anything. It's a luxury device that you would use complementary to your desktop/laptop.

The moment you understand this, you will see why the iPad is a force to be reckon with.

Fruit Cake · May 4, 2012, 10:07 PM

What reign?

boltjames · May 4, 2012, 11:07 PM

Android phones and tablets are merely Apple knockoffs for the ignorant masses.

Without 4G it's worthless to an executive. Kindle Fire is a college students cheap w-fi dorm companion. Can't be mentioned in the same breath as the The New iPad.

BJ

Italianblend · May 5, 2012, 04:00 AM

My dad has a kindle fire and I am impressed with it for the price. It's quality for $200. Not everybody has $500 to spend on the pad, and this feels like a star wars vs star trek debate.

It's interesting that the market % amazon has means something to some of you.

chrono1081 · May 5, 2012, 04:07 AM

I always saw the kindle fire as a slimmed down e-book reader with some fancy features tacked on.

I see the iPad as a regular tablet full of apps and media access with an eBook reader (and several reader apps) available for use.

lepeos · May 5, 2012, 08:42 AM

How many fire-based play on words did you need to use there?

psonice · May 5, 2012, 05:49 PM

All new gadgets sell like crazy for the first few months, when they're hot + fresh + new. Then sales drop back down to a sane level. That just happened to the fire. It didn't "challenge the iPad" when it was selling like crazy, it just wiped the floor with all the android tablets. In fact it's still dominating the "non-ipad tablet market".

The iPad too would have a huge sales bump when an update comes out. If apple could meet demand. Wonder how big it would be?

ChrisTX · May 5, 2012, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Italianblend

this feels like a star wars vs star trek debate.

Foolishness! More like Star Wars vs. Junkyard Wars. The Kindle Fire was a joke from the beginning, and now people are starting realize that.

Feed Me · May 5, 2012, 06:00 PM

I wasn't aware the Fire ever even singed the iPad's crown, let alone burned it off. I would also extinguish any thoughts you have about the Fire ever overtaking the iPad. Just put them on the backburner if you must.

dmccloud · May 5, 2012, 06:29 PM

The Fire was never a true iPad competitor, regardless of what some so-called experts claimed. It was always aimed at the low end of the tablet market, and at people already tied into the Amazon ecosystem. The big issue with the Fire is that once you get past the Amazon tie-in, there's honestly not a lot there compared to other Android Tablets, let alone the iPad. I bought one when they first came out (largely for purposes of comparison), but I returned it after a couple of weeks because there simply wasn't enough there to keep me interested in the device.

lcseds · 07:18 PM

The Kindle Fire rocks for what it was meant to do. It was NEVER meant to compete with the iPad. I have a fire plus the new iPad. Comparisons are invalid. You can get a Fire for much less (refurbs are $139!) than an iPad. Can't believe anybody tries to compare these devices. I prefer my iPad, but economy means everyone in my house does not get one. My wife who reads and plays angry birds finds the fire more than enough. Thank heavens, I would not want to drop another $600!
With Apple's book pricing grossly higher than Amazon, the Fire is no low end device, and make way better sense for book readers. It's a rather high end device for the purpose it was intended. If I didn't want web surfing and video, I would have opted for the fire in a heartbeat. No sense in wasting good money to be part of a "clique".

Italianblend · May 5, 2012, 07:44 PM

The question is: is there a $200 device that is more impressive than the kindle fire?

doctorxring · May 5, 2012, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Italianblend

The question is: is there a $200 device that is more impressive than the kindle fire?

No, but if you spend a little more money, you will
get a lot more for it --

You can now get a refurb iPad1 WiFi with FULL
Apple Warranty for $349 from Apple.

A Kindle Fire is only "good" in isolation from
a truly competent tablet like the iPad.

.

Insulin Junkie · May 6, 2012, 12:23 PM

i see it as a silly comparison too, though one amazon are obviously after. type ipad into amazon's search and it will come up with "considering an ipad? have a look at the kindle" as a first result. clicking on the link will pull up a ludicrous side by side of the two devices, obviously heavily biased in the kindles favour.

think its sad they feel the need to compare like that, the kindle fire is a decent little device for its relatively low price.

nfl46 · May 6, 2012, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doctorxring

No, but if you spend a little more money, you will
get a lot more for it --

You can now get a refurb iPad1 WiFi with FULL
Apple Warranty for $349 from Apple.

A Kindle Fire is only "good" in isolation from
a truly competent tablet like the iPad.

.

You call spending a $150 a "little more"?

That's nearly two Kindle Fires. The KF was just $139 the other day on Amazon's website, but that one day offer sold out.

ravenvii · May 6, 2012, 01:05 PM

I have a Kindle Fire - got it for $139. It's a great media tablet. I'm really enjoying it for what it is - and it's worth every dollar of the $139 I spent on it.

However, it's definitely not going to be my main tablet. The iPad is much, much faster, can do much, much more and is just all-around much more pleasant to use. While Amazon tries to hide it, the OS is based on Android, and exhibits many of the characteristics of Android - jittery, abrupt and "unfinished".

MacAttacka · May 6, 2012, 01:38 PM

I feel sorry for those poor folks whose only experience of tablet computing is the kindle. It's probably like losing your virginity to a tramp in a dumpster. So many of my friends have finally upgraded to a proper iPad but they have been pretty much scarred. Kindle fire will be gone and forgotten pretty soon.

iHuman1337 · May 6, 2012, 11:24 PM

The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 laughs at the Kindle Fire.

chown33 · May 7, 2012, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squashy

I wasn't aware the Fire ever even singed the iPad's crown, let alone burned it off. I would also extinguish any thoughts you have about the Fire ever overtaking the iPad. Just put them on the backburner if you must.

Oooh... burn. Way to put the damper on.

Say, do I smell toast?

anthonymoody · May 7, 2012, 08:38 AM

I found the UE on the Fire quite jerky and clunky in about 1/2 hour playing with one owned by a relative. Tbh even at $139 I couldn't see myself using one. Once you get used to the more or less instantaneous responsiveness of a late gen iOS device, everything else feels frustratingly slow.

jessica. · May 7, 2012, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Italianblend

The question is: is there a $200 device that is more impressive than the kindle fire?

Not in my opinion. I find the Fire's OS to be clunky but I think they have and continue to improve on it. If I wasn't all about Apple I would probably own the Fire. Instead, I've only bought them as gifts for others. Makes for an impressive and yet affordable present to people who aren't offended by it not being an iPad.

spiderman0616 · May 7, 2012, 09:10 AM

The Fire needs a lot of work. For what it is/does, $199 isn't a bad price, but in some ways, it has fallen into the same traps that a lot of other devices have fallen into. It's a forked version of an OS that already isn't doing well on other tablets. Recipe for failure.

Jwr53 · May 7, 2012, 09:24 AM

I don't ever quite trust these reports, because Amazon doesn't release sales figures.

In any case, I own both the Fire and a 3rd-gen iPad, and like them both. I prefer the Fire's OS, but the screen and the size of the iPad are better. I think that for the things most people do with a tablet (search, games, social networking), the Fire is a very worthy alternative to the iPad.

May 4, 2012, 09:36 PM	#1
Awfisch macrumors member Join Date: Feb 2011	Has the reign of the Kindle Fire burned out? Has the Kindle fire lost its flame? It seems like their dominance in the android tablet world has fizzled and they've lost all but 4% of the tablet market. Giving way not to other android tablets, but instead the iPad. They dropped from almost 17% of the market to just over 4% in one quarter. Dropping from 4.8 million units shipped to just 750,000. All the while, Apple's market share jumped from 55% to 68%, all but eliminating the competition from Amazon. If this continues, and a 7'' tablet doesn't work, should Apple still make one(according to rumors and speculations)? http://allthingsd.com/20120503/kindl...pments-fizzle/ __________________ Early 2010 Macbook Pro 2.53 GHz Dual Core 8GB, iPad 3rd Gen, iPhone 5.
	0

May 4, 2012, 09:44 PM	#2
DenisAuermann macrumors member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: San Salvador, El Salvador	It was never I never took it as a serious competition towards the iPad. Not design/quality or otherwise. __________________ iPhone 4s (16gb), iPod touch 4g (late 2011), Soon to have an iPad 3
	6

May 4, 2012, 10:07 PM	#4
Fruit Cake macrumors 6502a Join Date: Mar 2012	What reign?
	14

May 4, 2012, 11:07 PM	#5
boltjames macrumors 6502a Join Date: May 2010	Android phones and tablets are merely Apple knockoffs for the ignorant masses. Without 4G it's worthless to an executive. Kindle Fire is a college students cheap w-fi dorm companion. Can't be mentioned in the same breath as the The New iPad. BJ __________________ The New iPad 4G-LTE \| 64GB \| $829 \| UDP \| iPhone 5 \| 64GB \| $399 \| UDP \| ATV x3 \| iPod Touch x4 iPhone 3GS x2 \| iMac \| Rolex \| BMW \| Trophy Wife \| Beach House \| iPad 4G-LTE Elitist Club® Member
	4

May 5, 2012, 04:00 AM	#6
Italianblend macrumors 6502a Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: The Igloo	My dad has a kindle fire and I am impressed with it for the price. It's quality for $200. Not everybody has $500 to spend on the pad, and this feels like a star wars vs star trek debate. It's interesting that the market % amazon has means something to some of you. __________________ Grant that I may love You always, and then do with me what You will. -St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
	5

May 4, 2012, 09:50 PM	#3
Anti-Lucifer macrumors 6502a Join Date: Mar 2012	If you've ever used a Kindle Fire, you would know that there is no comparison to an iPad. The iPad IS superior to the Kindle - even the last gen model with the paltry 1024x768 was impressive enough to warrant the supreme title. With the retina iPad now, there is no competition. The biggest problem with using a tablet is what do you do with it. Many people have laptops and clearly compare the iPad to a notebook computer but if you do that, you will never see the point of an iPad. It's not to replace anything. It's a luxury device that you would use complementary to your desktop/laptop. The moment you understand this, you will see why the iPad is a force to be reckon with.
	4

May 5, 2012, 04:07 AM	#7
chrono1081 macrumors 603 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Isla Nublar	I always saw the kindle fire as a slimmed down e-book reader with some fancy features tacked on. I see the iPad as a regular tablet full of apps and media access with an eBook reader (and several reader apps) available for use. __________________ Macbook Air 13inch Ultimate Hexcore MacPro 3.33ghz - 24 gigs ram - ATI 5870 - Dual 27inch ACD's
	4

May 5, 2012, 08:42 AM	#8
lepeos macrumors member Join Date: Jan 2012	How many fire-based play on words did you need to use there?
	0

May 5, 2012, 05:49 PM	#9
psonice macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2005	All new gadgets sell like crazy for the first few months, when they're hot + fresh + new. Then sales drop back down to a sane level. That just happened to the fire. It didn't "challenge the iPad" when it was selling like crazy, it just wiped the floor with all the android tablets. In fact it's still dominating the "non-ipad tablet market". The iPad too would have a huge sales bump when an update comes out. If apple could meet demand. Wonder how big it would be? __________________ iOS developer. Author of NightCap, long exposure for iPhone, Camera Boost, 1st camera app for iPad2, True NightVision realtime image enhancement for iPhone
	0

May 5, 2012, 06:00 PM	#11
Feed Me macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Location Location	iPad on fire while Kindle smoulders!!?? - AllThingsD exclusive I wasn't aware the Fire ever even singed the iPad's crown, let alone burned it off. I would also extinguish any thoughts you have about the Fire ever overtaking the iPad. Just put them on the backburner if you must. __________________ I make jokes and I make posts. Be aware, if we appear to be in agreement, I'm probably being sarcastic drunk.
	6

May 5, 2012, 06:29 PM	#12
dmccloud macrumors 6502 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Anchorage, AK	The Fire was never a true iPad competitor, regardless of what some so-called experts claimed. It was always aimed at the low end of the tablet market, and at people already tied into the Amazon ecosystem. The big issue with the Fire is that once you get past the Amazon tie-in, there's honestly not a lot there compared to other Android Tablets, let alone the iPad. I bought one when they first came out (largely for purposes of comparison), but I returned it after a couple of weeks because there simply wasn't enough there to keep me interested in the device. __________________ Retina MacBook Pro - 2.3/8/256 iPad (2012) 64GB w/ LTE iPhone 5
	2

May 5, 2012, 07:12 PM	#13
lcseds macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NC, USA	The Kindle Fire rocks for what it was meant to do. It was NEVER meant to compete with the iPad. I have a fire plus the new iPad. Comparisons are invalid. You can get a Fire for much less (refurbs are $139!) than an iPad. Can't believe anybody tries to compare these devices. I prefer my iPad, but economy means everyone in my house does not get one. My wife who reads and plays angry birds finds the fire more than enough. Thank heavens, I would not want to drop another $600! With Apple's book pricing grossly higher than Amazon, the Fire is no low end device, and make way better sense for book readers. It's a rather high end device for the purpose it was intended. If I didn't want web surfing and video, I would have opted for the fire in a heartbeat. No sense in wasting good money to be part of a "clique". __________________ 2011 13" i5 MBA, 64GB iPad 3, 64GB iPhone 5, 2012 mac Mini 2.6/256 SSD, ATV. Last edited by lcseds; May 5, 2012 at 07:18 PM.
	2

May 5, 2012, 07:44 PM	#14
Italianblend macrumors 6502a Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: The Igloo	The question is: is there a $200 device that is more impressive than the kindle fire? __________________ Grant that I may love You always, and then do with me what You will. -St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
	4

May 6, 2012, 12:23 PM	#16
Insulin Junkie macrumors 65816 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Mainland Europe	i see it as a silly comparison too, though one amazon are obviously after. type ipad into amazon's search and it will come up with "considering an ipad? have a look at the kindle" as a first result. clicking on the link will pull up a ludicrous side by side of the two devices, obviously heavily biased in the kindles favour. think its sad they feel the need to compare like that, the kindle fire is a decent little device for its relatively low price.
	0

May 6, 2012, 01:05 PM	#18
ravenvii macrumors 603 Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Melenkurion Skyweir	I have a Kindle Fire - got it for $139. It's a great media tablet. I'm really enjoying it for what it is - and it's worth every dollar of the $139 I spent on it. However, it's definitely not going to be my main tablet. The iPad is much, much faster, can do much, much more and is just all-around much more pleasant to use. While Amazon tries to hide it, the OS is based on Android, and exhibits many of the characteristics of Android - jittery, abrupt and "unfinished". __________________ 01011001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01110011 01110000 01101111 01101111 01101110 01111001 00100000 01100010 01100001 01110010 01100100 00100001
	0

May 6, 2012, 01:38 PM	#19
MacAttacka macrumors 6502 Join Date: Feb 2012	I feel sorry for those poor folks whose only experience of tablet computing is the kindle. It's probably like losing your virginity to a tramp in a dumpster. So many of my friends have finally upgraded to a proper iPad but they have been pretty much scarred. Kindle fire will be gone and forgotten pretty soon.
	0

May 6, 2012, 11:24 PM	#20
iHuman1337 macrumors newbie Join Date: Mar 2012	The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 laughs at the Kindle Fire.
	0

May 7, 2012, 08:38 AM	#22
anthonymoody macrumors 65816 Join Date: Aug 2002	I found the UE on the Fire quite jerky and clunky in about 1/2 hour playing with one owned by a relative. Tbh even at $139 I couldn't see myself using one. Once you get used to the more or less instantaneous responsiveness of a late gen iOS device, everything else feels frustratingly slow. __________________ iPadAlone.com Wherein I ponder the reality of an iPad as my primary computer...
	0

May 7, 2012, 09:10 AM	#24
spiderman0616 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Aug 2010	The Fire needs a lot of work. For what it is/does, $199 isn't a bad price, but in some ways, it has fallen into the same traps that a lot of other devices have fallen into. It's a forked version of an OS that already isn't doing well on other tablets. Recipe for failure. __________________ iPhone 5 16 GB black, iPhone 5 16 GB white, 3rd Gen iPad Black 32GB, 16 GB iPad Mini White, Airport Extreme, iPod Classic 120 GB, Macbook, 3rd Gen Apple TV, 2012 Mac Mini
	0

May 7, 2012, 09:24 AM	#25
Jwr53 macrumors newbie Join Date: Mar 2012	I don't ever quite trust these reports, because Amazon doesn't release sales figures. In any case, I own both the Fire and a 3rd-gen iPad, and like them both. I prefer the Fire's OS, but the screen and the size of the iPad are better. I think that for the things most people do with a tablet (search, games, social networking), the Fire is a very worthy alternative to the iPad.
	0

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