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Amazon Set to Unveil $199 'Kindle Fire' Tablet

The Kindle Fire looks nice, BUT:
  • it remains to be seen how well Amazon can keep their version of Android up to date, as I suspect cooperation with Google will be non-existant
  • currently, the Amazon App Store leaves a lot to be desired in terms of popular apps that are missing (Facebook, as one example)
  • lack of any camera, or at least a front facing one is disappointing to me, Skype video on a tablet is a killer app to me
 
BobVB said:
Battery Life. Can you read books all day on it without recharging? If you can't that will be the bad press that will tone down this excitement.

While many are comparing this to the iPad (the media so wants a real toe to toe with someone to crop up) it really is just going to be a 'color Kindle' for those that are put off by black and white.

As others have said this is to expand the Kindle market primarily and as such it will need to do the 3 things the other Kindles do (easy read, long battery, light to hold) if its going to really take off.

I do think it will do well this holiday season regardless because it will be far too soon for even a wave of buyer's remorse to really affect sales - most will be bought FOR someone rather than by the individuals themselves.
Click to expand...

Its more of an ipad than a "color kindle". Had it used color e-ink, then yes, you would've had a point. This, however, has not.
 
jsh1120 said:
The problem is that they can't treat 3G for a tablet the way they do for an e-Reader. A carrier can afford to provide a "lifetime" one-time $50 access to the internet for an e-Reader because it's used only occasionally and even then for only a minute or two. Once you provide ongoing access to the entire web, you have a huge and continuous demand for downloaded content. Unless Amazon does what Apple (and other tablet manufacturers) have done in setting up partnerships with carriers for a monthly limited charge, there's no way to provide 3G.
Click to expand...
Contrary to what a lot of people believe, Data does not cost wireless providers that much.

Also, I believe Amazon provides a kickback on sales over 3G to the wireless providers.
 
iMaci7 said:
Lol, they copy apple with this new color/touch verison to compete with the iPad, then they copy apples stage presentation i thought i was looking at an Apple keynote in the picture.
Click to expand...

And your post is relevant how?

That's what I thought.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
You might find it funny but the guys on Wall Street do not joke around when it comes to money. They flee at the first sign of trouble. You remember the unfounded rumor a few days ago that iPad production was slowing which sent Apple stock tumbling. And that was on a no-proof rumor.

Well the Fire is real and today Apple stock is up, not down. Wall Street isn't concerned about the Fire eating into iPad sales at all. At all. So I think the theory I share w/ many others that the Fire does not impact iPad sales b/c it doesn't directly compete with it are well founded.
Click to expand...

Yeah. Amazon's stock is way up today. So go figure...
 
KingCrimson said:
Like I said, it's a niche product that will carve out maybe 2% of the overall tablet market. In the end, it's really going to be Windows 8 tablets that challenge the iPad. I mean think about it - a full OS on a tablet that sacrifices nothing with performance, battery life and app ecosystem. That's the ultimate doom for iPad.
Click to expand...


And they have real nice fans on the back... to dry your hair:eek:
 
7"? too small for video and too big for music but the Kindle at $79 and $99 for a touch screen, that's wonderful, I will get one.
 
Savor said:
I love you, Amazon.

Perfect timing (Nov 15th) and $50 cheaper than expected.

No, Apple iPad fans -

Nobody is expecting this to replace your precious iPads. But Amazon is setting the price for future tablets for years to come. I know someone who has owned an iPad 2, TouchPad, and PlayBook. He thinks tablets are just USELESS toys and still prefers a laptop or desktop to get any work done. He says iPad and TouchPad are too bulky. PlayBook is still limited at functions. Tablets will end up being a niche product just like netbooks were. We are just at the apex of this trend. The idea of paying $400-$500 is downright ridiculous when they are half-ass computers. Apple is the only one who can get away with price gouging.

Most tablets should cost below $250. Amazon just hit the sweet spot at under $200. I was checking out the discounted prices on the BlackBerry PlayBook which got slashed by $200 with rebates. I am waiting by DevCon if it can drop the 16GB model for $199 WITHOUT rebates. Going to wait a few weeks. This happened similar to the TouchPad. Patience. Amazon ignited a price war now and all non-iPad competitors will need to follow.
Click to expand...

Nope. As long as Apple continues selling iPads at the current 9-10 million per quarter at the average price of $600(people buy higher memory + 3G) they will not lower the price. It seems that people are willing to pay the price premium to get the Apple.
 
urkel said:
just curious but what limitations do you see in the Kindle Fire?
Click to expand...

Amazon is going to tout its cloud for movies and music content, but the Fire has no 3G/4G; therefore on-board memory is important, but you are limited to 8GB with no SD card capability. This is a BIG drawback to taking the Fire where there is no access to 3G.
 
BobVB said:
A local Seattle station said yesterday that Amazon is selling the Kindle Fire at below costs, planning on making the money back on book sales.
Click to expand...

Very likely, and a very smart way to go. Game set and match? Time will tell.
 
PracticalMac said:
Using the cloud for some web page processing means a heavy load for web servers. I wonder what the service will cost?

Their is a catch somewhere, especially for $199.
Click to expand...

The catch is you are locked into Amazon for buying books, apps, music. The Fire does not interface w/ your computer. It's all done via Amazon's cloud service. It's a razor and blade sales model.
 
First off, let's get one thing straight. The iPad is not a "real" tablet either, it runs an operating system meant for a cell phone. As someone said before, the Windows 8 tablets will give the iPad a run for its money.

Now, I don't think the Kindle Fire is going to directly compete with the iPad. It will compete, however, with:

  • iPod touch
  • Nook Color

This is not meant for content creation. That's what a computer is for. This device is an inexpensive entertainment device. It has a full-fledged ecosystem with music, books, and movies, cloud storage, and apps. It brings what the majority of consumers looking for a tablet want at a reasonable price point - something the iPad fails to do. And it comes from Amazon, a company that consumers already know of and use.
 
This maybe grows the 7" tablet segment, but I just can't see it eating into iPad sales at all. Remember sales forecasts for the holiday quarter are 15 million iPads. A total blowout.
 
samcraig said:
Yeah. Amazon's stock is way up today. So go figure...
Click to expand...

Man, you people can't grab a concept if it had velcro on it. I never said the Fire was not a great product or that Amazon would not sell tons of them. I said the Fire is not a direct competitor to the iPad anymore than, say a Chevy is to a BMW. Both companies sell tons of product but they don't share demographics.

It's quite likely that the Fire and iPad will coexist just fine.
 
- if the OS isn't 'buggy'
- if the battery life is relatively accurate
- if SILK actually does improve the mobile browsing experience

Then the FIRE will be a formidable competitor. The price point, plus a brand name that I imagine most people trust more than even HP, RIM, Samsung etc.. and actually associate with media content, all make for killer reasons to buy one.

On paper this is the first tablet i've seen that actually stands a chance of beating the iPad. And if and when they announce a 3G version for $279, I think the iPad will really start to lose market dominance to the potential casual user.

But, will 8GB be enough? I'd say so for my parents, but people who travel a lot? and like to keep 1-2 seasons and 2-3 movies? and is 7" big enough to really enjoy a film or browse a webpage comfortably? Amazon won't be able to improve on those specs without losing that sweet spot of $200, which i'm assuming they're doing at a loss, and because they only have 8GB of flash memory?

I guess the iPad will still be the best tablet for someone who truly benefits from a tablet, but the Fire will nicely fill that gap between the iPod Touch and the iPad.

I am an Apple fan-boy, but truth be told I didn't really like how nobody could come close to toppling the iPad, it's like the bully of the playground, not even the BIG companies with excessive resources could muster any level of fear. Is the iPad truly cutting edge? is technology moving as fast as it really could? as long as the general public believe whatever Apple comes out with is as good as it gets, then there is less chance for competitors to shine, and less reason for Apple to really pull out the big guns and invest even more of their profit into R&D etc.. I admit i certainly have Apple Tunnel Vision, I barely even bother checking out what competitors have to offer, but kudos to Amazon for announcing a product that will hopefully really rustle some feathers, and if anything drive Apple to make the iPad 3 (and iPad Mini?) really, really cool, and really affordable.. $499 for 16gb Wifi.. just always felt that little bit too expensive... hint, hint.
 
notjustjay said:
I don't think the iPad and this Fire really have that much to compare with each other, especially not price.

Remember that for twice the price, you're also getting "twice" the tablet: larger screen, 3G, two cameras, much larger software base, etc.

As we already know, the iPad was very competitively priced for its features. That hasn't changed.

Having said that, I actually want a tablet in around the 7" size, so I'm watching this announcement with excitement!
Click to expand...

you mean more then three times the price. the 3G ipad is $629 not to mention in some cases tax and or shipping fees. also comes with a month of prime. i have a regular ipad2 and have used the camera once just to see what photobooth looked like, thats not to say that people dont use it regularly. and as far as software base sure there is more apps in the app store but majority of popular apps are prob going to be on both.
 
Competition is awesome. Look at all the choices we have as compared to life before the IPad!

I am typing this on my IPad 2, which I use for primarily web browsing, Netflix, xfinity movies, and emails. That was not possible a year and a half ago.

Prices will keep coming down.
 
This is a great device for someone that doesn't need all the bells and whistles of a $500 tablet like the iPad.

I personally don't need a tablet...but this is pretty nice.
 
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