They're most welcome to the Apple/iPhone fanboy-community.
Now with WP7 Mango on great hardware they will finally have a choice between 2 different visions.
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Amazon Set to Unveil $199 'Kindle Fire' Tablet
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Now with WP7 Mango on great hardware they will finally have a choice between 2 different visions.
Microsoft's market cap is about half of what it used to be yet it's profits have doubled. Why do so many here equate that to going down the drain?
Its true even with regards to apps. For example, while i could work my way around the restrictions, an app like Netflix is not available where i am at. Regionalization of content is always a bitch, regardless who delivers it so to speak.
Second, while impossible to know exactly how the Fire will work, and how Amazon will act, i'd say the overlap is greater than many here seem to think. Not because the ipad is not more capable than the Fire, but because people, in general, do not use the former to its full potential.
Crap analogy: As it were a fancy coffee-maker (CM) that made all sorts of coffee were running circles around everyone else. The CM was truly great, but in reality you (and most others) only drink Americano. Suddenly, a cowboy appears on the horizon, with him, he has the AM - the americano-maker - offering it for sale at only 40% of the CM, while saying: I have some of the best beens in the world! With this AM, you too can have them! Here, the overlap is quite obvious. Where in lies the fundamental difference?
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How could its imagine be damaged beyond repair, when the real issue for MSFT is that people do not seem to be aware of its existence at all.
I really dont understand why people fail to admit that people that actually use wp7 seem happy. That people who's first reaction was "Windows, urgh..." quickly come around. That MSFT seems to have made something that seems like a fairly decent in the end.
KingCrimson said:
Exactly. A slow year is a relative thing when you're that large. I mean really, if you make $16 billion one year, then $14 the next, are you really hurting much? It doesn't matter if you didn't make quite as much, or you're no longer the number 1 top earner in your market sector. The only thing that matters is you're still turning a profit, which MS is still doing a spectacular job of.
Amazon seems to be playing a similar game to the console manufacturers. They'll sell their hardware at a loss, and get a return on profits from their app store and various subscription services. Since I doubt they have that much R&D sunk into the KF, and they're all about content delivery first and foremost, they can probably managed to pull it off.
Bernard SG said:
I wouldn't say that. Mainly because WP7 doesn't really...you know...have that much of an image. The biggest reason WP7 phones aren't selling is because there are barely any people who even know about it. You can go out and ask any random person on the street about smartphones, and they'll all know about the iPhone, and various Android devices. Hell, even my mom knows about Android phones, and I think of them as the more tech enthusiast platform.
But ask them about WP7, and they'll give you a blank stare, and maybe go "...uhh..d'wuh wot". MS hasn't really advertised the platform all that well. They had a few commercials playing back when it first came out, but that's about it.
The good news is that it's slowly (real slowly) gaining mindshare. There are people out there who are getting a little burnt out on the other platforms, and find they really like WP7 after playing with it a bit. The only downside is that they're not quite willing to commit just yet because there aren't any good choices among WP7 hardware at the moment. You got some halfway decent stuff, but nothing that'll blow anyone's mind. For a new platform, you really do need that killer device to go along with it (to paraphrase KingCrimson).
So it has potential for growth. It just isn't doing any growing at the moment, because all the hardware manufacturers are twiddling their thumbs.
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Not that I disagree with that you said here, but I don't see where it's invalidating my analysis, which is:
- iPad aims at being the reference device for a post-PC era - it sure remains to be seen if such era will happen or not (I believe it will, but it's just that: a belief with little evidence backing it up). The Kindle Fire is not at all playing into that paradigm;
- iPad is a worldwide phenomenon that's shaking the tech universe, the KF is merely an attempt to build a niche inside a local market.
They're not playing in the same league.
On top of that, I also see a risk for Amazon that the US economical context hurts their KF strategy. Apple manages to grow because it targets the higher income categories that are not notably impacted by the bad economy. Amazon is attacking the tablet market with a low-end offer for the masses but a low-end tablet is still somewhat a luxury and in the KF's case' a cost-generating luxury as far as you won't get anything from it unless you spend and spend and spend for Amazon-distributed content. It's quite likely that people of low to middle income won't be too eager to adopt such predicament. To rebound on your analogy, perhaps the targeted segment will settle for instant coffee, in the current economic woes.
You take the example of Netflix, but the point is that Netflix is not a relevant offer for people in Beijing or even Paris. The service has appeal only for US expats living there as the content is not available in local language. Same for eBooks, hence the debate you were having about the eBooks market in Japan.
On the other hand, I live in some godforsaken exotic place where the iPad is of great value for me because it is a fantastic window of the world outside. My most used apps are actually the free ones, but God knows how much time I spend on the device. It really delivers and I hardly miss the access to the paid-for iTunes content.
People that actually use an iPhone or a high-end Android handset are happy too...
I have never had the chance to have a hands-on with a WP7 phone, so I have no idea how good it is and will refrain to make any comment on its intrinsic qualities (however it has been reported that the first iteration disappointed most observers due to missing features like copy/paste that are really a absolute minimum in a device like that nowadays; that was quite poor execution, as product launches go). Anyway, the key-phrase in your quote below is "fairly decent". That's a no-go; it has to be exceptionally awesome, especially to the extent that Microsoft seems to target the high-end with WP7.
It's also probably a not so bright idea from Microsoft to want to call everything "Windows", moreover when WP7 has technically nothing to do with the OS Windows.
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Well I am on the order list for a Fire, hopefully I will get it early enough to determine its suitability for my parents. They use wifi when traveling (usually in RV campgrounds) and having a nice simple way to check mail and surf the web would be nice.
I would wager that many of the general public are OS agnostic on their phone. They know they have an iPhone, a Droid or whatever - but don't really know or care about the name of the OS - and might not even know what any of the real differences are. They know their phone and they know what apps they can get.
(edited to add): Interesting. Just read this:
The Kindle Fire won't be out til November, but it's already giving off some strong pre-order smoke signals. According to digital marketing firm eDataSource, Amazon's first tablet has generated enough buzz to pick up just under 100,000 orders -- an estimate based on a sample of 800,000 e-mail users. Even with these rosy estimates, however, Amazon still has a long way to go before it catches up with Apple, which sold 300,000 iPads on its debut. But we're guessing that the Fire's $199 price tag probably won't hurt its chances.
source: eDataSource
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I'd say that's a healthy start. It would be interesting to see how many of those 100K already have an iPad, how many bought the Fire instead of an iPad, etc.
(edited to add): Interesting. Just read this:
The Kindle Fire won't be out til November, but it's already giving off some strong pre-order smoke signals. According to digital marketing firm eDataSource, Amazon's first tablet has generated enough buzz to pick up just under 100,000 orders -- an estimate based on a sample of 800,000 e-mail users. Even with these rosy estimates, however, Amazon still has a long way to go before it catches up with Apple, which sold 300,000 iPads on its debut. But we're guessing that the Fire's $199 price tag probably won't hurt its chances.
source: eDataSource
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I'd say that's a healthy start. It would be interesting to see how many of those 100K already have an iPad, how many bought the Fire instead of an iPad, etc.
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Amazon not losing money on Fire according to this article..
http://www.bgr.com/2011/10/03/amazo...e-sold-ubm-says-amazon-will-make-50-per-unit/
http://www.bgr.com/2011/10/03/amazo...e-sold-ubm-says-amazon-will-make-50-per-unit/
Uh-oh, watch out iPad (Tim Cook: The iPad Is The Undisputed Best-Selling Tablet In the World), here comes the Kindle Fire. LOL
Everyone appears to have a take on how much one really costs. I am only concerned with how much it costs me.
Of course, our lives should revolve around our love of corporations and their profits.It's not. It's a desperate cry for help
http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_new...t-amazon-selling-2000-kindle-fires-every-hour
Report: Amazon selling 2,000 Kindle Fires every hour
Amazon.com
By Todd Bishop, GeekWire.com
Looks like Amazon.com has a hit on its hands, even before its new tablet computer is officially released to consumers.
The Seattle company is selling pre-orders for its new Kindle Fire tablets at a rate of 2,000 an hour, or more than 50,000 per day, according to website Cult of Android, which has gotten its hands on what it describes as internal Amazon inventory documents.
If the report is accurate, and the pace continues, Amazon will have sold 2.5 million Kindle Fires prior to the Nov. 15 launch outpacing the first month of sales for either the iPad or the iPad 2, according to the site.
Of course, at $199, the high demand isnt a huge surprise. Based on the sales numbers, it looks like people are willing to overlook the Kindle Fires shortcomings compared with the iPad, including the lack of 3G mobile broadband and front-facing camera.
The big question long term is whether Amazon can turn the Kindle Fire into a good thing for its bottom line making up for the money its losing on the hardware through increased sales of movies, music, Amazon Prime subscriptions and e-commerce items.
Report: Amazon selling 2,000 Kindle Fires every hour
Amazon.com
By Todd Bishop, GeekWire.com
Looks like Amazon.com has a hit on its hands, even before its new tablet computer is officially released to consumers.
The Seattle company is selling pre-orders for its new Kindle Fire tablets at a rate of 2,000 an hour, or more than 50,000 per day, according to website Cult of Android, which has gotten its hands on what it describes as internal Amazon inventory documents.
If the report is accurate, and the pace continues, Amazon will have sold 2.5 million Kindle Fires prior to the Nov. 15 launch outpacing the first month of sales for either the iPad or the iPad 2, according to the site.
Of course, at $199, the high demand isnt a huge surprise. Based on the sales numbers, it looks like people are willing to overlook the Kindle Fires shortcomings compared with the iPad, including the lack of 3G mobile broadband and front-facing camera.
The big question long term is whether Amazon can turn the Kindle Fire into a good thing for its bottom line making up for the money its losing on the hardware through increased sales of movies, music, Amazon Prime subscriptions and e-commerce items.
I think the Kindle Fire is going to be phenomenal this holiday quarter. Probably Amazon will sell every single unit they manufacture, estimated 5 million. Then 1Q 2012 they will be unveiling the full-size Kindle Fire. Probably $299.
I'm not going to say how many amazon will say, because no one knows how successful it will be.
However they have certainly had a lot of exposure in the UK and australia, The price is awesome, It has android which is popular, and they are releasing it at the perfect time.
All this should make it successful, but you never know to be honest. People believe and love the hype in the iPad, And 99% of people are sheep who will be not because they believe the iPad is the best (which it is anyway), but because everyone else has one. Apple is amazing at creating this type of situation, were even if the iPad wasn't the best, or isn't good for the price, people will still line up in the thousands and buy their device.
Maybe the price of the fire will change this view though. I'm going to get one for my dada birthday, why not? I might even get one myself if it's any good. The price of to fire's is still cheaper than a base iPad, which is amazing.
As far as profits go, if the Kindle Fire leads to a surge in Prime memberships then it's a big win. If not, then no.
[[News --]]
MSFT to buy Earthlink and AOL in shocking news today. With the deal, all customers will receive a free upgrade to a 2400 baud modem and a custom MSFT web browser that forces your homepage to microsoft.com/ads
In a brief comment, Bill said: "I think NetBeui was better than that pesky TCP/IP stuff, but they made me do it kicking and screaming. Wait, wait - is this still 1998? What happened to DOS? Boy, getting old is hell ain't it?"
[[end]]
MSFT to buy Earthlink and AOL in shocking news today. With the deal, all customers will receive a free upgrade to a 2400 baud modem and a custom MSFT web browser that forces your homepage to microsoft.com/ads
In a brief comment, Bill said: "I think NetBeui was better than that pesky TCP/IP stuff, but they made me do it kicking and screaming. Wait, wait - is this still 1998? What happened to DOS? Boy, getting old is hell ain't it?"
[[end]]
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Does anyone know what the Kindle Fire Amazon case looks like? I'm considering placing a pre-order for the Kindle Fire. It seems pretty neat. Also, what about downloading movies? I'd love to be able to watch a movie on the plane, but obviously I can't stream it there. Thanks!
I'd say that naming it Windows is a smart strategy for two reasons. First, it connects well with the office suit and other MSFT technologies such as Lync and Exchange. Second, Windows as a brand has very strong recognition; back-to-back surveys state that the majority of customers want "Windows tablets", rather than iOS ones (something like 50% vs 30%). That said, the name of course comes with a promise, a promise they will have to keep to build fruitful customer relationships. I think, however, that they are well on their way on delivering on that promise.
p.s. as for fairly decent everything is relative. i, would to this day, not call any device much more than that. they all have their inherent limitations and flaws that will need to be worked out as the market matures. My main disappointment with the OS to date is that they have not been able to build enough on their Enterprise hooks and expertise. Granted, they are probably doing better than mos, if not all, but i still expect more.
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Much remains to be seen. For example, the devices has a USB-port, but its still uncertain whether or not that can be used to access external media etc. What is known however is that your amazon content can reside locally on your device, no sweat. Its just a matter of prioritizing.
Another attraction of the KF is that at the price, worth throwing in the suitcase and I also won't be too concerned letting my very young children play games on it...whilst every time they grab the iPad my anxiety levels go up. The KF will kill the Nintendo DS and probably also impact the iPod Touch but it should be an incremental device to the iPad in my mind
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Not sure where you got that info but the option to disable roaming still works with AT&T at least for me. I doubt they will remove this option.
Apologies, I meant turning off the 3G. You can turn wifi off but if you wanted to turn 3G off so that you can effectively use the machine as an iPod Touch, you'd have to take the SIM card out. Which is not always easy
Indeed. I love WP7, but it has ****-all to do with Windows. They resisted calling the Xbox "Windows Console" or whatever they would. This should have had a completely different name. People (including me) make endless jokes about Windows.
Not true... Goto Settings > General > Network . You can disable 3G, and even cellular data completely so that it only sends data over Wi-Fi, basically making it an iPod Touch with cell phone toting/calling capability.