Apple & Amazon waiting for the other to make the first move?

[Smeaton1724]

Are Apple waiting for Amazon to unveil their hand when it comes to this quarters Apple keynote?

To me it makes sense for Apple to wait until Amazon unveils device, rumoured to be at $250 so undercutting the iPad. If Apple did this then at their keynote they would demonstrate iOS 5, the new iPhone 4S/5 (whatever it will be called) and also reduce the iPad 2 16GB to be competitive with the new Kindle Tablet.

Doing that would also enable Apple to clear 16GB stock ready for the iPad 3 with retina display (>300ppi) which surely will be 32/64/128GB in configuration. Anyone else think that it's plausible?

 

[byke]

I can't see it happening unless apple started making a 7" iPad.

----------

I do wonder if we will see a dedicated Facebook app for the ipad released and announced at the keynote though.

 

[urkel]

Apple obviously has an enormous leap on competition which will retain solid footing for them but there are a ton of potential tablet customers out there still and if their biggest issues are Price (Amazon Tablet) or compatibility with their existing "Computer Lifestyle" (Windows8 Tablet) then we may actually see things get interesting.

Personally, the iPad is my most prized tech device and I'll wait in line (again) for an iPad3 but I dont find iOS5 to be very cutting edge or visually appealing and my workflow could be optimized with a few UI improvements (closing Apps or turning off Bluetooth should take so many steps). I'll probably stick to iOS for my primary mobile needs for the foreseeable future but I'm already itching for iOS6 to shake things up because if it doesnt then the iPad can be very boring in comparison to whats coming out.

 

[Smeaton1724]

Apple obviously has an enormous leap on competition which will retain solid footing for them but there are a ton of potential tablet customers out there still and if their biggest issues are Price (Amazon Tablet) or compatibility with their existing "Computer Lifestyle" (Windows8 Tablet) then we may actually see things get interesting.

Personally, the iPad is my most prized tech device and I'll wait in line (again) for an iPad3 but I dont find iOS5 to be very cutting edge or visually appealing and my workflow could be optimized with a few UI improvements (closing Apps or turning off Bluetooth should take so many steps). I'll probably stick to iOS for my primary mobile needs for the foreseeable future but I'm already itching for iOS6 to shake things up because if it doesnt then the iPad can be very boring in comparison to whats coming out.

That's interesting as I'm happy with all aspects of the core OS 5 when it comes to a portable device.

I would like some kind of trial period with software purchases, >300ppi screens on all devices, better battery and a 7" form factor - iPod Touch "Pro" or iPad "Mini".

In terms of device I don't like "the cloud" as anyone who does any travelling knows data is costly around the world when going between networks and would like to see direct device to device syncing.

 

[iTunes-Luv]

I don't believe on the rumors on a cheap iPhone / iPad to compete with other cheap devices in the market. It's not Apple's philosophy in doing business.

They may make a iPod Touch 3G. But that's all

Apple should better focus on the iCloud service and make a good jump start.

 

[JohnDG]

I don't believe on the rumors on a cheap iPhone / iPad to compete with other cheap devices in the market. It's not Apple's philosophy in doing business.

They may make a iPod Touch 3G. But that's all

They might go with a iPhone 3GS strategy: introduce the iPad 3 HD (retina) at the current price point, and continue to offer the the iPad 2 at a reduced price to match Amazon's 10" pad.

jdg

 

[Smeaton1724]

I don't believe on the rumors on a cheap iPhone / iPad to compete with other cheap devices in the market. It's not Apple's philosophy in doing business.

They may make a iPod Touch 3G. But that's all

Apple should better focus on the iCloud service and make a good jump start.

Whilst I agree with you that Apple don't fight for the bottom line if Amazon come in with a 7" and 10" tablets at under £300 and the hardware is on a par wth the quality of the kindle 3 then people will buy them over Apple.

Where Samsung, Moto et al. have failed is pricing similarly to Apple, in the UK people went crazy for low priced HP Touchpads even though it was poor hardware and underdeveloped software (in terms of android and ios apps).

To counter that undercut I could see:
A) £300 7" iPad - But Jobs said it was too small and 9.7" is the sweet spot, which I agree on.
B) Lower the 16GB iPad pricepoint and bring in a 128GB for "Pro" users.

That is what I hope for as I have no interest in a skinned version of android but I do want to upgrade my iPad 1 to iPad 2 as I prefer the flat back and extra thinness.

 

[urkel]

I don't believe on the rumors on a cheap iPhone / iPad to compete with other cheap devices in the market. It's not Apple's philosophy in doing business.

I know Jobs is still majorly involved in Apple, but with a regime change underway then why couldn't those philosophies change? More specifically, Jobs stance on ("No Touchscreen Laptops" and "No 7in iPad". Ignoring those two things seems stranger every day as we watch this new market evolve.

And BTW, Apple has been doing the "cheap iPhone" thing for a while now. The 3GS is a pretty old phone yet its advertised pretty heavily as a solid $50 phone so why not use that strategy with the next gen iOS devices?

 

[jsh1120]

Waiting for the "other guy" is not a business strategy that either Apple or Amazon engages in. Each is a very successful firm because they concentrate on their core competencies and leverage them effectively.

 

[Signor S.]

Apple doesn't wait to see what other competitors do with their hardware. Apple makes a product and doesn't waits for competition to catch up, instead it keeps designing and innovating. Have you seen all the other tablets out there? Almost all of them try to replicate the iPad's form factor or specs (which I'm sure the Amazon tablet will do as well).

 

[jsh1120]

...Almost all of them try to replicate the iPad's form factor or specs (which I'm sure the Amazon tablet will do as well).

Then I think you'd be wrong.

 

[Signor S.]

Then I think you'd be wrong.

Amazon is the king of e-books. I get that. What I don't see is how they can build off of that. Sure make a tablet that can not only hold your vast amount of Kindle e-books, but go on the internet as well. What else is there? We know nothing of the operating system and the price which I think will be the two turning points on how effective the Amazon tablet will be.

I don't own an iPad or an Amazon Kindle. If Amazon knocks it out of the ball park with their tablet than I might pull the trigger and buy it, but until then Apple is the superior tablet maker.