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iPad Mini Confirmed to Carry Stereo Speakers
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Lol Amazon,
you just said you have 30% more pixels three times in different ways?
But in reality the ipads screens are always far superior and ios devices have some of the best colour accuracy of any screens, TV manufacturers don't do it that well.
The screen is probably brighter, apple always band on about their NITS and snappier ie ghosting will be less prevalent.
You cannot make a quality product for less than apple does.
The whole issue about TV and Movies I mean come on amazon, you can buy off itunes, you can rent off itunes, you can get podcasts, many primetime apps for video, catchuptv in uk for like freeview tv, subscription services like lovefilm, netflicks, and all the rest. The kindle fire has nothing to offer in reality.
The whole ad is a massive lie. and it still doesn't take into account that the ipad has so many games, freebies and the rest all in a nice easy to use OS.
They really did run out of ways to beat the ipad.
I doubt anyone buying the kindle fire HD would pass up buying an ipad if money was no issue.
you just said you have 30% more pixels three times in different ways?
But in reality the ipads screens are always far superior and ios devices have some of the best colour accuracy of any screens, TV manufacturers don't do it that well.
The screen is probably brighter, apple always band on about their NITS and snappier ie ghosting will be less prevalent.
You cannot make a quality product for less than apple does.
The whole issue about TV and Movies I mean come on amazon, you can buy off itunes, you can rent off itunes, you can get podcasts, many primetime apps for video, catchuptv in uk for like freeview tv, subscription services like lovefilm, netflicks, and all the rest. The kindle fire has nothing to offer in reality.
The whole ad is a massive lie. and it still doesn't take into account that the ipad has so many games, freebies and the rest all in a nice easy to use OS.
They really did run out of ways to beat the ipad.
I doubt anyone buying the kindle fire HD would pass up buying an ipad if money was no issue.
Reality check. What percentage of the time would you be watching movies on a device this small without headphones. This is a plane/train/cafe device, designed to be used in transit. Some of you in both camps are so obsessed with specs you're completely divorced from reality.
It's hard to say at this point.... And most importantly, the winner in overall & quality user experience is ...
I love my iPhone and iPad. However, to me, the 7" tablets are as much about media consumption and reading as anything else, and the Fire HD utterly rocks it as a media device. Yes, you can use headphones with anything, but the sound on that thing is unbelievable given the size, and damned good even without the "it's only a tablet" qualifier. Media acquisition is trivially easy, and since everyone seems to be a Prime member these days, the streaming content is second to none. Also, the ebook/audiobook tie-ins are great for commuters like me. While there are far fewer apps, after a point, it really doesn't matter if there are 25,000 or 25,000,000. There are enough in all of the major app stores now.
The Nexus 7? It has a GPS and now, for $299, has cellular and 32GB. The resolution is higher. The speakers are... well, not the strong suit. But overall, as a strong iOS advocate going into it, the pure Android experience, as of Jelly Bean, is amazing. Is it iOS? No. But it's not worse, just different. The arguments that "there are no true tablet apps" are wrong. There are plenty of them. I can use a BT mouse and keyboard to actually use remote desktop apps effectively. I can program on the device. I can do all sorts of things I can't do on iOS, even jailbroken.
Look, I love my iDevices. I'm an ex moderator here, and I'm an Apple fan. But, aside from build quality, which I'll readily concede, I don't see a compelling reason to spend $559 on a 32GB iPad mini with cellular when I can get a 32GB Nexus 7 with cellular and a Chromebook (or a Kindle Fire HD with 16GB) for less. The user experience on the other devices isn't as bad as Apple would lead you to believe, and in fact it's quite pleasant. As good? Probably not. But very close, and certainly on par.
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7-8" tablets are also "going to bed but might watch something first" devices, and the sound quality definitely matters then.
They're also "let the kids entertain themselves" devices, and children, for the most part, hate headphones. Of course, when it's your kids and not you, the sound quality is less relevant, I suppose. ;-)
You might always use headphones, and that's fine, but on the Fire HD, the speakers are very nice, and you would often find yourself not using them unless you were commuting. It all depends on when you'd use the device.
That said, having two speakers wedged together on the bottom of the device makes little sense. Amazon got it right. You might not use them all the time, but if you're going to have speakers, have them in the right place.
I think the new Nexus 10 also has speakers on the top and bottom. I wish they'd updated the 7 to do so as well.
I own a Nexus 7 and I don't like the build quality. The USB port is really cheap and bites into my pinky if I hold the tablet like a smart phone. The bezel also has an edge that becomes annoying the longer I hold the device. Queue the "I'm not holding it right" jokes. The edge on the bezel is downright puzzling. I can take a picture of this if you like.
I don't know if the iPad is better in this regard. I don't own one. But the Nexus 7 doesn't feel good in my left hand.
For a comparison of USB ports (not the same type but this will give you a good idea):
Great ports:
Silverstone TJ09
Cheap ports:
Arc MIDI
I've owned many PC cases and the Arc MIDI is the only case I've ever owned with cheap USB ports. The Nexus 7 fails into the same cheap USB port category.
They're both on the bottom! And they aren't even on opposite ends of the bottom, they're really close to each other in the middle, on either side of the Lightning port! That's terrible stereo.
But I bet the Kindle Fires do the same thing.
Put the speakers on the sides, at least then you've made a legitimate attempt at having stereo. Either way, is isn't going to compare to using headphones.
Did you read that article? It specifically says it's /not/ a loss leader, it made half a billion dollars profit!
I believe most video services go with "720p is HD" and "1080p is Full-HD" so It's not exactly an unforgivable "mistake". I agree with your last point.
It would make more difference on the iPad Normal, being further apart! Hope that makes it into the 5th gen, although generally watching something on an iPad means using headphones (because you're in public, or somewhere noisy, or have the telly on at the same time, etc...).
How much is a 32Gb Nexus 7 with cellular?
I have not tested Kindle HD, Nexus 7 and of course, iPad mini.
But for the build quality, form factor, Apple ecosystem & proven great user experience alone, my money is going to iPad mini. That is why iPhones all the way over bloated specs / features I rarely use / don't need / not working smoothly. The iPad 2 non-retina is actually good enough for me so being on smaller screen sounds better to me.
I love competitions in gadgets - if I have the money, I'll buy & try them all. I've tested Androids in mobile & tablets in stores (if I will buy one it's definitely a Nexus or by Google) - it is not for me (for now) and I feel like it is not that different vs. iOS. I want to try Windows OS because it looks so different and almost as cool as Apple's hardwares. However, I am staying away from Microsoft products for as long as I can. Am a big fan of Nokia hardwares build quality though.
For the next 2 years - iP5 (love and enjoying it, duh) and iPad Mini (per the reviews & it's looks and experiences with full size iPads) are enough for my everyday use and international travels.
I have not tested Kindle HD, Nexus 7 and of course, iPad mini.
But for the build quality, form factor, Apple ecosystem & proven great user experience alone, my money is going to iPad mini. That is why iPhones all the way over bloated specs / features I rarely use / don't need / not working smoothly. The iPad 2 non-retina is actually good enough for me so being on smaller screen sounds better to me.
I love competitions in gadgets - if I have the money, I'll buy & try them all. I've tested Androids in mobile & tablets in stores (if I will buy one it's definitely a Nexus or by Google) - it is not for me (for now) and I feel like it is not that different vs. iOS. I want to try Windows OS because it looks so different and almost as cool as Apple's hardwares. However, I am staying away from Microsoft products for as long as I can. Am a big fan of Nokia hardwares build quality though.
For the next 2 years - iP5 (love and enjoying it, duh) and iPad Mini (per the reviews & it's looks and experiences with full size iPads) are enough for my everyday use and international travels.
I've been one of your Amazons' biggest fans since 1998 (well before I even got my first Mac) but this move is very disappointing. I have a Kindle, as does my 86 year old neighbour, and we both like it.
I don't remember Amazon ever resorting to plastering lies right on top of their homepage to make any of their many other products such as the Kindle stand out. They let price and quality of service do the talking and that has always been enough.
This is a new low which I can only interpret as exposing huge insecurities about their tablet.
I don't remember Amazon ever resorting to plastering lies right on top of their homepage to make any of their many other products such as the Kindle stand out. They let price and quality of service do the talking and that has always been enough.
This is a new low which I can only interpret as exposing huge insecurities about their tablet.
Most items on Amazon's comparison list are technically correct, but this one seems a tad misleading a best.
Interoperability
Kindle Fire:
Buy once, enjoy everywhere.
We make it easy to access your
content on other devices,
including iPad, iPhone,
Android phones & tablets,
BlackBerry, Windows phones,
Roku, TiVo, internet-ready TVs,
and through your web browser
iPad Mini:
Limited: Most Apple content can only be
used on select Apple products.
It's definitely kind of humorous how they say that you can use Amazon content on other devices, including iOS devices, then go on to say that Apple has limited interoperability. Humorous both because of the inconsistency and because they are in a way showing off a feature of the iOS devices.
Being able to have a Kindle app on my iPad was a big selling point for the iPad, in case I ever wanted a dedicated reader. Which I did, so not I have the Kindle Touch.
Interoperability
Kindle Fire:
Buy once, enjoy everywhere.
We make it easy to access your
content on other devices,
including iPad, iPhone,
Android phones & tablets,
BlackBerry, Windows phones,
Roku, TiVo, internet-ready TVs,
and through your web browser
iPad Mini:
Limited: Most Apple content can only be
used on select Apple products.
It's definitely kind of humorous how they say that you can use Amazon content on other devices, including iOS devices, then go on to say that Apple has limited interoperability. Humorous both because of the inconsistency and because they are in a way showing off a feature of the iOS devices.
Being able to have a Kindle app on my iPad was a big selling point for the iPad, in case I ever wanted a dedicated reader. Which I did, so not I have the Kindle Touch.
I've never noticed an issue at all with the USB port in mine (maybe they fixed it since yours was made? dunno), and while I might likely agree about the bezel, I keep mine in a (slim) case so it sleeps when I close it, and hence I don't notice any bezel issues.
Again, I'm not doubting the superior build quality of the iPad mini. I'm just doubting it's worth it for a device that - like any other device of that size range - you're going to want to replace in half a year. $429 vs $250 for 32GB WiFi is a huge amount to pay for a better port. And, really, I am not at all convinced that Lightning is worth it - it's a great port, but it's a damned expensive one, and you will end up not being able to charge your device at some point when you easily could have with micro USB.
And the Kindle Fire is actual $215 unless you want to pay $200 to be spammed by ads everywhere. Nexus 7 is still a much better choice. Better specs and newer OS version without the Amazon bloatware.
Yep, it's not just about the speakers. Very misleading and of course, one-sided advertising (reeks of desperation).
Why can't this be done on 4th gen ipad
I know, why?? This is another reason why I prefer the mini over the regular version. The other reasons are non-retina, better size, and lower price.
$299.
I agree about the bloatware, but after having lost my Android cherry on the Nexus 7, the Nexus 4 is actually looking compelling to me when it's time to upgrade. However, since that's not for another year, we'll see at that point. The Nexus products are bloatware-free, and the specs they have seem, to me, to be very germane to their use.
Right! They just made an argument to buy an Apple device instead of a Kindle device. That Amazon makes their content accessible on Apple devices, but Apple does not do the same thing for Amazon devices, is *not* a selling point for Amazon devices, but for Apple devices.
For anything but watching movies without headphones, I completely and utterly agree. If I had to choose one, it'd be the 7, no doubt in my mind at all.